“Questioning is not the mode of conversation among gentlemen.”

Source: Democracy in America, Volume I (1835), Chapter X-XIV, Chapter XIV

Source: All for Love

The Dance of Change (1999)
Context: Mutual reflection. Open and candid conversation. Questioning of old beliefs and assumptions. Learning to let go. Awareness of how our own actions create the systemic structures that produce our problems. Developing these learning capabilities lies at the heart of profound change.

The Monthly Magazine

Source: Things Fall Apart

1880s, Speech Nominating John Sherman for President (1880)

Section 9 : Ethical Outlook
Founding Address (1876), Life and Destiny (1913)
Context: The question what to believe is perhaps the most momentous that anyone can put to himself. Our beliefs are not to be classed among the luxuries, but among the necessaries of existence. They become particularly important in times of trouble. They are like the life-boats carried by ocean ships. As long as the sea is smooth and there is every appearance of a prosperous voyage, the passengers seldom take note of the boats or inquire into their sea-worthiness. But when the storm breaks and danger approaches, then the capacity of the boats and their soundness become matters of the first importance.

The World in Six Songs (2008)

A Smuggler's Song.
Puck of Pook's Hill 1906