"Telling us what to think has evolved into telling us what to say, so telling us what to do can't be far behind. Before you claim to be a champion of free thought, tell me: Why did political correctness originate on America's campuses? And why do you continue to tolerate it? Why do you, who're supposed to debate ideas, surrender to their suppression? Let's be honest. Who here thinks your professors can say what they really believe? It scares me to death and should scare you too, that the superstition of political correctness rules the halls of reason. You are the best and the brightest. You, here in the fertile cradle of American academia, here in the castle of learning on the Charles River, you are the cream. But I submit that you, and your counterparts across the land, are the most socially conformed and politically silenced generation since Concord Bridge. And as long as you validate that ... and abide it ... you are — by your grandfathers' standards — cowards."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Activists from the United StatesFilm directors from the United StatesActors from IllinoisAutobiographers from the United StatesAuthors from the United States
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Speech at Harvard Law School cited to the NRA website (February 16, 1999)]
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charlton_Heston
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston (4 October 1924 – 5 April 2008), born John Charles Carter, was an American film actor known for his heroic roles and for his long involvement in political issues, including as a five-time president of the National Rifle Association.
27 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Charlton Heston →
Related Quotes
"Charlton Heston once told me that getting ahead in acting was more a matter of luck than talent and skill; but then h…"
"Let me make a short, opening, blanket comment. There are no "good guns". There are no "bad guns". Any gun in the hand…"
"You do not define the First Amendment. It defines you. And it is bigger than you. That's how freedom works. It also d…"
"I simply cannot stand by and watch a right guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States come under attack from…"
"Now, I doubt any of you would prefer a rolled up newspaper as a weapon against a dictator or a criminal intruder. Yet…"
"You could say that the paparazzi and the tabloids are sort of the "assault weapons" of the First Amendment. They're u…"
"Political correctness is tyranny with manners."
"Thank you all for coming and thank you for supporting your organization. I also want to applaud your courage in comin…"
"NRA members are in city hall, Fort Carson, NORAD, the Air Force Academy and the Olympic Training Center. And yes, NRA…"
"I always work on the theory that the audience will believe you best if you believe yourself. This meant that I had to…"