Able Quote by Robert Hass
“The ideal of universal literacy, in the West anyway, was first of all a Protestant idea - that everybody had to be able to read to save their soul. That idea got transposed into an idea of the importance of literacy for democratic citizenship.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The Poetry of Robert Hass, 1999
He notes that Protestantism originally linked literacy to salvation, which later evolved into a democratic ideal of educated citizenship.
In simple terms: Protestant roots tied reading to soul‑saving, later to democracy.
Key Takeaway
Promote literacy for civic empowerment.
Themes
history
education
democracy
Mood
analytical
inspirational
Type
historical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- school curricula
- public libraries
- civic education programs
- policy advocacy
Key Concepts
Protestantism
citizenship
literacy movements
Questions to Reflect On
- How does literacy shape democratic participation?
- What responsibilities accompany universal literacy?
A Different Perspective
Modern contexts may separate religion from civic literacy.
