I'll tell you something, and this is true: I've never been able to write a film which I didn't respect. I just can't do it. I'm very happy about all the films I haven't done.
Harold PinterRead
There was one man in the Labour government, Robin Cook, whom I had a very high regard for. He had the courage to speak out and to resign over Iraq. He was an admirable man. But resignation over a matter of principle is not a very fashionable thing in our society.
Interpretation
The quote highlights the rarity of principled resignation in society.
Harold Pinter reflects on Robin Cook's decision to resign from the Labour government in protest against the Iraq war, emphasizing the commendable courage it takes to stand by oneβs principles. In a world where conformity often prevails, Cook's act of resignation serves as a reminder that upholding oneβs values can be a challenging but noble pursuit, even if it is not widely accepted or appreciated in society.
In practice
This quote can be used during a speech about ethical leadership in politics.
I'll tell you something, and this is true: I've never been able to write a film which I didn't respect. I just can't do it. I'm very happy about all the films I haven't done.
All that happens is that the destruction of human beings - unless they're Americans - is called collateral damage.
I do tend to think that I've written a great deal out of my unconscious because half the time I don't know what a given character is going to say next.
I never think of myself as wise. I think of myself as possessing a critical intelligence which I intend to allow to operate.
It's so easy for propaganda to work, and dissent to be mocked.
There are places in my heart...where no living soul...has...or can ever...trespass.
It is not in violence and crime that our greatest danger lies. These evils are so perfectly apparent that they very quickly arouse the moral power of the people for their suppression. A far more serious danger lurks in the shirking of those responsibilities of citizenship, where the evil may not be so noticeable but is more insidious and likely to be more devastating.
I can write about my culture and religion because I am a product of both. Even when I'm accused of giving ammunition to the Islamophobic right, in the struggle between 'community' and 'women,' I always choose the women.
A lot of them have families to feed, and I think it's a tragic situation where players aren't comfortable speaking what's on their mind or what's right because they're afraid of consequences that come along with it. That's not an ideal environment for anybody.
Our health care workers are the heroes of the Covid-19 response.
I have given my life and all I am to it, and now I want my last act to be to give it all I have, to the last cent.
If I cannot air this pain and alter it, I will surely die of it. That's the beginning of social protest.
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