Our whole constitutional heritage rebels at the thought of giving government the power to control men's minds.
Thurgood MarshallRead
As soon as I reach any town, I talk to the shoe-shine boys or the barbers or the people in the restaurants, because it's Mr. Joe Doakes who is very close to reality.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Engaging with everyday people provides genuine insights into reality.
Thurgood Marshall suggests that by speaking to common people, such as shoe-shine boys and barbers, one can gain a clearer understanding of the world and its truths. These interactions highlight how real life is often best understood through the experiences of those who partake in it daily, rather than just through formal or elite perspectives.
Themes
RealityCommon PeopleInsightsPerspectiveUnderstanding
In practice
Example use cases
During a community event, I shared a quote from Thurgood Marshall to encourage participants to engage with all members of the community.
More from Thurgood Marshall
All quotes →The United States has been called the melting pot of the world. But it seems to me that the colored man either missed getting into the pot or he got melted down.
Thurgood MarshallRead
I cannot accept this invitation [to celebrate the bicentenial of the Constitution], for I do not believe that the meaning of the Constitution was forever 'fixed' at the Philadelphia Convention... To the contrary, the government they devised was defective from the start. [Progressive]
Thurgood MarshallRead
When in Gregg v. Georgia the Supreme Court gave its seal of approval to capital punishment, this endorsement was premised on the promise that capital punishment would be administered with fairness and justice. Instead, the promise has become a cruel and empty mockery. If not remedied, the scandalous state of our present system of capital punishment will cast a pall of shame over our society for years to come. We cannot let it continue.
Thurgood MarshallRead
If the First Amendment means anything, it means that a state has no business telling a man, sitting alone in his house, what books he may read or what films he may watch.
Thurgood MarshallRead
In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute.
Thurgood MarshallRead
Similar quotes
An idea's birth is legitimate if one has the feeling that one is catching oneself plagiarizing oneself.
Karl KrausRead
The average is that which no person quite ever is.
Robert Anton WilsonRead
I can concede that the government has no knowledge of the people, but I believe the people know less of the government. There are useless officials, evil, if you like, but there are also good ones, and these are not able to accomplish anything because they encounter an inert mass, the population that takes little part in matters that concern them.
Jose RizalRead
Why do you keep maintaining your ideas are right if you can't prove them?
Jean-Paul SartreRead
I am indeed amazed when I consider how weak my mind is and how prone to error.
Rene DescartesRead
When the heart is open, it's easier for the mind to be turned toward God.
Ram DassRead