#dissent

Some of my ancestors were religious dissenters who came to America over three hundred years ago. Others were abolitionists in New England in the eighteen forties and fifties. ↗

— Pete Seeger

#ago #america #ancestors #came #dissenters

I do this real moron thing, and it's called thinking. And apparently I'm not a very good American because I like to form my own opinions. ↗

— George Carlin

#freedom-of-thought #humor #patriotism #freedom

If the machine of government is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law ↗

— Henry David Thoreau

#dissent #nature

That there must be heresies is true, not onely in our Church, but also in any other; even in Doctrines hereticall there will be super-heresies, and Arians not onely divided from their Church, but also among themselves: for heads that are disposed unto Schisme...are naturally indisposed for a community, nor will ever be confined unto the order or oeconomy of one body; and therefore when they separate from others they knit but loosely among themselves; nor contented with a general breach or dichotomie with their Church, do subdivide and mince themselves almost into Atomes. ↗

— Thomas Browne

#heresy #nature

When...did it become irrational to dislike religion, any religion, even to dislike it vehemently? When did reason get redescribed as unreason? When were the fairy stories of the superstitious placed above criticism, beyond satire? A religion was not a race. It was an idea, and ideas stood (or fell) because they were strong enough (or too weak) to withstand criticism, not because they were shielded from it. Strong ideas welcomed dissent. ↗

— Salman Rushdie

#dissent #rationality #reason #religion #satire

May we never confuse honest dissent with disloyal subversion. ↗

— Dwight D. Eisenhower

#disloyal #dissent #honest #may #never

One of the juiciest pleasures of life is to be able to salute and embrace, as elected leaders and honored representatives, people whom you first met when they were on the run or in exile or (like Adam) in and out of jail. I was to have this experience again, and I hope to have it many more times in the future: it sometimes allows me to feel that life is full of point. ↗

— Christopher Hitchens

#dissent #life #politics #experience