The time has come to repeal 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' It is the right thing to do. Every American should have the opportunity to serve their country, regardless of race, sex, creed, or sexual orientation.
Dianne FeinsteinRead
In the wake of 9/11, we were desperate to bring those responsible for the brutal attacks to justice. But even that urgency did not justify torture. The United States must be held to a higher standard than our enemies, yet some of our actions did not clear that bar.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of maintaining moral standards even in times of crisis.
Dianne Feinstein's quote reflects the moral dilemma faced by a nation in the aftermath of a grave attack. It underscores the belief that the United States, as a symbol of justice and integrity, should hold itself to higher ethical standards than its adversaries, despite the overwhelming desire for retribution. The quote serves as a reminder that engaging in acts like torture undermines the very values the nation seeks to defend, suggesting that true justice cannot be built on inhumane actions.
Themes
MoralityJusticeEthicsTorture9/11
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a political debate about human rights and national security.
More from Dianne Feinstein
All quotes →Domestic violence does not only happen to adults. Forty percent of girls age 14 to 17 report knowing someone their age who has been hit or beaten by a boyfriend, and approximately one in five female high school students reports being physically and sexually abused by a dating partner.
Dianne FeinsteinRead
Similar quotes
Realists are, as a rule, only men in the rut of routine who are incapable of transcending a narrow circle of antiquated notions.
Theodor HerzlRead
What comes into the world to disturb nothing merits neither attention nor patience
Rene CharRead
Behaviour arises from the level of one's consciousness.
Maharishi Mahesh YogiRead
I could not understand why men who knew all about good and evil could hate and kill each other.
Mary Wollstonecraft ShelleyRead
The answer is, who you are cannot be defined through thinking or mental labels or definitions, because it's beyond that. It is the very sense of being, or presence, that is there when you become conscious of the present moment. In essence, you and what we call the present moment are, at the deepest level, one.
Eckhart TolleRead
And so it is they who, between them, give me all the reasons for believing in none.
Salman RushdieRead