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John Ralston Saul Quotes

Powerful John Ralston Saul for Daily Growth

About John Ralston Saul

John Ralston Saul (born September 5, 1947) is a Canadian author, public intellectual, and president of the International Council for Canadian Studies. Known for his thought-provoking essays on philosophy, culture, and politics, he has made significant contributions to the literary world. Born in Ottawa, Saul grew up in a family deeply rooted in Canadian literature; his father was novelist W.O. Mitchell, and his mother was a poet. These early influences instilled in him a profound appreciation for the written word and a deep sense of national identity. Saul's career began as a journalist, working for CBC Radio before turning to fiction writing. His debut novel, 'The Savage Wave' (1970), was followed by 'In the Skin of a Lion' (1982), which won the Governor General's Award and became an international bestseller. However, it was his non-fiction works that truly propelled him to fame. 'Voltaire's Bastards: The Dictatorship of Reason in the West' (1992) was a critical examination of modern Western society, arguing that rationalism has led to cultural and spiritual impoverishment. This was followed by 'The Unconscious Civilization' (1995), where Saul discusses the impact of technology on human consciousness. In 2008, he published 'A Fair Country: Telling Truths About Canada,' a reflective look at Canadian identity and values. Throughout his career, Saul has been a vocal advocate for indigenous rights and a critic of globalization's effects on culture and democracy. He continues to write and speak widely on these issues today. John Ralston Saul's work is marked by a deep understanding of philosophy, history, and the human condition, making him one of Canada's most respected public intellectuals. His unique blend of literary style, philosophical depth, and cultural insight continues to captivate readers around the world.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"A good society is always a reflective one."

This quote by John Ralston Saul emphasizes the importance of introspection and thoughtfulness in creating a good society. A reflective society is one that consistently questions its actions, values, and institutions to ensure they align with its collective goals and ideals. Such a society does not blindly follow traditions or norms but continually strives for improvement, learning from past mistakes and experiences, and fostering open dialogue and critical thinking. By embracing reflection, we can cultivate empathy, understanding, and resilience in our communities, ultimately leading to a more equitable, harmonious, and progressive society.

"The modern world needs its myths; it does not matter what they are as long as they are widely shared."

The quote by John Ralston Saul suggests that a common narrative or set of beliefs, in essence, the "myths" he refers to, serve a crucial role in shaping and uniting societies within the modern world. These myths don't necessarily have to be literal, ancient stories but can take various forms – ideas, values, aspirations, or ideologies shared among people. This quote highlights that what truly matters is not the content of these myths but rather their widespread acceptance and their ability to provide a sense of purpose, identity, and unity amidst a complex and ever-changing world. The sharing of such beliefs fosters cohesion and helps guide collective action in pursuit of common goals.

"Democracy is not a spectator sport."

The quote "Democracy is not a spectator sport" by John Ralston Saul emphasizes that being a part of democracy isn't just about observing, but actively participating. It encourages people to engage in the democratic process not only as voters, but also by taking an active role in shaping their society and government through advocacy, dialogue, and civic involvement. Essentially, it urges citizens to be proactive participants rather than passive observers in the functioning of their democracy.

"The future is not an extension of the past. It's an original space, waiting to be created."

This quote by John Ralston Saul emphasizes that the future should not be a mere continuation of the past, but rather a fresh, unexplored territory ripe for innovation and creation. The implication is that we should strive to break away from entrenched patterns and traditional ways of thinking in order to forge a new path towards progress. In essence, it encourages us to think creatively and seize opportunities to shape our world into something greater than what has come before.

"We live in a world where there is more and more information, but less and less meaning."

This quote by John Ralston Saul suggests that while we are flooded with an increasing amount of data and knowledge (information), the deeper understanding or significance (meaning) behind it seems to be dwindling. In essence, Saul is warning about a potential loss of context and wisdom as technology advances and information becomes more readily available, but without the necessary critical thinking and interpretation that gives it meaning.

What nobody wants to discuss is whether or not the black-and-white argument about trade - you're either a free trader or you're a protectionist - is the right one. It's the old 19th century argument.

- John Ralston Saul

Old, About, 19th Century, Argument

People who believe in freedom of expression have spent several centuries fighting against censorship, in whatever form. We have to be certain the 'Net' doesn't become the site for technological book burning.

- John Ralston Saul

Expression, Against, Spent, Centuries

The 19th-century pure capitalist model of society was a pyramid, concentrations of enormous wealth in a small group at the top, a not very big middle-class in the middle, and an enormous percentage of the population in the bottom part of the pyramid.

- John Ralston Saul

Wealth, Small, Capitalist, Percentage

If you live in a democracy, it's very tiring to be always surrounded by great and high abstract generalisations which are, in fact, the most banal and naive cliches dug out of second-rate movements of the late 19th century.

- John Ralston Saul

Fact, Surrounded, Very, Second-Rate

Canada is the only country in the West that hasn't given in to the rhetoric of fear. The dominant rhetoric is a line of inclusion.

- John Ralston Saul

Inclusion, Country, Given, Only Country

Keynesianism, if you add its flexible, muscular form during the Depression to its more rigid postwar version, lasted forty-five years. Our own Globalization, with its technocratic and technological determinism and market idolatry, had thirty years. And now it, too, is dead.

- John Ralston Saul

Own, Muscular, Had, Postwar

Nothing is absolute, with the debatable exceptions of this statement and death.

- John Ralston Saul

Death, Nothing, Absolute, Debatable

It's quite humbling when you see the list of writers who have been president of PEN and you know some of the things they've done.

- John Ralston Saul

Some, Been, Writers, Humbling

Some people don't like the 'comeback' because that suggests they went somewhere, which they didn't. That isn't what I mean. In my mind, people were doing well, and then they went right down, and they made a comeback. It's not that they went anywhere. It's that their fortunes went way down, and then they came back.

- John Ralston Saul

Doing, Back, Some, Fortunes

Democracy is the only system capable of reflecting the humanist premise of equilibrium or balance. The key to its secret is the involvement of the citizen.

- John Ralston Saul

Capable, Citizen, Humanist, Premise

In the European tradition, rivers are seen as divisions between peoples. But in the Aboriginal tradition, rivers are seen as the glue, the highway, the linkage between people, not the separation. And that's the history of Canada: our rivers and lakes were our highways.

- John Ralston Saul

Rivers, Glue, European, Highways

The wild open-market theory that died in 1929 had a run of just over thirty years. Communism, a complete melding of religious, economic, and global theories, stretched to seventy years in Russia and forty-five years in central Europe, thanks precisely to the intensive use of military and police force.

- John Ralston Saul

Religious, Use, Had, Police Force

The citizen's job is to be rude - to pierce the comfort of professional intercourse by boorish expressions of doubt.

- John Ralston Saul

Rude, Citizen, Intercourse, Expressions

The fighting back by indigenous people started in 1900: OK, they've cornered us. Our population is almost gone; they've defeated us. From there, the modern Indian rights movement started, and it was a very hard fight, with a lot of stuff going against them.

- John Ralston Saul

Defeated, Very, Almost, OK

How can we possibly say the root of the Canadian approach to citizenship and immigration comes from Europe or the United States? I mean, we just don't do the same things. What I've said, very simply, is that unlike other colonies, for the first 250 years approximately, indigenous people were either the dominant force or an equal force.

- John Ralston Saul

Other, United, Very, Possibly

The merger mania which goes on and on and on is the sign of the disappearance of competition. As we deregulate, the mergers increase, which means there's less and less competition. At the national level, at the regional level, but also at the international level.

- John Ralston Saul

Level, Which, Means, International

Grand economic theories rarely last more than a few decades. Some, if they are particularly in tune with technological or political events, may make it to half a century. Beyond that, little short of military force can keep them in place.

- John Ralston Saul

Political, Some, Half, Decades

Languages and cultures are disappearing at an enormously fast rate, and many of them are in Canada. These are extreme examples of removal of freedom of expression - to actually lose a language and the ability to express that culture.

- John Ralston Saul

Lose, Expression, Languages, Removal

When I dig around in the roots of how we imagine ourselves, how we govern, how we live together in communities - how we treat one another when we are not being stupid - what I find is deeply Aboriginal.

- John Ralston Saul

Stupid, Treat, Dig, Communities

People are always saying it's the end of the Gutenberg era. More to the point, it's a return to an oral era. The Gutenberg galaxy was about the written word. At its best, the digital era is part of the rediscovery of the oral. At its worst, it's a Kafkaesque victory of the bureaucratic over the imagination.

- John Ralston Saul

Best, Part, About, Bureaucratic

In Canada, there's a surprising worship of managerialism versus ownership and wealth creation. There's a real problem in this country with believing that management is the answer to our problems.

- John Ralston Saul

Wealth, Real, Country, Versus

In the early 1980s, the government of New Zealand fell into the hands of true believers, globalist believers, and they embraced the theory of inevitability perhaps more completely than anybody else. And it solved in the very short term some of their debt problems, but in the medium- and long-term, it left them in real economic trouble.

- John Ralston Saul

Hands, Some, Very, Short Term

One of the things non-aboriginal Canadians learned from aboriginal people over the last 400 years is you don't have to be one thing. That's a European idea. There's multiple personalities, multiple loyalties. You can be a Winnipegger, a Manitoban, a Westerner.

- John Ralston Saul

Idea, One Of The Things, Personalities

When you go back and look at what people say about my essays, they're always going, 'What is this?' Because they're not exactly like other people's essays... The approach is not at all the recognized approach of a non-fiction writer. It's not linear. It isn't pyramidally based on fact.

- John Ralston Saul

Fact, Other, About, Essays

Either God is alive, in which case he'll deal with us as he sees fit. Or he is dead, in which case he was never alive, it being unlikely that he died of old age.

- John Ralston Saul

Deal, Unlikely, Which, Case

Dictionary - opinion expressed as truth in alphabetical order.

- John Ralston Saul

Truth, Dictionary, Expressed, Order

Unregulated competition is a naive metaphor for anarchy.

- John Ralston Saul

Competition, Metaphor, Naive

I've been up in the Arctic Circle where they have hockey rinks that don't have any heating. So it's - 40 C outside, it's - 55 inside. Or there's a social centre but no budget for anybody to run any programs. Stuff we wouldn't accept in Winnipeg, but we let it go on and on and on.

- John Ralston Saul

Been, Anybody, Arctic, Budget

Traditionally in capitalism, when you have more cash, you can fund more activity, which produces more jobs and creates more wealth. That's basic economic theory.

- John Ralston Saul

Wealth, Activity, Which, Cash

In the Arctic, the Inuit are saying water and land are the same; they're an unbroken unity. In the winter, you travel on the ice because it's the linkage and the easiest way, and in the summer, you move around on the water.

- John Ralston Saul

Move, Unbroken, Arctic, Easiest Way

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