Civil liberties Quote by Katha Pollitt
““Like a lot of lawyers in the party, my father combined uncritical devotion to the imaginary Soviet Union in his head with a passion for rights and the Constitution straight out of the ACLU charter. If you want to be cynical about it, you could say their commitment to civil liberties was just a self-serving tactic, but I think it was more that their minds ran on parallel tracks and they believed what they believed while they were believing it. They were like Christians who put their faith in both miracles and surgery.””
About This Quote
People may hold contradictory beliefs, simultaneously trusting both faith and rationalism, reflecting complex motivations behind civil liberty advocacy.
In simple terms: Contradictory beliefs coexist in activism.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and reconcile mixed motivations.
Themes
belief
contradiction
civil liberties
political ideology
Mood
reflective
analytical
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- political activism
- legal advocacy
- personal reflection
Key Concepts
psychology
political theory
faith vs reason
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you navigate conflicting convictions?
- What drives your commitment to civil rights?
A Different Perspective
Such contradictions can undermine credibility.
![“When you consider that God could have commanded anything he wanted--anything!--the Ten [Commandments] have got to rank as one of the great missed moral opportunities of all time. How different history would have been had he clearly and unmistakably forbidden war, tyranny, taking over other…” quote by Katha Pollitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/142/katha-pollitt-16599_all-time_when-you-consider-that-god-could-have-co_1050685.jpg)
