We've got to figure out a way that we give a private sphere for our public leaders. We're not gonna get the best people in public life if we don't do that.
Journalism still, in a democracy, is the essential force to get the public educated and mobilized to take action on behalf of our ancient ideals.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Journalism is vital for educating the public and motivating them to uphold democratic values.
This quote emphasizes the crucial role that journalism plays in a democratic society. It asserts that journalism serves as a powerful mechanism for educating citizens and encouraging them to take action to preserve and promote the foundational ideals of their democracy, which have stood the test of time. In doing so, journalism not only informs but also empowers individuals to engage actively with the principles that support their society's progress and values.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a public speech advocating for press freedom, you could reference this quote to highlight the importance of journalism in democracy.
More from Doris Kearns Goodwin
All quotes βOnce a president gets to the White House, the only audience that is left that really matters is history.
That is what leadership is all about: staking your ground ahead of where opinion is and convincing people, not simply following the popular opinion of the moment.
I am a historian. With the exception of being a wife and mother, it is who I am. And there is nothing I take more seriously.
Obama does seem to have what both FDR and Lincoln had, which is the recognition that you have to hold back at times and then wait to come forward.
Those who knew Lincoln described him as an extraordinarily funny man. Humor was an essential aspect of his temperament. He laughed, he explained, so he did not weep.
Similar quotes
It is paradoxical that many educators and parents still differentiate between a time for learning and a time for play without seeing the vital connection between them.
This passion, so unordered and yet so potent, explains the capacity for teaching that one frequently observes in scientific men of high attainments in their specialties-for example, Huxley, Ostwald, Karl Ludwig, Virchow, Billroth, Jowett, William G. Sumner, Halsted and Osler-men who knew nothing whatever about the so-called science of pedagogy, and would have derided its alleged principles if they had heard them stated.
If you take away the gift of reading, you create the gift of listening.
I grew up hearing stories about my grandmother - my mother's mother - who used to go to villages in India in her little VW bug. My grandmother would take a bullhorn and make sure women in these villages knew how to access birth control.
If Confucius can serve as the Patron Saint of Chinese education, let me propose Socrates as his equivalent in a Western educational context - a Socrates who is never content with the initial superficial response, but is always probing for finer distinctions, clearer examples, a more profound form of knowing. Our concept of knowledge has changed since classical times, but Socrates has provided us with a timeless educational goal - ever deeper understanding.
We in the media have been guilty about not doing a better job of making people understand how really simple cooking is. We've made everyone feel like they have to be a chef.