--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What gets called 'the sixties' left a…" description: "\"What gets called 'the sixties' left a mixed legacy and a lot of divides. But it opened everything to question, and what seems the most fundamental and ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9f/rebecca-solnit-569_authority_what-gets-called-the-sixties-left-a-mixe_1488412.png" --- # What gets called 'the sixties' left a mixed legacy and a… ![“What gets called 'the sixties' left a mixed legacy and a lot of divides. But it opened everything to question, and what seems the most fundamental and most pervasive in all the ensuing changes is the loss of faith in authority: the authority of government, of science, of patriarchy, of progress…” quote by Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9f/rebecca-solnit-569_authority_what-gets-called-the-sixties-left-a-mixe_1488412.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9f/rebecca-solnit-569_authority_what-gets-called-the-sixties-left-a-mixe_1488412.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9f/rebecca-solnit-569_authority_what-gets-called-the-sixties-left-a-mixe_1488412.png) > “What gets called 'the sixties' left a mixed legacy and a lot of divides. But it opened everything to question, and what seems the most fundamental and most pervasive in all the ensuing changes is the loss of faith in authority: the authority of government, of science, of patriarchy, of progress, of capitalism, of violence, of whiteness.” [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The 1960s sparked questioning of many institutions, leading to widespread distrust in authority across domains. **In simple terms:** The era sparked doubt in many powers. Key Takeaway Question assumptions, seek evidence. Themes trust authority social change skepticism Mood reflective critical Type analytical commentary When to use this quote - political activism - academic research - media commentary - public discourse Key Concepts cultural critique historical analysis Questions to Reflect On - How does distrust shape civic engagement? - What can restore confidence in institutions? A Different Perspective Not all loss of trust is negative; some institutions remain vital. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Capitalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capitalism/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Legacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legacy/) [Loss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loss/) [Loss of faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loss-of-faith/) [Patriarchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patriarchy/) [Progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progress/) [Sixties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sixties/) [Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence/) [Whiteness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whiteness/) ## Related quotes > [“O Fiend, whose talisman was that fatal symbol, wouldst thou leave nothing, whether in youth or age, for this poor sinner to revere?—such loss…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/o-fiend-whose-talisman-was-that-fatal-symbol-wouldst-thou-leave/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [It is a mysterious thing, the loss of faith-as mysterious as faith itself. Like faith, it is ultimately not rooted in logic; it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/it-is-a-mysterious-thing-the-loss-of-faith-as-mysterious-as-faith-2/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“Faith gives us hope, so if faith is lost, hope flees away like mist in the wind. Loss of faith leads to loss of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myles-munroe/faith-gives-us-hope-so-if-faith-is-lost-hope-flees-away-like-mist-in/) [Myles Munroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myles-munroe/) > [“...such loss of faith is ever one of the saddest results of sin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/such-loss-of-faith-is-ever-one-of-the-saddest-results-of-sin/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [When I got untethered from the comfort of religion, it wasn't a loss of faith for me, it was a discovery of self. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-pitt/when-i-got-untethered-from-the-comfort-of-religion-it-wasn-t-a-loss/) [Brad Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-pitt/) > [“Mr. Gibreel Farishta on the railway to London was once again seized as who would not be by the fear that God had decided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/mr-gibreel-farishta-on-the-railway-to-london-was-once-again-seized-as/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Large swathes of people losing faith in democracy is a dangerous thing. Conflict, desperation, totalitarianism are the products of that loss of faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharan-burrow/large-swathes-of-people-losing-faith-in-democracy-is-a-dangerous/) [Sharan Burrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharan-burrow/) > [“The process of secularisation arises not from the loss of faith but from the loss of social interest in the world of faith. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-henry-dawson/the-process-of-secularisation-arises-not-from-the-loss-of-faith-but/) [Christopher Henry Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-henry-dawson/) > [It is a mysterious thing, the loss of faith—as mysterious as faith itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/it-is-a-mysterious-thing-the-loss-of-faith-as-mysterious-as-faith/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Loss of faith means loss of hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mazher-mazher50/loss-of-faith-means-loss-of-hope/) Mazher (@mazher50 > [I do not see why the loss of faith in the known image and symbol in our time should be celebrated as a freedom.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-guston/i-do-not-see-why-the-loss-of-faith-in-the-known-image-and-symbol-in/) [Philip Guston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-guston/) > [Loss of faith makes one a wanderer .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/loss-of-faith-makes-one-a-wanderer/) Senoraroy > [“My loss of faith was not revelatory, nor intensely distressing. It was a prolonged growth of resignation, one which the events of my life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-north/my-loss-of-faith-was-not-revelatory-nor-intensely-distressing-it-was/) [Claire North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-north/) > [Doubt is poison. It leads to a loss of faith in yourself, and in all that's good and true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/doubt-is-poison-it-leads-to-a-loss-of-faith-in-yourself-and-in-all/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [The danger of loss of faith in God is not that one will believe in nothing, but rather that one will believe in anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-danger-of-loss-of-faith-in-god-is-not-that-one-will-believe-in/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) ## More by Rebecca Solnit > [“Georgia O’Keeffe moved to rural New Mexico, from which she would sign her letters to the people she loved, “from the faraway nearby.” It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/georgia-o-keeffe-moved-to-rural-new-mexico-from-which-she-would-sign/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [Joy doesn't betray but sustains activism. 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Maybe Persephone was glad to run off with the king of death to his underground realm, maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/i-wonder-now-about-demeter-and-persephone-maybe-persephone-was-glad/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [ \[In mountaineering, if\] we look for private experience rather than public history, even getting to the top becomes an optional narrative rather than the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/in-mountaineering-if-we-look-for-private-experience-rather-than/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [For me, being in a car or on an airplane is like being in limbo. It's this dead zone between two places. But to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/for-me-being-in-a-car-or-on-an-airplane-is-like-being-in-limbo-it-s/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“How do you calculate upon the unforeseen? It seems to be an art of recognizing the role of the unforeseen, of keeping your balance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/how-do-you-calculate-upon-the-unforeseen-it-seems-to-be-an-art-of/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [Walking shares with making and working that crucial element of engagement of the body and the mind with the world, of knowing the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/walking-shares-with-making-and-working-that-crucial-element-of/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“Marriage equality is a threat: to inequality. It’s a boon to everyone who values and benefits from equality. It’s for all of us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/marriage-equality-is-a-threat-to-inequality-it-s-a-boon-to-everyone/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“Mountaineering is always spoken of as though summiting is conquest, but as you get higher, the world gets bigger, and you feel smaller in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/mountaineering-is-always-spoken-of-as-though-summiting-is-conquest/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“A procession is a participants' journey, while a parade is a performance with an audience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/a-procession-is-a-participants-journey-while-a-parade-is-a/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) [Explore all 469 Rebecca Solnit quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) ## More Authority quotes > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. 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