My point was that the war was intrinsically wrong, and as a result of our participation we haven't improved Australia's security but created a greater danger at home and abroad.
Bob HawkeRead
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.
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.
More from Bob Hawke
All quotes →Australia can no longer afford to go down the path of confrontation and fragmentation which has embittered and disfigured so many aspects of the national life.
Bob HawkeRead
I just loved him and he loved me... He was a most humble man, the most decent man I've ever met in my life and he always looked for the best in people to find positives and he said something to me that always remained with me. He said if you believe in the fatherhood of God you must necessarily believe in the brotherhood of man, it follows necessarily and even though I left the church and was not religious, that truth remained with me.
Bob HawkeRead
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.
Bob HawkeRead
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.
Bob HawkeRead
We are building together a nation in which there are no second-class Australians.
Bob HawkeRead
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Must not all things at the last be swallowed up in death?
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