“Our differences and prejudices pale next to our historic challenge.”

— Alan Simpson

"Bigotry That Hurts Our Military" in The Washington Post (14 May 2007).
Context: I have had the rich satisfaction of knowing and working with many openly gay and lesbian Americans, and I have come to realize that "gay" is an artificial category when it comes to measuring a man or woman's on-the-job performance or commitment to shared goals. It says little about the person. Our differences and prejudices pale next to our historic challenge.

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "Our differences and prejudices pale next to our historic challenge." by Alan Simpson?

Alan Simpson photo

Alan Simpson 11

American politician 1931

Related quotes

“I am convinced that Nigeria should remain as one nation after 100 years despite her challenges because our common values overwhelm our differences.”

Dora Akunyili (1954–2014) Pharmacist and Government Official

Source: https://amp/s/dailypost.ng/2014/06/10/full-text-professor-dora-akunyilis-last-public-speech/%3famp=1 Dora's thoughts on Nigeria

“Our shared values define us more than our differences. And acknowledging those shared values can see us through our challenges today if we have the wisdom to trust in them again.”

John McCain (1936–2018) politician from the United States

“Our prejudices — we all have them — are part of our personality structure. The problem is that our prejudices may lie lurking at the bottom of the subterranean mind where the slowly ooze up and color our thinking without our knowing it.”

Gerry Spence (1929) American lawyer

Source: How to Argue and Win Every Time (1995), Ch. 6 : The Power of Prejudice : Examining the Garment, Bleaching the Stain, p. 74

“Teach her to question language. Language is the repository of our prejudices, our beliefs, our assumptions.”

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie book Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions

Source: Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions

“If the next time our governments propose to make war on a helpless civilian population we were to uncover our grief and guilt instead of our anger, how much difference might we make?”

Germaine Greer (1939) Australian feminist author

Sorrow (pg. 189)
The Whole Woman (1999)

“Senator Obama and I have had and argued our differences, and he has prevailed. No doubt many of those differences remain.
These are difficult times for our country. And I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face.
I urge all Americans … I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together to find the necessary compromises to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited. Whatever our differences, we are fellow Americans. And please believe me when I say no association has ever meant more to me than that.”

John McCain (1936–2018) politician from the United States

2000s, 2008, Concession speech (2008)

“It is easy for us to criticize the prejudices of our grandfathers, from which our fathers freed themselves. It is more difficult to search for prejudices among the beliefs and values that we hold.”

Peter Singer book Practical Ethics

Source: Practical Ethics, 3rd Edition (2011), Ch. 3: Equality for Animals? (p. 49)

“Our challenges don't define us, our actions do.”

Michael J. Fox (1961) Canadian-American actor

Variant: Our challenges don't define us, our actions do

“We shore up our prejudices with selected facts…”

Zia Haider Rahman British novelist

In The Light of what We Know (2014)

“This crisis is a challenge to our conscience. It puts our committment to a hard test.”

Henri of Luxembourg (1955) Grand Duke (head of state) of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

Address to the United Nations (26 September 2012)
Crisis in Syria

Related topics