#individuals

[T]he state should not impose a preferred way of life, but should leave its citizens as free as possible to choose their own values and ends, consistent with a similar liberty for others. ↗

— Michael J. Sandel

#individuals #liberalism #liberty #states #values

The state does not oppose the freedom of people to express their particular cultural attachments, but nor does it nurture such expression—rather [...] it responds with 'benign neglect' [....] The members of ethnic and national groups are protected against discrimination and prejudice, and they are free to maintain whatever part of their ethnic heritage or identity they wish, consistent with the rights of others. But their efforts are purely private, and it is not the place of public agencies to attach legal identities or disabilities to cultural membership or ethnic identity. This separation of state and ethnicity precludes any legal or governmental recognition of ethnic groups, or any use of ethnic criteria in the distribution of rights, resources, and duties. ↗

— Will Kymlicka

#discrimination #ethnicity #individuals #liberalism #liberties

There is a certain way of being human that is my way. I am called upon to live my life in this way, and not in imitation of anyone else's life. But this notion gives a new importance to being true to myself. If I am not, I miss the point of my life; I miss what being human is for me. ↗

— Charles Taylor

#individuals #life #self #uniqueness #life

I love mankind, he said, "but I find to my amazement that the more I love mankind as a whole, the less I love man in particular. ↗

— Fyodor Dostoyevsky

#individuals #love #mankind #love

Peace between countries must rest on the solid foundation of love between individuals. ↗

— Mahatma Gandhi

#individuals #love #peace #love

God's plan is to make much of the man, far more of him than of anything else. Men are God's method. The Church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men. ↗

— E.M. Bounds

#character #individuals #ministry #men

When it comes to judging individuals, I do not like remarks such as 'too good to be true.' They speak as though one is rewarding the nature of evil. Yet, ironically, we still wonder where all the good people have gone. ↗

— Criss Jami

#bad-people #chances #discernment #evil #good

Generalization is a natural human mental process, and many generalizations are true—in average. What often does promote evil behavior is the lazy, nasty habit of believing that generalizations have anything at all to do with individuals. ↗

— David Brin

#evil #generalization #generalizations #individual #individuals

Justice is the first virtue of social institutions, as truth is of systems of thought. A theory however elegant and economical must be rejected or revised if it is untrue; likewise laws and institutions no matter how efficient and well-arranged must be reformed or abolished if they are unjust. Each person possesses an inviolability founded on justice that even the welfare of society as a whole cannot override. For this reason justice denies that the loss of freedom for some is made right by a greater good shared by others. It does not allow that the sacrifices imposed on a few are outweighed by the larger sum of advantages enjoyed by many. Therefore in a just society the liberties of equal citizenship are taken as settled; the rights secured by justice are not subject to political bargaining or to the calculus of social interests. ↗

— John Rawls

#individuals #justice #liberalism #philosophy #social-institutions

I decided to study special education and fell in love with working with individuals with autism. That's what I planned to do with my life. ↗

— Clay Aiken

#decided #education #fell #i #individuals