If honesty did not exist, we ought to invent it as the best means of getting rich.
Honore Gabriel Riqueti, Comte De MirabeauRead
When one meddles with the direction of a revolution, the problem is not how to make it go but how to keep it under control.
Interpretation
Revolutions require careful management to maintain their intended direction and prevent chaos.
This quote suggests that when influencing or participating in a revolution, the key challenge is not merely to ignite or initiate change, but to ensure that the transformation remains stable and controlled. It highlights the complexities and responsibilities that come with being involved in significant societal shifts, emphasizing the need for foresight and guidance in tumultuous times.
In practice
In a speech about political activism, one can use this quote to emphasize the need for careful planning.
If honesty did not exist, we ought to invent it as the best means of getting rich.
You want to change your life? Control the only thing you can control: the meaning you give something.
Citizens, not less generous than myself, let your most precious moments be employed in causing the past to be forgotten; let all my fellow-citizens swear never to recall the past; let them receive their misled brethren with open arms, and let them, in future, be on their guard against the traps of bad men.
We had to forge an alliance of strength based not on colour but on commitment to the total abolition of apartheid and oppression; we would seek allies, of whatever colour, as long as they were totally agreed on our liberation aims.
If you want to change attitudes, start with a change in behavior.
Everything has seasons, and we have to be able to recognize when something's time has passed and be able to move into the next season. Everything that is alive requires pruning as well, which is a great metaphor for endings.
We are entering a new world in which we can choose to follow our own steps, not those that society forces us to take.
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