To kill a man will be considered as disgusting [in the twentieth century] as we in this day consider it disgusting to eat one.
Interpretation
This quote reflects the moral evolution of society, highlighting how actions once deemed acceptable can become abhorrent over time.
Andrew Carnegie's quote emphasizes the transformative nature of moral standards over time. He draws a parallel between the act of killing and the act of eating a human, suggesting that such reprehensible acts will eventually be viewed with equal disgust as society evolves. This serves as a commentary on changing ethical perceptions and the progress of humanity in recognizing the value of life.
In practice
In a speech addressing a human rights issue, one might remark, 'As Andrew Carnegie once said, killing a man should be as disgusting to us as eating one, prompting us to reflect on our moral values.'
Give me the life of the boy whose mother is nurse, seamstress, washerwoman, cook, teacher, angel, and saint, all in one, and whose father is guide, exemplar, and friend. No servants to come between. These are the boys who are born to the best fortune.
It is not the rich man's son that the young struggler for advancement has to fear in the race for life, nor his nephew, nor his cousin. Let him look out for the dark horse in the boy who begins by sweeping out the office.
You are what you think. So just think big, believe big, act big, work big, give big, forgive big, laugh big, love big and live big.
Speculation is a parasite feeding upon values, creating none.
Don't be content with doing only your duty. Do more than your duty. It's the horse that finishes a neck ahead that wins the race.
He that cannot reason is a fool. He that will not is a bigot. He that dare not is a slave.
Small acts of decency ripple in ways we could never imagine.
Politics is the gizzard of society, full of grit and gravel, and the two political parties are its opposite halves - sometimes split into quarters - which grind on each other. Not only individuals but states have thus a confirmed dyspepsia.
The longer I live, the more I feel that true repose consists in 'renouncing' one's own self, by which I mean making up one's mind to admit that there is no importance whatever in being 'happy' or 'unhappy' in the usual meaning of the words.
National pride is to countries what self-respect is to individuals: a necessary condition for self-improvement.
Racism is a disease in society. We're all equal. I don't care what their colour is, or religion. Just as long as they're human beings they're my buddies.
This whole thing about reality television to me is really indicative of America saying we're not satisfied just watching television, we want to star in our own TV shows. We want you to discover us and put us in your own TV show, and we want television to be about us, finally.
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