Sunday, April 11, 2010 – The Opposition
A certain amount of opposition is a great help to a man. Kites rise against, not with, the wind. ~ Lewis Mumford
Ah, but it’s nice to be in the opposition, nice to be a bone in somebody’s throat. ~ Jack Levine
I have spent many years of my life in opposition, and I rather like the role. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
An intelligent and conscientious opposition is a part of loyalty to country. ~ Bainbridge Colby
Every nation has its war party… It is commercial, imperialistic, ruthless. It tolerates no opposition. ~ Robert M. La Follette
We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. When the loyal opposition dies, I think the soul of America dies with it. ~ Edward R. Murrow
I don’t judge a regime by the damning criticism of the opposition, but by the ingenuous praise of the partisan. ~ Jean Rostand
Men who are engaged in public life must necessarily aim at reducing opposition to a minimum, and one of the most obvious means to that end is by misrepresenting, discrediting or ruining their opponents. ~ Frederick Scott Oliver
To excite opposition and inflame malevolence is the unhappy privilege of courage made arrogant by consciousness of strength. ~ Samuel Johnson
No Government can be long secure without a formidable Opposition. ~ Benjamin Disraeli
There is one rule for politicians all over the world: Don’t say in Power what you say in opposition; if you do, you only have to carry out what the other fellows have found impossible. ~ John Galsworthy
There is no squabbling so violent as that between people who accepted an idea yesterday and those who will accept the same idea tomorrow. ~ Christopher Morley
Opposition always inflames the enthusiast, never converts him. ~ Friedrich Schiller
Opposition may become sweet to a man when he has christened it persecution. ~ George Eliot
Anger and humor are like the left and right arm. They complement each other. Anger empowers the poor to declare their uncompromising opposition to oppression, and humor prevents them from being consumed by their fury. ~ James Cone
Opposition is not necessarily enmity; it is merely misused and made an occasion for enmity. ~ Sigmund Freud
Whenever two good people argue over principles, they are both right ~ Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach
But what is all this fear of and opposition to Oblivion? What is the matter with the soft Darkness, the Dreamless Sleep? ~ James Thurber
He who is silent must be agreed with, for what shall the wings of opposition thresh upon, without the winds of conversation to shoulder them. ~ Bryant H. McGill
Elinor agreed with it all, for she did not think he deserved the compliment of rational opposition. ~ Jane Austen
To you I’m an atheist; to God, I’m the Loyal Opposition. ~ Woody Allen
I am at peace with God. My conflict is with Man. ~ Charlie Chaplin
I don’t mind what the opposition says of me so long as they don’t tell the truth about me. ~ Mark Twain
All men have an instinct for conflict: at least, all healthy men. ~ Hilaire Belloc
Conflict is the beginning of consciousness. ~ M. Esther Harding
In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple. In conflict, be fair and generous. In governing, don’t try to control. In work, do what you enjoy. In family life, be completely present. ~ Lao Tzu
He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves, and sharpens our skill. Our antagonist is our helper. This amicable conflict with difficulty helps us to an intimate acquaintance with our object, and compels us to consider it in all its relations. It will not suffer us to be superficial. ~ Edmund Burke
The coldest bodies warm with opposition; the hardest sparkle in collision. ~ Junius
Just Above Sunset 