"Like a dance, conflict escalation generally requires the participation of both parties."

Brian Mistler See all quotes by Brian Mistler →

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“The problem with all bivalent notions is that they collapse without their polar opposite. When we define our ‘self’ against the ‘other’, we come to need the other. And, when, in the absence of a true opposite, one is contrived, our conception of ourselves becomes as distorted as our concept of the other. Ultimately this process of defining ourselves against the ‘other’ only serves to strengthen the other’s position.”

“I suggest the importance of developing common identity in overcoming the negative consequences of polarization.”

Resonant Thoughts

"The myth is the foundation of life; it is the timeless schema, the pious formula into which life flows when it reproduces its traits out of the unconscious. Certainly when a writer has acquired the ha…"

— Thomas Mann

Literature

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"Imams and muftis and kathis sat here on cushions, turbaned elders who had risen above the squalor of the flesh. The heat was tamed by wide-eyed boys with feathery fans. One of the muftis much admired …"

— Anthony Burgess

Music1917–1993

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"Lincoln - Douglas Debates at Bartleby.com"

— Stephen A. Douglas

1857

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"We don’t think you fight fire with fire best; we think you fight fire with water best. We’re going to fight racism not with racism, but we’re going to fight with solidarity. We say we’re not going to …"

— Fred Hampton

Social Activism1948–1969

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