Best 472 quotes in «debate quotes» category

We seldom learn much from someone with whom we agree.

We sometimes agree with a statement until we get to the name of the person to whom it is attributed.

We usually learn from debates that we seldom learn from debates.

What do you think of Poe?" "He's awful. He was obviously . . . what's the term . . . 'disappointed in love' at some point. He probably never smiled again. The pages are just bursting with his longing for women to suffer. If he ever met me he'd probably punch me on the nose." "I think Poe's quite good, actually. The whole casual horror thing. Like someone standing next to you and screaming their head off and you asking them what the fuck and them stopping for a moment to say 'Oh you know, I'm just afraid of Death' and then they keep on with the screaming.

When [a man] thinks that he is reasoning he is really disputing, just because he cannot define and divide, and so know that of which he is speaking; and he will pursue a merely verbal opposition in the spirit of contention and not of fair discussion.

What is stealing?When is it excusable? When is it a crime?' Thomas looked uncomfortable as he read. Christian perked up. Belle saw Christian listening with interest and looked down at her shoes. 'An action becomes stealing when one of two conditions are met. First, when there is harm to the victim. Second, when the act is done for personal gain.' Thomas looked up and smiled. He seemed happy with where the speech was going, and Belle breathed a sigh of relief. Christian's face had gone white. He stood frozen in his spot. Belle smiled as if to say that things were different with him. That stealing was different in their world. She was torn between excitement for Thomas and embarasment for Christian. 'If both these criteria are met, there is no question where society stands. When of two criteria is in question, society begins to debate. For example, is it wrong when someone takes something that has been thrown away? Perhaps not, since there is no detriment to the victim. Is it wrong when someone takes a loaf of bread to feed a starving baby or taxes the rich to help the poor? Perhaps not, since the motive is unselfish.' Victoria wasn't even looking at Thomas anymore. She was glaring at Belle. She looked like she was about to lunge at her. Belle signaled to her that perhaps she should take notes. But Victoria wasn't used to preparing rebuttals without advanced notice. 'When neither of the criteria is met, however, I propose that there is no crime against ethics. Is it wrong to take a syringe from a drug addict? Of course not.

When it comes to moral dilemmas and matters of discerning right justice, my natural sympathy so often happens to land on the opposite end of that of most of my peers. I sometimes wonder if this is nothing more than the misguidedness and the wickedness of my own heart. I wonder other times if God wires some of us in such a way so that fair discourse might then be provided, so that honest and unbiased, due process is ultimately more likely to be carried out. Perhaps it is all necessary for variance of perception, for mindful debate: that the heart is meant to create a bit of bias on certain issues; as between one another, they weigh and balance. For not all hearts are the same.

When describing the University of Virginia: Here, We are not afraid to follow truth wherever it may lead, nor to tolerate any error so long as reason is left free to combat it.

Whenever they are condemning weaves or breast implants, some people speak so passionately that their false teeth almost fall out.

You’ll never know if your ideas are sound until they are challenged.

While having one’s assertions challenged might be bad for an unintelligent man’s ego; it sure is good for his intellect.

Why doesn't the pope convert to Calvinism? Why doesn't the Dalai Lama, convert to Christianity, why doesn't Billy Graham convert to Islam, Why doesn't the Ayatollahs convert to Buddhism, Why isn't Buddhism swept away? Religious leaders know that all religions are equal; they know that no one of them has the monopoly to the knowledge of God. They know that each religion is trying to find the hidden God and that no one religion can claim to have found him beyond doubt. That's why they remain where they are and respect each other.

You don’t win a debate by suppressing discussion; you win it with a better argument.

When making a point, there are 2 types of people who may disagree with you: those who can support their reasons, and the childish ones who are too worried about being told what to do.

With wisdom comes the rare ability to tell whether or not trying to change someone’s mind would be a waste of time.

You know what I'd love to read? A Dialogue between Bron and Shevek and Socrates. Socrates would love it too. I bet he wanted people who argued. You can tell he did, you can tell that's what he loved really, at least in The Symposium.

Your patterns of thought, existing bodies of knowledge, beliefs, predispositions, etc. are the 'stuff of your mental universe'. We are always subject to the power of our mental inertia. The waves in our mental oceans can never be magically stilled, and are therefore always impacting our new beliefs, even when we become scrutinizing adults. It is simply impossible to 'wipe the slate clean' and start over. These effects remain with us throughout our entire lives. Even the beliefs that we later discard are difficult to completely negate, and leave their own residual effects.

American Jewry makes any debate on whether the ‘Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion’ are an authentic document or a forgery irrelevant. American Jews do control the world.

After a battle royale debate, the fight between [Marco]Rubio and [Donald]Trump gets ugly.

After - after she [Hillary Clinton] called him [Donald Trump] a racist and misogynist, a xenophobic, I don't know, schizophrenic, and I don't know what else she called him at the end of that debate, I think it's fair - it's fair game.

Ah, yes, my social life — a series of encounters where we briefly debate who is in the greater rush.

A fool and his money be soon at debate

A fool is he that comes to preach or prate, When men with swords their right and wrong debate. [It., Chi conta i colpi e la dovuta offesa, Mentr' arde la tenzon, misura e pesa?]

All discussion, all debate, all dissidence tends to question and in consequence, to upset existing convictions; that is precisely its purpose and its justification.

American power in the world relies on these ideals of openness and critical debate.

A number of individuals tried to make my homosexuality a topic of debate. I admittedly found that rather upsetting.

And while I at length debate and beate the bush, There shall steppe in other men and catch the burdes.

Are we allowed to sing? I imagine that at times, it might improve the tone of the debate.

Any debate among politicians about monetary policy is counterproductive.

Anyone who claims that the debate is over and the conclusions are firm has a fundamentally unscientific approach to one of the most momentous issues of our time.

Are you an Israeli? I don't debate with Israelis. I have been misled, sorry. I don't recognise Israel and I don't debate with Israelis.

Arnold Schwarzenegger got into a huge debate with Arianna Huffington about immigration - going back and forth - finally immigration came in and hauled them both away.

Be a student, not a follower. Take interest in what someone says, then debate it, ponder it, and consider it from all angles.

As the 109th Congress continues to debate legislation that will affect the lives of immigrants, it is important for us to remember that we are a nation of immigrants.

Atheists in C.S. Lewis' day were as snobbish and arrogant as they are now, but better educated and more capable of debate.

Bin Laden’s death and the debate over torture.

Before the internet, a journalist would write an article about a company that the company felt was unfair and missed a point. All they could do was write a letter to the editor and wait, and maybe a week later it would be printed, or not. Now, they can go to medium.com and immediately publish a long rebuttal, saying the journalist forgot this and did not consider that, the analyst is wrong here. Everybody pulls that immediately into the debate. So it is a much more democratic field for ideas.

Being the only Indian in class, I had to be able to stand up and defend myself and debate the others when they tried to say: "You Indians get everything free." People have stereotypes of Indigenous people. I learned to challenge in a respectful way.

Being a teenager who's coming out during a national debate about whether there's something wrong with you, something wrong with the fact that you love someone of the same gender, that's a terrible thing.

Books and harlots have their quarrels in public.

By now, a younger generation of women participate in extremely lively debates in which questions of gender, sexuality and representation on screens and across media are approached from perspectives that had not yet been articulated in the 1970s.

Calm, open debate, and logical thought drive strength to its maximum effectiveness.

Debates conceal rather than reveal the truth. Truth is revealed in solitude.

Debates must take place in an atmosphere of courtesy.

Dialogue means debates and everyone's point of view.

Defining the terms of the debate generally dictates who's gonna' win it.

Do not be intimidated by a smart person. It is easier to debate a smart person than to argue with an idiot.

Donald Trump insult women. We've seen him rate women on their appearance, ranking them from one to ten. We've seen him embarrass women on TV and on Twitter. We saw him after the first debate spend nearly a week denigrating a former Miss Universe in the harshest, most personal terms. So yes, this is who Donald Trump is.

Donald Trump is somebody who I think likes to mix it up and to have a vigorous debate.

Do we fear terrorism so much that we throw out our Constitution, and are we unwilling and afraid to debate our Constitution?