“Have you ever seen a demonstrable example of equality in your entire life? Can it be glimpsed in any dog show or classroom? In any ping pong game or chess match? Of course not. It is a philosophical abstraction, something nowhere to be found in nature.”
“We know all men are not created equal in the sense some people would have us believe. Some people are smarter than others, some people have more opportunity because they’re born with it, some men make more money than others, some ladies make better cupcakes than others; some are born gifted beyond the normal scope of most men.”
“Thought Of equality- as if it harm d me, giving others the same chances and rights as myself- as if it were not indispensable to my own rights that others possess the same.”
“The truth is, Colonel, that there s no divine spark, bless you. There s many a man alive no more value than a dead dog. Believe me, when you ve seen them hang each other...Equality? Christ in Heaven. What I m fighting for is the right to prove I m a better man than many. Where have you seen this divine spark in operation, Colonel? Where have you noted this magnificent equality? The Great White Joker in the Sky dooms us all to stupidity or poverty from birth. no two things on earth are equal or have an equal chance, not a leaf nor a tree. There s many a man worse than me, and some better, but I don t think race or country matters a damn. What matters is justice. Tis why I m here. I ll be treated as I deserve, not as my father deserved. I m Kilrain, and I God damn all gentlemen. I don t know who me father was and I don t give a damn. There s only one aristocracy, and that s right here - he tapped his white skull with a thick finger - and YOU, Colonel laddie, are a member of it and don t even know it. You are damned good at everything I ve seen you do, a lovely soldier, an honest man, and you got a good heart on you too, which is rare in clever men. Strange thing. I m not a clever man meself, but I know it when I run across it. The strange and marvelous thing about you, Colonel darlin , is that you believe in mankind, even preachers, whereas when you ve got my great experience of the world you will have learned that good men are rare, much rarer than you think.”
“I dream a world where man No other man will scorn, Where love will bless the earth And peace its paths adorn I dream a world where all Will know sweet freedom s way, Where greed no longer saps the soul Nor avarice blights our day. A world I dream where black or white, Whatever race you be, Will share the bounties of the earth And every man is free, Where wretchedness will hang its head And joy, like a pearl, Attends the needs of all mankind- Of such I dream, my world!”
“I don t think I could ever work in such a blatantly hierarchical corporate setting. I know that everyone in this world is not equal, but I can t bear environments that make this truth so obvious.”
“Everyone cares about fairness, but there are two major kinds. On the left, fairness often implies equality, but on the right it means proportionality —people should be rewarded in proportion to what they contribute, even if that guarantees unequal outcomes.”
“Your life depends on a random stranger who could kill you, will probably disrespect you, and will most likely pay you much less than you deserve. But even those prospects are better than the ones you used to have. This is the life of los jornaleros – the day laborers.”
“... and we are not alone in this slavery. there are millions of others throughout the world, of all colors and races and creeds. this we must remember. there are many of our people who hate the poor of the white race, and they hate us. the people in this town living by the river who work in the mills. people who are almost as much in need as we are ourselves. this hatred is a great evil, and no good can ever come from it... the injustice of need must bring us all together and not separate us. we must remember that we all make the things of this earth of value because of labor.”
“Societies in which women have lots of autonomy and authority tend to be decidedly male-friendly, relaxed, tolerant, and plenty sexy. Got that, fellas? If you re unhappy at the amount of sexual opportunity in your life, don t blame the women. Instead, make sure they have equal access to power, wealth and status. Then watch what happens.”
“Equality lies only in human moral dignity. ... Let there be brothers first, then there will be brotherhood, and only then will there be a fair sharing of goods among brothers.”
“Democracy arises out of the notion that those who are equal in any respect are equal in all respects; because men are equally free, they claim to be absolutely equal.”
“Meet every man as you find him, for we re all made the same under habit, robe or rags. Some better made than others, and some better cared for, but on the same pattern, all.”
“Nobody believes that the man who says, Look, lady, you wanted equality, to explain why he won t give up his seat to a pregnant woman carrying three grocery bags, a briefcase, and a toddler is seized with the symbolism of idealism.”
“We each have our belssings and our curses. In the end it makes us equals.”
“From the intellectual point of view an abyss may exist between a great mathematician and his boot maker, but from the point of view of character the difference is most often slight or non-existent”
“They wore their professional clothes like armor. They wielded their work like weapons, warding off the presumption of inferiority because they were Negro or female.”