My optimism is not based primarily on the successful march of democracy in recent times but rather is based on the experience of having lived in a fear society and studied the mechanics of tyranny that sustain such a society. – Natan Sharansky
In contrast, fear societies are societies in which dissent is banned. – Natan Sharansky
People may believe that there can be a society where dissent is not permitted, but which is nonetheless not a fear society because everyone agrees with one another and therefore no one wants to dissent. – Natan Sharansky
Will dissent be permitted? The answer to that question will determine whether the society is a free society or a fear society. – Natan Sharansky
The universal human laws – need, love for the beloved, fear, hunger, periodic exaltation, the kindness that rises up naturally in the absence of hunger/fear/pain – are constant, predictable, reliable, universal, and are merely ornamented with the details of local culture. – George Saunders
Our life is March weather, savage and serene in one hour. We go forth austere, dedicated, believing in the iron links of Destiny, and will not turn on our heel to save our life: but a book, or a bust, or only the sound of a name, shoots a spark through the nerves, and we suddenly believe in will… – Ralph Waldo Emerson, Representative Men: Seven Lectures, “IV: Montaigne; Or, the