Tolerance always has limits - it cannot tolerate what is itself actively intolerant.
Interpretation
Tolerance cannot accept actions or beliefs that are intolerant.
This quote emphasizes the importance of recognizing boundaries when it comes to tolerance. While it is essential to accept diverse perspectives, there are limits to this acceptance when faced with beliefs or actions that seek to undermine or destroy the very values of tolerance and coexistence. It calls for a balance between openness to differing views and safeguarding against harmful ideologies that promote intolerance.
In practice
During a debate on campus, this quote could be used to highlight the need for a respectful discourse while addressing hate speech.
A liberal education will impart an awareness of the amazing and precious complexity of human relationships. Since those relationships are violated more often out of insensitiveness than out of deliberate intent, whatever increases sensitiveness of perception and understanding humanizes life.
Everyone recognizes a distinction between knowledge and wisdom. . . Wisdom is a kind of knowledge. It is knowledge of the nature, career, and consequences of human values. Since these cannot be separated from the human organism and the social scene, the moral ways of man cannot be understood without knowledge of the ways of things and institutions.
In contrast to totalitarianism, democracy can face and live with the truth about itself.
Idealism, alas, does not protect one from ignorance, dogmatism, and foolishness.
The easiest rationalization for the refusal to seek the truth is the denial that truth exists.
The mob that hails the man on horseback, the Caesars and conquering heroes, does not retain its freedoms for long.
There are two methods, or means, and only two, whereby man's needs and desires can be satisfied. One is the production and exchange of wealth; this is the economic means. The other is the uncompensated appropriation of wealth produced by others; this is the political means.
You never know yourself till you know more than your body.
The difference between life and the movies is that a script has to make sense, and life doesn't.
I don't think I've had a very interesting life, and I feel that is a great liberation. That gives me great freedom as a fiction writer. Nothing that happened holds any special tyranny over me.
The only serious question in life is whether to kill yourself or not.
To have opinions is to sell out to youself. To have no opinions is to exist. To have every opinion is to be a poet.
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