Speaking Truth To Power Quotes & Sayings

Sweetness of life depends to its bitterness. — Javad Alizadeh

Every book has an intrinsic impossibility, which its writer discovers as soon as his first excitement dwindles. — Annie Dillard

Words written fifty years ago, a hundred years ago, a thousand years ago, can have as much of this power today as ever they had it then to come alive for us and in us and to make us more alive within ourselves. That, I suppose, is the final mystery as well as the final power of words: That not even across great distances of time and space do they ever lose their capacity for becoming incarnate. And when these words tell of virtue and nobility, when they move closer to that truth and gentleness of spirit by which we become fully human, the reading of them is sacramental; and a library is as holy a place as any temple is holy because through the words which are treasured in it the Word itself becomes flesh again and again and dwells among us and within us, full of grace and truth.
Frederick Buechner, A Room Called Remember, in an essay called The Speaking and Writing of Words. — Frederick Buechner

Americans are pragmatic, relatively uncomplicated, hearty and given to broad humor. — Herb Caen

Mathematically speaking, the probable (that in 6,000,000,000 throws with a regular six-sided die the die will come up proximately 1 ,000,000,000 times) and the improbable (that in six throws with the same die the one will come approximately up six times) are not different in kind, but only in frequency, whereby the more frequent appears a priori more probable.
But the occasional occurrence of the improbable does not imply the intervention of a higher power, something in the nature of a miracle, as the layman is so ready to assume. The term "probability" includes improbability at the extreme limits of probability, and when the improbable does occur this is no cause for surprise, bewilderment or mystification.
Cf. Ernst Mally's Probability and Law, Hans Reichenbach The theory Probability, Whitehead and Russell's Principia Mathematica, von Mises' Probability, Statistics and Truth — Max Frisch

The spirit of God speaking to the spirit of man has power to impart truth with greater effect and understanding than the truth can be imparted by personal contact even with heavenly beings. Through the Holy Ghost, the truth is woven into the very fibre and sinews of the body so that it cannot be forgotten. — Joseph Fielding Smith

That's when I realized I had gotten too attached to the TV. — Megan McCafferty

You will gain energy by meditating deeply, by speaking the truth, by learning to be still and by avoiding the crowd, most of the time, not all of the time. — Frederick Lenz

The Sun can be your greatest gloom, or your greatest comforter, depending on how you view its shine. — Anthony Liccione

There is great power in our words, because they
are thoughts to which we have given additional energy by speaking them aloud so another person can know them. — Molly Friedenfeld

The heart that is generous and kind most resembles God. — Robert Burns

The one thing I have never been afraid of is standing before important people and speaking my mind. I represent women who may never have the opportunity to go to the UN or meet with a president. I'm never afraid to speak truth to power. — Leymah Gbowee

I remember a time when I was rejected for speaking my truth. The rejection hurt very much. I kept going over and over in my mind my motives for sharing my truth, and each time I realized that I had come from my heart. This person refuses to be my friend anymore. Over the years I have come to the feeling that Leo was able to access right away. This person is missing out on so much, for I am a loving person and a good devoted friend. I could have enriched this person's life. I no longer feel the personal pain of rejection, but the sadness for what my former friend is missing. I realized also from this experience that it is most important to speak one's deepest truth and to follow the calling of our heart. As we do so we are filled with an inner power and conviction to give the precious gift that we came to earth to give. — Joyce Vissell

For one of the peculiarities about prejudice is that it seems always to speak from the heart; it seems, in some daring way, to be speaking the truth, to be saying what others secretly believe, but do not have the courage to say themselves. And the man who speaks against prejudice can often come to seem like the peddler of shopworn banalities, while the voice of prejudice can seem bold and original; a lone voice with the power to drown out others, the power to subdue. — Aatish Taseer

Speaking out takes courage, but fear can make a compelling argument. I'm not saying it will be easy, but telling the truth gives you power...It sets you free. — Katie McGarry

It's harder to take politics seriously, to understand the issues, than it is to drown it all in a sea of scorn. And while the world cries out for greater analysis and insight, we are distracted by bread and circuses, aka the 'Great British Bake-Off' and 'Tumble.' We should rediscover our tradition of satire. Of speaking truth unto power. — Rory Bremner

Not many people were speaking truth to power in the '80s. I had a really good time doing it - I found it gratifying. It was a joy to have an opportunity to say what you believed. It's challenging to do it in fiction, but I liked writing the novels. I liked writing 'Democracy' particularly. — Joan Didion

hen we allow hope to be challenged, our faith wavers and our words often become negative. Speaking the truth, rather than negative words has a two fold effect. First, the spoken word builds up our hope and faith. In addition, words of blessing released into the atmosphere actually have power to bring positive change. — Faith Blatchford

The word; the forth-speaking of a thought, an idea, a truth, is the beginning of every new creation, or pulse of creation. It is the inauguration of every new order of things; it begins every new messianic reign, every coming of a better time. The darkness never comprehends it; but always, to as many as receive it, it gives power. — Samuel Longfellow

Lyrically I address loads of things that I've never talked about before, about me or about other people. — Joshua James Alphonse Franceschi

Don't Ignore Silence Cause It Has A Sound. When It Starts Speaking, Its Louder Than Thousand Volcanoes ... — Muhammad Imran Hasan

You have already achieved the English-Language poet's most important goal: you can read, Write and speak English well enough to understand this sentence. — Stephen Fry

Grace is not a little prayer you say before you eat. It is a way of life. Eph 2:8,9 — John Paul Warren

You can't play anything on a horn that Louis Armstrong hasn't played — Miles Davis

One of the flabby lines you hear sometimes is, 'Speak truth to power'. Power knows the truth. It's speaking the truth to yourself that's the challenge. — Barry Sanders

It is not possible that it is God's will that women are making 77 cents on a dollar. — Thomas Perez

Whether all is really lost or not depends entirely on whether or not I am lost. — Vaclav Havel

Can any earthly longing compare to what is ours in Christ? Place any earthly jewel beside the treasure found in Christ and it will appear as but dust. Our coveting exposes that we have set our hearts upon earthly gain. The more we seek our treasure outside of Christ, the more we falsely believe that God is lacking in His goodness to us. — Melissa B. Kruger

We find people of value,' she said, speaking like a teacher addressing a small child, 'and we determine what story they need to hear. It's the story that they're already telling themselves, don't you see? It's the nightmare they believe in. Once you understand that nightmare, you join them in it. Their fear becomes your fear. It's all a shared experience then. And once you have that, once they feel that is the truth, all the way down to their core, then your coping strategy becomes theirs. It's a natural progression. This is the power of a shared narrative. Of the echo chamber. — Michael Koryta

Change depends on people knowing the truth. Change depends on people speaking that truth out loud. That's what movements do. Movements educate people to the truth. They pass along information and ideas that many others do not know, and they cause them to ask questions, to challenge their own long-held beliefs ... Movements are the way ordinary people get more freedom and justice. Movements are how we keep a check on power and those who abuse it. — Unita Blackwell

When you are known, what you are is activated. — John De Ruiter

We live in a vengeful time. You didn't get the orange chicken you ordered or the sticky rice? And now you're already home? Meaning you'd have to drive all the way back to get the orange chicken and sticky rice you ordered? Injustice! And thus avenge. Avenge the proprietor's crimes! This [is] our contemporary version of balance, of speaking truth to power. Avenge the proprietor on thy customer-review site! Right the imbalance! — Dave Eggers

I think there's a real hunger for people speaking truth to power. Like, there's a little minority now that's saying you sounded like an asshole and a whiner. But that's just the player-hating fringe. I wouldn't worry about it. — Jonathan Franzen

I will never shrink from speaking truth to power, — Elizabeth May

A moment of truth is very powerful. Instead of smiling to be polite, just frown. Instead of laughing when you are nervous or uncomfortable, just speak your truth. Instead of acting like everything is all right, proclaim it isn't alright, and talk about your feelings! Honor your truth. Honor yourself. Be real. — Bryant McGill