"Contrary to popular opinion, even totalitarian dictatorships are dependent on the population and the societies they rule."

--

Source : Gene Sharp (2010). “From Dictatorship to Democracy: A Conceptual Framework for Liberation”, p.18, Albert Einstein Institution

Gene Sharp

#Population Quotes #Opinion Quotes #Dictatorship Quotes

“Going to a grammar school, you mixed with all sorts of different types and I used to listen to how they talked. When I did my imitations, I could sound like someone really rough, or I could sound like a cabinet minister.”
“The magic of myth and legend has come true in our time. One types the correct incantation on a keyboard, and a display screen comes to life, showing things that never were nor could be.... The computer resembles the magic of legend in this respect, too. If one character, one pause, of the incantation is not strictly in proper form, the magic doesn't work. Human beings are not accustomed to being perfect, and few areas of human activity demand it. Adjusting to the requirement for perfection is, I think, the most difficult part of learning to program.”
“This whole show business industry is awkward; I just met you and I'm telling you personal things about my life. But that's my life: "Hey, how you doing?" There are not a lot of people that you can relate some of these things to, so it's nice when you meet someone who is going through similar stuff - not "going through," but that "gets" stuff like that.”
“I'm no military expert, and these figures might not be exactly right,' I said. 'But as best I can tell, we've launched 114 Tomahawk cruise missiles into Afghanistan so far. Now take the cost of one of those missiles, tipped with a Raytheon guidance system, which I think is about $840,000. For that much money, you could build dozens of schools that could provide tens of thousands of students with a balanced, non extremist education over the course of a generation. Which do you think will make us more secure?”

Source : Greg Mortenson (2009). “Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Education in Afghanistan and Pakistan”, p.178, Penguin
“Suits are looked at more now as a business thing which is kind of a shame. If you're not wearing it just for work, you should try and trick it up a bit.”
“One of the key qualities that you need to be a great hockey player is fantastic anticipation and feel for the game - if you know where the puck is going before it is hit, that is half the battle.”
“If you are too busy to pray then you are too busy.”
“Faith is better understood as a verb than as a noun, as a process than as a possession. It is an on-again-off-again rather than once-and-for-all. Faith is not being sure where you're going but going anyway. A journey without maps. Tillich says that doubt isn't the opposite of faith; it is an element of faith.”

Source : Frederick Buechner (2009). “Beyond Words: Daily Readings in the ABC's of Faith”, p.109, Zondervan

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