If freedom makes social progress possible, so social progress strengthens and enlarges freedom. The two are inseparable partners in the great adventure of humanity.
Robert KennedyRead
If any man claims the Negro should be content... let him say he would willingly change the color of his skin and go to live in the Negro section of a large city. Then and only then has he a right to such a claim.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of understanding and empathizing with the struggles of others before passing judgment on their contentment or grievances.
Robert Kennedy's quote challenges those who claim that marginalized communities, particularly African Americans, should be satisfied with their circumstances. By suggesting that such critics consider changing their own identity and living in the same conditions, Kennedy underscores the need for empathy and the right to voice opinion only after experiencing the reality of the oppressed.
In practice
This quote can be used in a speech on social justice.
If freedom makes social progress possible, so social progress strengthens and enlarges freedom. The two are inseparable partners in the great adventure of humanity.
Elections remind us not only of the rights but the responsibilities of citizenship in a democracy.
Within the United States, we have put great emphasis upon political freedoms. Because it has been our experience that these freedoms can lead to others.
It is one thing to open job opportunities. It is another to train people to fill them, or to persuade American enterprise to seek Negro as well as white applicants.
Our attitude towards immigration reflects our faith in the American ideal. We have always believed it possible for men and women who start at the bottom to rise as far as the talent and energy allow. Neither race nor place of birth should affect their chances.
The Gross National Product measures neither our wit nor our courage, neither our wisdom nor our learning, neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country. It measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile, and it can tell us everything about America - except whether we are proud to be Americans.
As long as a man had the courage to reject what society told him to do, he could live life on his own terms. To what end? To be free. But free to what end? To read books, to write books, to think.
Some people say, “Never let them see you cry.” I say, if you’re so mad you could just cry, then cry. It terrifies everyone.
Nobody . . . took me seriously. They wondered why in the world I wanted to be a chemist when no women were doing that. The world was not waiting for me.
These are nonviolent people who have lost their freedom simply because they expressed their ideas….In truth, they are heroes of our time.
Taking action is hard, but know what? Enduring a bad situation can be its own hell.
The hens they all cackle, the roosters all beg,_x000D_ _x000D_ But I will not hatch, I will not hatch. _x000D_ _x000D_ For I hear all the talk of pollution and war _x000D_ _x000D_ As the people all shout and the airplane roar, _x000D_ _x000D_ So I'm staying in here where it's safe and it's warm, _x000D_ _x000D_ And I WILL NOT HATCH!
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