--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One thing that has gone away from civil…" description: "\"One thing that has gone away from civil discussion in America is this idea that our neighbors are not out to ruin the world. We need to come at it from..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a4/alison-pill-10718_america_one-thing-that-has-gone-away-from-civil_1273249.jpg" --- # One thing that has gone away from civil discussion in… ![“One thing that has gone away from civil discussion in America is this idea that our neighbors are not out to ruin the world. We need to come at it from a civil place.” quote by Alison Pill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a4/alison-pill-10718_america_one-thing-that-has-gone-away-from-civil_1273249.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a4/alison-pill-10718_america_one-thing-that-has-gone-away-from-civil_1273249.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a4/alison-pill-10718_america_one-thing-that-has-gone-away-from-civil_1273249.jpg) > “One thing that has gone away from civil discussion in America is this idea that our neighbors are not out to ruin the world. We need to come at it from a civil place.” [Alison Pill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-pill/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Civil discourse requires assuming good intentions, not suspicion. **In simple terms:** Talk civilly, assume goodwill. Key Takeaway Foster respectful dialogue. Themes communication politics civility Mood thoughtful hopeful Type political social When to use this quote - political debates - community meetings - online forums Key Concepts public discourse social trust Questions to Reflect On - How do you maintain civility? - When is suspicion warranted? A Different Perspective Assuming goodwill may ignore genuine threats. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [America Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america-idea-287542/) [Civil Discussion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-discussion-4087982/) [Civil Place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-place-4087984/) [Come Civil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/come-civil-4087983/) [Discussion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discussion/) [Discussion America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discussion-america-609429/) [Gone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gone/) [Gone away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gone-away/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Neighbor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neighbor/) [One thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/one-thing/) [Ruins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ruins/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Discussion in America means dissent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/discussion-in-america-means-dissent/) [James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/) > [I know of no country in which there is so little independence of mind and real freedom of discussion as in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-know-of-no-country-in-which-there-is-so-little-independence-of-mind/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [Europe, in legend, has always been the home of subtle philosophical discussion; America was the land of grubby pragmatism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-bell/europe-in-legend-has-always-been-the-home-of-subtle-philosophical/) [Daniel Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-bell/) > [Through Black Lives Matter and social media, we've been able to have a really challenging discussion with America about police and how much it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrisse-cullors/through-black-lives-matter-and-social-media-we-ve-been-able-to-have-a/) [Patrisse Cullors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrisse-cullors/) > [We still are America though. We're still a country that is a country of social mobility. We're still a country of immigrants. We're still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/we-still-are-america-though-we-re-still-a-country-that-is-a-country/) [David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/) > [One of the pillars of backward thinking in America is the idea that you can have jobs or you can have clean air and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goodell/one-of-the-pillars-of-backward-thinking-in-america-is-the-idea-that/) [Jeff Goodell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goodell/) > [America is an idea. And it's the solemn responsibility of each 'temporary' president to protect and nurture that noblest of all ideas - with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-granholm/america-is-an-idea-and-it-s-the-solemn-responsibility-of-each/) [Jennifer Granholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-granholm/) > [America is an idea, but it's an idea that brings with it some baggage, like power brings responsibility. It's an idea that brings with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-de-bono/america-is-an-idea-but-it-s-an-idea-that-brings-with-it-some-baggage/) [Edward de Bono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-de-bono/) > [America, the Idea of: We yearned for its beer and jazz, its smoke-filled nightclubs, its Edward Hopper bars, the melancholy of rainy Manhattan Gershwin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bywater/america-the-idea-of-we-yearned-for-its-beer-and-jazz-its-smoke-filled/) [Michael Bywater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bywater/) > [I was confident about America and the idea that in America people can become American without masking their ethnic identity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zbigniew-brzezinski/i-was-confident-about-america-and-the-idea-that-in-america-people-can/) [Zbigniew Brzezinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zbigniew-brzezinski/) > [Much of my work is engaged with 'America' - the idea of America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/much-of-my-work-is-engaged-with-america-the-idea-of-america/) [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) > [If America is an idea, which it is - we're not a nation of ethnic groups that say we're Americans because we have American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-metaxas/if-america-is-an-idea-which-it-is-we-re-not-a-nation-of-ethnic-groups/) [Eric Metaxas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-metaxas/) > [When L.A.’s schizophrenia between Dreamland and Utopia was becoming socially manifest, the United States, which was always a place, went to war with America,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-erickson/when-l-a-s-schizophrenia-between-dreamland-and-utopia-was-becoming/) [Steve Erickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-erickson/) > [Our government should work for us, not against us. It should help us, not hurt us. It should ensure opportunity not just for those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/our-government-should-work-for-us-not-against-us-it-should-help-us/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [You see for me, America is an idea. It is a stage for transformation. I felt when I came to Iowa City from Calcutta…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bharati-mukherjee/you-see-for-me-america-is-an-idea-it-is-a-stage-for-transformation-i/) [Bharati Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bharati-mukherjee/) ## More by Alison Pill > [Secrets are great for acting. Secrets are the best thing in the world for acting, because they keep you looking like you have something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-pill/secrets-are-great-for-acting-secrets-are-the-best-thing-in-the-world/) [Alison Pill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-pill/) > [I want to be Michelle Obama when I grow up. Not the First Lady stuff, but the cool mom, great speaker, advocate stuff. She's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-pill/i-want-to-be-michelle-obama-when-i-grow-up-not-the-first-lady-stuff/) [Alison Pill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-pill/) > [When you're in film and you're in close, charisma in the eyes and confidence can take over. But when someone's sitting twenty rows back,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-pill/when-you-re-in-film-and-you-re-in-close-charisma-in-the-eyes-and/) [Alison Pill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-pill/) > [One of the great things about this cast is that we've been able to take actors of relatively the same age group that would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-pill/one-of-the-great-things-about-this-cast-is-that-we-ve-been-able-to/) [Alison Pill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-pill/) > [Okay, I get kicked off the drums when I try and...the notes just keep coming at you and I'm like "Ahhhhh!" I can't do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-pill/okay-i-get-kicked-off-the-drums-when-i-try-and-the-notes-just-keep/) [Alison Pill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-pill/) > [The biggest thing I've noticed with some of my favorite directors is their gift of sticking a bunch of strangers in a room together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-pill/the-biggest-thing-i-ve-noticed-with-some-of-my-favorite-directors-is/) [Alison Pill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-pill/) > [I guess the biggest world difference you can make is in people's relations to their own emotions, 'cause emotions rule so much of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-pill/i-guess-the-biggest-world-difference-you-can-make-is-in-people-s/) [Alison Pill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-pill/) > [I can't even vote in America!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-pill/i-can-t-even-vote-in-america/) [Alison Pill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-pill/) > [Sitting out of politics isn't really an option if you don't want things to slide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-pill/sitting-out-of-politics-isn-t-really-an-option-if-you-don-t-want/) [Alison Pill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-pill/) > [Very sorry to hear about the shooting at the Family Research Council. Thoughts are with the guard, but glad he was there to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-pill/very-sorry-to-hear-about-the-shooting-at-the-family-research-council/) [Alison Pill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-pill/) > [True badassery has no gender.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-pill/true-badassery-has-no-gender/) [Alison Pill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-pill/) > [I am not a supporter of separatism. I am from Toronto, my dad grew up in Montreal, I believe it should all be part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-pill/i-am-not-a-supporter-of-separatism-i-am-from-toronto-my-dad-grew-up/) [Alison Pill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-pill/) > [I didn't know the comic at all, which is really funny because I grew up here and I had friends who worked at all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-pill/i-didn-t-know-the-comic-at-all-which-is-really-funny-because-i-grew/) [Alison Pill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-pill/) > [I didn't like most of my boyfriends. I'm a perfect example of somebody who will make it work no matter what. Like, I once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-pill/i-didn-t-like-most-of-my-boyfriends-i-m-a-perfect-example-of-somebody/) [Alison Pill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-pill/) > [The script is a bible and it's this unchangeable document that somebody spent years and years on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-pill/the-script-is-a-bible-and-it-s-this-unchangeable-document-that/) [Alison Pill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-pill/) [Explore all 64 Alison Pill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-pill/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) [Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "One thing that has gone away from civil discussion in America is this idea that our neighbors are not out to ruin the world. 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