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Quote by Ernesto Sabato

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El Túnel

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Author

Ernesto Sabato
Ernesto Sabato

Argentinian writer, born on June 24, 1911, and died on April 30, 2011. Ernesto Sabato is known for his profound philosophical thoughts and unique literary style, being an important figure in Latin American literature of the 20th century. more

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“I have been called arrogant myself in my time, and hope to earn the title again, but to claim that I am privy to the secrets of the universe and its creator — that's beyond my conceit. I therefore have no choice but to find something suspect even in the humblest believer. Even the most humane and compassionate of the monotheisms and polytheisms are complicit in this quiet and irrational authoritarianism: they proclaim us, in Fulke Greville's unforgettable line, "Created sick — Commanded to be well." And there are totalitarian insinuations to back this up if its appeal should fail. Christians, for example, declare me redeemed by a human sacrifice that occurred thousands of years before I was born. I didn't ask for it, and would willingly have foregone it, but there it is: I'm claimed and saved whether I wish it or not. And if I refuse the unsolicited gift? Well, there are still some vague mutterings about an eternity of torment for my ingratitude. That is somewhat worse than a Big Brother state, because there could be no hope of its eventually passing away.”

ReligionArroganceAuthoritarianism
Book:Letters to a Young Contrarian
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“Just as he did during the Slavery at Monticello tour, David did not mince words. "There’s a chapter in Notes on the State of Virginia,” he said to the five of us, standing in front of the east wing of Jefferson’s manor, “that has some of the most racist things you might ever read, written by anyone, anywhere, anytime, in it. So sometimes I stop and ask myself, 'If Gettysburg had gone the wrong way, would people be quoting the Declaration of Independence or Notes on the State of Virginia?' It’s the same guy writing.”

HistoryRacismAmerican HistoryAfrican AmericansBlacksPresidentsThomas JeffersonMonticelloTours
Book:How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America
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“Nya nodded. "So many people come here without an understanding of the primary cause of the Civil War. Some people think Jefferson wrote the Constitution. I mean there are just so many ways that our public education is failing people by just not giving them the context to understand that Monticello is a plantation, and that slavery was a system that created the economic prosperity that enabled our country to exist. That is not something most people understand. I don't really blame them, because they're not taught to engage that history, and most people are not out here reading all these books that are piled on my desk.”

EducationHistorySlaveryCivil WarAfrican AmericansBlacksPublic EducationSlavesPlantationsMonticello
Book:How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America
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