Political criticism is our enemies' best friend.

quote by Bernard KerikReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Related quotes

If government, or those in positions of power and authority, can silence criticism by the argument that such criticism might be misunderstood somewhere, there is an end to all criticism, and perhaps an end to our kind of political system. For men in authority will always think that criticism of their policies is dangerous. They will always equate their policies with patriotism, and find criticism subversive.

quote by Henry Steele CommagerReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Every non-political human grouping of whatever kind, legal, social, religious, economic or other becomes at last political if it creates an opposition deep enough to range men against one another as enemies.

quote by Francis Parker YockeyReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share

In a way, a certain amount of self-criticism is a good thing, because it keeps you humble. Realizing that no matter what success you've achieved, you can still make enemies makes you humble, too.

quote by Lynn JohnstonReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share

I have had a lot of adversaries in my political life, but no enemies that I can remember.

quote by Gerald R. FordReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Mr. James Dean

All the king's horses
Wouldn't make me believe
Even when the walls come crashing down
You still can never be
A rebel without a cause
A rebel to the first degree
Why don't you stop trying so hard?
Cause there's no men, man enough to be
Another James Dean
You're nothing like him
So don't call me friend
Cause you're nothing like me
Even when the world stops turning
There will never be another James Dean
You'll never be James Dean
All the faces you're making
Save it for the scene
And All the people you're faking
Why was it only me?
I saw right into your eyes
And you're just not so deep
I've had too many cries
Mr. Prince Charming
Sorry, you could never be
Cause you're nothing like him
So don't call me friend
Cause you're nothing like me
Even when the world stops turning, the world stops turning
Now you move to the next town
Next set, next girl, have fun baby
I'm taking back my world
Here we are face to face
Same energy, you and me
Don't wanna be enemies
Here we are face to face
Same energy, you and me
Don't wanna be enemies
Here we are face to face
Same energy, you and me
Don't wanna be enemies
Here we are face to face
Same energy, you and me
Don't wanna be enemies
Here we are face to face
Same energy, you and me
Don't wanna be enemies

song performed by by Hilary DuffReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share

It is better to decide a difference between enemies than friends, for one of our friends will certainly become an enemy and one of our enemies a friend.

quote by Pierre Jean de BerangerReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Political Poem

I don't want to write political poetry,
but conflict washes over my native land
like a Katrina surge.

A tempest in a teapot
doesn't mean much
compared to the
relentless fury
of the tsunami.
This year's leaves, floating
gently to my lawn
glowing orange and gold
through the afternoon sun,
signify more than any inept
congressional
super-committee;

but when I see a policeman,
a man I want to call
protector, hero, friend,
spray orange pain
on crouching kids;

when protesters become enemies
of the state, and plans to smash
hope are made
on great, glistening tables
in bank boardrooms
gleaming
with the tears
of the foreclosed,

then must I write political poetry.
I'll fire a simile
into the executive suite,
I'll make strong the barricades
with my fierce metaphor.

poem by Steven FederleReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share
Van Morrison

I do see value in music criticism. Most of the criticism I have received over the years has been very good.

quote by Van MorrisonReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share
Wislawa Szymborska

Children of Our Age

We are children of our age,
it's a political age.

All day long, all through the night,
all affairs--yours, ours, theirs--
are political affairs.

Whether you like it or not,
your genes have a political past,
your skin, a political cast,
your eyes, a political slant.

Whatever you say reverberates,
whatever you don't say speaks for itself.
So either way you're talking politics.

Even when you take to the woods,
you're taking political steps
on political grounds.

Apolitical poems are also political,
and above us shines a moon
no longer purely lunar.
To be or not to be, that is the question.
And though it troubles the digestion
it's a question, as always, of politics.

To acquire a political meaning
you don't even have to be human.
Raw material will do,
or protein feed, or crude oil,

or a conference table whose shape
was quarreled over for months;
Should we arbitrate life and death
at a round table or a square one?

Meanwhile, people perished,
animals died,
houses burned,
and the fields ran wild
just as in times immemorial
and less political.

poem by Wislawa SzymborskaReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Many French directors, having now realised there was no more real criticism, that the standards of the past have gone, are very offended about the quality of film criticism.

quote by Wim WendersReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share

I've had trouble with criticism, I guess. It's hard to know what role criticism plays in either encouraging poets or in getting other people to read them.

quote by Kenneth KochReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Learn to control ego. Humans hold their dogmas and biases too tightly, and we only think that our opponents are dogmatic! But we all need criticism. Criticism is the only known antidote to error.

quote by David BrinReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
Vote! | Copy!

Share
Bertolt Brecht

On the Critical Attitude

The critical attitude
Strikes many people as unfruitful
That is because they find the state
Impervious to their criticism
But what in this case is an unfruitful attitude
Is merely a feeble attitude. Give criticism arms
And states can be demolished by it.

Canalising a river
Grafting a fruit tree
Educating a person
Transforming a state
These are instances of fruitful criticism
And at the same time instances of art.

poem by Bertolt BrechtReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Politics And Religion

My friend politics and religion, are two topics that cause division,
The two can create in our life, many arguments and much strife.
Dear friend everybody is political, affected by the governing will,
And friend religion plays a part, in each and every human heart.

The two create much consternation, in the peoples of the nation,
With fear of what life could be, affecting the lives of you and me.
They polarize the heart of men, in ways we cannot comprehend,
Creating many political forces, some of which, religion endorses,

These issues we’re told to avoid, by men who become annoyed,
But my friend, it can’t be denied, these issues fester deep inside.
To avoid them is perpetrated by, that old Devil, the Father of lies,
Satan wants you to be deceived, so in the end, He’ll be believed.

For in the end, it shall be politics, this is the one that Satan picks,
Supported by the man’s religion, causing the world much derision.
The beast and false prophet friend, will merge together in the end,
Creating a political religious order, that moves across every border.

In the end politics won’t be denied, with no place for hearts to hide,
The politics men avoided my friend, shall religiously bring their end.
As men will believe Satan’s lie, the False Prophet they won’t deny,
But they’ll deny Jesus Christ, receiving eternal death instead of life.

(Copyright ©06/2006)

poem by Bob GottiReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Fiddle And The Drum

And so once again
My dear Johnny my dear friend
And so once again you are fightin' us all
And when I ask you why
You raise your sticks and cry, and I fall
Oh, my friend
How did you come
To trade the fiddle for the drum
You say I have turned
Like the enemies you've earned
But I can remember
All the good things you are
And so I ask you please
Can I help you find the peace and the star
Oh, my friend
What time is this
To trade the handshake for the fist
And so once again
Oh, America my friend
And so once again
You are fighting us all
And when we ask you why
You raise your sticks and cry and we fall
Oh, my friend
How did you come
To trade the fiddle for the drum
You say we have turned
Like the enemies you've earned
But we can remember
All the good things you are
And so we ask you please
Can we help you find the peace and the star
Oh my friend
We have all come
To fear the beating of your drum

song performed by by A Perfect CircleReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share

My Dear Friend

you have been there for me no matter what
you have pick me up when i fall down
my dear friend
you are the reason why i am still alive
you are the reason why i can love again
because of you i have the strength to fight against enemies
you understand the pain i'm going through
you make me stand up on my feet

my dear friend
you have always there waiting for my call
you have always put a smile on my face when i feel sad
my dear friend
what would i do without you
who would i be without you
you never avoided me like everybody else
god drift us apart
we no longer see each other face again

my dear friend
everything seems different and harder when you're here
my tears are like waterfall
they keep on falling
my dear friend
please come back into my life
holding hands in the darkness
sing our favorite song until we fall asleep
my dear friend
let finish what we has started together
alone it will take years

my dear friend
you fight my fight
you got my back
my dear friend
how could i thank you
what should i do to please you
oh my dear, dear friend
it is a pleasure to have you as a friend
thank you my dear, dear friend

poem by Guenael OristelReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Dante himself is open to the suspicion of partiality: it is said, not without apparent ground, that he puts into hell all the enemies of the political cause, which, in his eyes, was that of Italy and God.

quote by Goldwin SmithReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share

The Fiddle & The Drum

And so once again
My dear johnny my dear friend
And so once again you are fightin us all
And when I ask you why
You raise your sticks and cry, and I fall
Oh, my friend
How did you come
To trade the fiddle for the drum
You say I have turned
Like the enemies youve earned
But I can remember
All the good things you are
And so I ask you please
Can I help you find the peace and the star
Oh, my friend
What time is this
To trade the handshake for the fist
And so once again
Oh, america my friend
And so once again
You are fighting us all
And when we ask you why
You raise your sticks and cry and we fall
Oh, my friend
How did you come
To trade the fiddle for the drum
You say we have turned
Like the enemies youve earned
But we can remember
All the good things you are
And so we ask you please
Can we help you find the peace and the star
Oh my friend
We have all come
To fear the beating of your drum

song performed by by Joni MitchellReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share
Edgar Allan Poe

In criticism I will be bold, and as sternly, absolutely just with friend and foe. From this purpose nothing shall turn me.

quote by Edgar Allan PoeReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Honest criticism is hard to take, particularly from a relative, a friend, an acquaintance, or a stranger.

quote by Franklin P. JonesReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share