No choice we can make as a nation lies between our history and our geography. We can hardly change either of them. They are immutable. The only choice we can make as a nation is the choice about our future.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Nations cannot change their history or geography, so the only real choice is about the future.
- In plain terms
- Past and place are fixed; only the future can be chosen.
- What can you take from it?
- Focus on future choices when the past is unchangeable.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What choices remain when the past is fixed?
- How much can a nation really shape its future?
Another view
It simplifies how much history and geography actually constrain options.
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