Civil Unity Quotes

“Please don't think that I'm suggesting that we need to agree on everything or that we need to disagree less. If anything, I believe that one of the most useful things that we can do is to disagree more. Ending disagreements is not what we're going for here. The healthy debate of ideas, beliefs, and worldviews is how we grow and improve as a society, and we need more of that, not less. It's how we're disagreeing that's the problem.”
― Shola Richards, Civil Unity: The Radical Path to Transform Our Discourse, Our Lives, and Our World

“If you’re looking for tips on how to smile bigger, have happier thoughts, and turn the other cheek when faced with cruel behavior that’s harming you and others, then we should kindly part ways now.

I’m going to tackle the upper level curricula in this book. Incivility is a formidable force that has defeated countless challengers who have stood in opposition to it, and we must bestow our fullest respect before engaging it in battle.

Toothy grins, toxic positivity, and cringey team-building exercises that a sleep-deprived squirrel could devise won’t come close to slaying this beast.”
― Shola Richards, Civil Unity: The Radical Path to Transform Our Discourse, Our Lives, and Our World

“Needing to agree on everything before engaging in civil discourse with another human being is an exercise in immaturity and futility. The sooner that we can accept that we will inhabit the world with people who don't view in the same way that we do, the better it will be for our society--not to mention, our mental health.”
― Shola Richards, Civil Unity: The Radical Path to Transform Our Discourse, Our Lives, and Our World

“Some people in our lives need to be loved from a distance.”
― Shola Richards, Civil Unity: The Radical Path to Transform Our Discourse, Our Lives, and Our World