We should not forget that our tradition is one of protest and revolt, and it is stultifying to celebrate the rebels of the past ... while we silence the rebels of the present.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of recognizing and supporting current dissenters as much as we celebrate historical ones.
Henry Steele Commager's quote highlights a critical viewpoint about the nature of tradition in relation to rebellion and protest. It suggests that while society often honors the rebels of the past for their courageous actions, it simultaneously tends to silence or overlook the voices of contemporary rebels who strive for change. The essence of the quote calls for a continuous acknowledgment of modern dissent and the necessity of supporting those who challenge the status quo, thereby ensuring that the spirit of protest remains alive and relevant.
In practice
In a speech about social justice, you could use this quote to emphasize the importance of supporting current movements for change.
The justification and the purpose of freedom of speech is not to indulge those who want to speak their minds. It is to prevent error and discover truth. There may be other ways of detecting error and discovering truth than that of free discussion, but so far we have not found them.
It is sobering to recall that though the Japanese relocation program, carried through at such incalculable cost in misery and tragedy, was justified on the ground that the Japanese were potentially disloyal, the record does not disclose a single case of Japanese disloyalty or sabotage during the whole war.
If our democracy is to flourish, it must have criticism; if our government is to function it must have dissent.
The greatest danger we face is not any particular kind of thought. The greatest danger we face is absence of thought.
America was born of revolt, flourished in dissent, became great through experimentation.
Men in authority will always think that criticism of their policies is dangerous. They will always equate their policies with patriotism, and find criticism subversive.
There's always women of many different races on my shows, and there are always women who look many different ways, but there is still a size thing in this industry. It's hard. I mean to have to say, 'I want a larger woman to be an actor on my shows.' Or, 'Find me a larger woman,' is almost insulting to me.
Time starts out as a notion. But after you turn fifty, time is not a notion anymore but a fact that you start feeling clearly, and in a way, it pushes you to become present in the present.
It’s not that I’ve been dishonest, it’s just that I loathe reality.
The sinner who suddenly realizes God's love for him and then looks at his rejection of that love feels a loss similar to the death of a loved one. A deep void is created in the soul and a loneliness akin to the agony of death.
Government seems to operate on the principle that if even one individual is incapable of using his freedom competently, no one can be allowed to be free.
The extremists are talking too loudly, and everyone is convinced that only he is on the right side. It’s not just Jews against Arabs. It’s the Orthodox versus those who don’t think they can keep all six hundred and thirteen commandments of the Bible. It’s rich people versus poor people. At some point, something came over Israel so that everyone has his own ideas—and everyone else is an enemy. It’s a dialogue among deaf people and it is getting more and more serious.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.