Skip to content
quotesby

I'm very glad that there was, in fact, a consequence. I think that this kind of coarse language doesn't belong anywhere in reasonable dialogue between reasonable people. ... It gets ruined by this disgusting -- and I'll use the word 'disgusting' -- comment which doesn't belong in any polite company and certainly doesn't belong on any radio station that I would listen to.

Condoleezza Rice#37

EthicsCommunicationDialogueDiscourseLanguage

About this quote

What does it mean?
Rice condemns coarse language in dialogue, citing a specific disgusting comment she refuses to engage with.
In plain terms
She criticizes rude comments and insists on polite dialogue.
What can you take from it?
Maintaining decorum is often cited as a standard for reasonable political discourse.

Where it applies

  • public debate
  • media criticism
  • formal settings

Putting it to work

  • promote civil discourse
  • set communication standards
  • address incivility

Questions to consider

  • Is civility always compatible with truth?
  • Where is the line between rude and necessary criticism?

Another view

Prioritizing politeness can sometimes silence necessary harsh truths.

More from Condoleezza Rice

  1. Condoleezza Rice: I think that these historical circumstances require a very detailed and sober look from historians and what we've encouraged the Turks and th…

    Permalink to quote #36
  2. Now, six years ago, al-Qaida was planning to attack the Twin Towers. It wasn't a very nice world. And I think that if you think about six years ago, al-Qaida w…

    Permalink to quote #38
  3. ...the consolidation of a stable and democratic Iraq after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein is a part of what America owes to the Iraqi people, owes to the regi…

    Permalink to quote #35

Related quotes

  1. I speak an open and disinterested language, dictated by no passion but that of humanity. To me, who have not only refused offers, because I thought them improp…

    Thomas PaineThomas Paine quote #1
  2. The surest way to make a monkey of a man is to quote him. That remark in itself wouldn't make any sense if quoted as it stands.

    Robert BenchleyRobert Benchley quote #9
  3. The liar is a person who uses the valid designations, the words, in order to make something which is unreal appear to be real. He says, for example, 'I am rich…

    Friedrich NietzscheFriedrich Nietzsche quote #12