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That the threat is now intense is not a reason to abandon our quest for knowledge. It is a reason to hold it more tightly, in spite of the need for action to preserve our freedom, in spite of the distractions of living in turmoil, that it may not be lost or brushed aside by the demands of the hour. We would not neglect our duty to our country and our fellows to strive mightily to preserve our ways and our lives. There is an added duty, not inconsistent, not less. It is the duty to so live that there may be a reason for living, beyond the mere mechanisms of life. It is the duty to carry on, under stress, the search for understanding.

Vannevar Bush#53

KnowledgeFreedomCrisisDuty

About this quote

What does it mean?
Threats should not stop the pursuit of knowledge; instead, they make it more important to preserve. There is a duty to seek understanding even during stressful times.
In plain terms
Keep seeking knowledge even when life is difficult or dangerous.
What can you take from it?
Protect the search for understanding during times of crisis.

Where it applies

  • leadership speeches
  • academic missions
  • policy planning

Putting it to work

  • fund research in crisis
  • prioritize learning
  • maintain academic freedom

Questions to consider

  • What is your duty to knowledge?
  • How do you balance survival and learning?

Another view

Immediate survival needs often take precedence over abstract pursuits.

More from Vannevar Bush

  1. Science has a simple faith, which transcends utility. Nearly all men of science, all men of learning for that matter, and men of simple ways too, have it in so…

    Permalink to quote #52
  2. All my life, which has now lasted something under one hundred years, I have observed managers in action: in government, in universities, , and in industry, and…

    Permalink to quote #54
  3. It is Earlier Than We Think.

    Permalink to quote #51

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