China is a vast, disparate country; there is no alternative to strong central power.
Lee Kuan YewRead
They say people can think for themselves? Do you honestly believe that the chap who can’t pass primary six knows the consequence of his choice when he answers a question viscerally, on language, culture and religion? But we knew the consequences. We would starve, we would have race riots. We would disintegrate.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the complexity of decision-making and the socio-political consequences that often go unnoticed by those who are less informed.
Lee Kuan Yew's quote poignantly illustrates the challenges faced by individuals in society when it comes to making informed choices, particularly in areas such as language, culture, and religion. He points out that not everyone possesses the necessary knowledge or understanding to appreciate the ramifications of their decisions, which can lead to significant societal repercussions such as starvation and racial discord. This highlights the importance of education and critical thinking in nurturing an informed citizenry capable of making decisions that affect the broader community.
Themes
Decision MakingEducationConsequencesSocietyAwareness
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a speech about the importance of education in democracy.
More from Lee Kuan Yew
All quotes →I can feel the gradual decline of energy and vitality. And I mean generally, every year, when you know you are not on the same level as last year. But that's life.
Lee Kuan YewRead
Political reform need not go hand in hand with economic liberalization.. I hold unconventional views about this.. I do not believe if you are a libertarian, full of diverse opinions, full of competing ideas in the market place, full of sound and fury, therefore you will succeed.
Lee Kuan YewRead
The human being is an unequal creature. That is a fact. And we start off with the proposition. All the great religions, all the great movements, all the great political ideology, say let us make the human being as equal as possible. In fact, he is not equal, never will be.
Lee Kuan YewRead
They say, oh, let’s have multiparty politics. Let’s have different parties change and be in charge of the Government. Is it that simple? You vote in a Division Three government, not a Division One government, and the whole economy will just subside within three, four years. Finished.
Lee Kuan YewRead
America's greatest long-term influence on China comes from playing host to the thousands of students who come from China each year, some of the ablest Chinese scholars and scientists. They will be the most powerful agents for change in China.
Lee Kuan YewRead
Similar quotes
..where effective competition can be created, it is a better way of guiding individual efforts than any other... regards competition as superior not only because it is in most circumstances the most efficient method known but even more because it is the only method by which our activities can be adjusted to each other without coercive or arbitrary intervention of authority.
Friedrich August Von HayekRead
We must remember that Islam is not an enemy, and we have no war with Islam.
Reuven RivlinRead
In the part of this universe that we know there is great injustice, and often the good suffer, and often the wicked prosper, and one hardly knows which of those is the more annoying.
Bertrand RussellRead
It is one of the secrets of Nature in its mood of mockery that fine weather lays heavier weight on the mind and hearts of the depressed and the inwardly tormented than does a really bad day with dark rain sniveling continuously and sympathetically from a dirty sky.
Muriel SparkRead
Let's worship Divinity, but understand the divinity we worship is beyond our comprehension.
John TempletonRead
I would rather sleep in the southern corner of a little country churchyard than in the tomb of the Capulets.
Edmund BurkeRead