To say "I accept" in an age like our own is to say that…
“To say "I accept" in an age like our own is to say that you accept concentration-camps, rubber truncheons, Hitler, Stalin, bombs, aeroplanes, tinned food, machine guns, putsches, purges, slogans, Bedaux belts, gas-masks, submarines, spies, provocateurs, press-censorship, secret prisons, aspirins, Hollywood films and political murder.”
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Accepting the status quo means tacitly endorsing the myriad oppressions and violences of modern society.
In simple terms: Accepting everything means accepting oppression.
Question what you accept and resist it.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- political activism
- journalism
- education
- voting
- community organizing
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- What injustices do you overlook in daily life?
- How can you actively oppose them?
It may overlook personal agency and the complexity of systemic change.