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While society cannot provide employment for its members, the production/work/income nexus has to be abandoned as a justification for our present parsimony to the unemployed. An assumption cannot be used to justify making second-class citizens of those who are unfortunate enough to constitute living proof of the inaccuracy of that assumption.
Bob Hawke
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Employment should not determine a person's value; society must uphold the dignity of all individuals, especially the unemployed.

In this quote, Bob Hawke emphasizes that the inability of society to provide jobs does not justify the stigma attached to unemployment. He argues against the flawed assumption that work is the sole measure of a person's worth, advocating for the fair treatment of those who cannot find employment and highlighting the need to reassess societal values regarding labor and human dignity.

Themes

EmploymentDignitySocietyUnemploymentWorth

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech about social justice, this quote could illustrate the need for a compassionate approach to unemployment.

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None of us can be sure of how long we will live. Because this is so, I think you should try not to think too much about dying but think about all the nice things that make life so precious to us all.
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The essence of power is the knowledge that what you do is going to have an effect not just an immediate but perhaps a lifelong effect on the happiness and wellbeing of millions of people and so I think the essence of power is to be conscious of what it can mean for others.
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We are building together a nation in which there are no second-class Australians.
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