Beyond the Messy Truth Quotes

“Right now, too many of us seem to approach liberal causes and conversations mainly by looking for ways to show other progressives where they are wrong. Too many of us can deconstruct everything but can’t reconstruct anything and make it work. Too many of us know how to run a protest against the adults on our campuses but don’t know how to run a program for children in our neighborhoods. Too many of us are great at opposition but awful at proposition. Too many of us know just enough critical theory to critique everything but don’t have the practical skills to make anything function at the level of our high standards. Too many of us know how to march against an elected official but not how to elect one. Too many of us know how to call people out but don’t know how to lift people up. And this reality creates internal dangers as real as anything we face externally.”
― Van Jones, Beyond the Messy Truth: How We Came Apart, How We Come Together

“The unspoken imperative should be this: I want to understand you. And I want you to understand me—whether or not we ever agree.”
― Van Jones, Beyond the Messy Truth: How We Came Apart, How We Come Together

“In a sane society, common pain should lead to common purpose.”
― Van Jones, Beyond the Messy Truth: How We Came Apart, How We Come Together

“At some point we have to accept responsibility for this country and everything in it. The country is waiting for a pro-democracy movement that can inspire it and not just critique it.”
― Van Jones, Beyond the Messy Truth: How We Came Apart, How We Come Together

“Speaking truth to power and confronting injustices are good impulses, but when people start to use confrontational tactics in their own coalitions, their own organizations, then you have a movement that is too injured internally to play a healing role externally.”
― Van Jones, Beyond the Messy Truth: How We Came Apart, How We Come Together

“We can disagree with conservatives. And we should. But we should stop disrespecting them.”
― Van Jones, Beyond the Messy Truth: How We Came Apart, How We Come Together

“If we seriously want to solve any of the mounting problems we face—or even just be better partisans—we need some spaces where we listen to one another and show up humble enough to accept the fact that we might have something to learn.”
― Van Jones, Beyond the Messy Truth: How We Came Apart, How We Come Together

“More of us need to prioritize individual healing to get past our old hurts, wounds, and violations. They are holding us back from being able to contribute fully to our country and our world. We need to develop the emotional strength and resilience to reengage intelligently and constructively with the half of America that sees things very differently than we do.”
― Van Jones, Beyond the Messy Truth: How We Came Apart, How We Come Together

“them out if they make dumb choices. Let them struggle; let them learn; let them take responsibility. They need to figure out the importance of working hard, saving money, being smart. For God’s sake, don’t be a damned fool and then go begging the government to save you.” This is not a stupid argument. I come at the issues differently, of course, as someone who supports a strong social safety net. But this more conservative view represents a considered and consistent position, worthy of respect. Lower-income conservatives are making the same kind of argument that rich liberals are making. They are willing to make monetary sacrifices to answer the call of their fundamental values. For liberals, those values are more about the common good and enlightened self-interest. For conservatives, those values are more about the importance of independence and personal responsibility. But both sides rightfully see their voting behavior as needing to reflect more than just a vulgar calculation about their immediate pocketbook needs. If one side deserves respect, then so does the other.*1 Of course, respecting our opponent’s argument doesn’t mean we have to just accept it and give in. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t argue passionately about the best approach to taxes or spending—especially in a society as complex as ours, with the stakes as high as they are. In fact, we should disagree and debate. Debate is the lifeblood of democracy, after all. Disagreement is a good thing—even heated disagreement. Only in a dictatorship does everybody have to agree. In a democracy, nobody has to agree. That’s called freedom. It’s the whole point of America. But at the base of too many of our public discussions sits the same destructive assumption: I’m right. And you’re wrong. We proceed on both sides as if our side is grounded in “the Truth” and the other side is always insane and delusional. And some version of this flawed concept has become the default setting throughout American political discourse. It is one thing to say, “I disagree with you because we have different values and priorities.” It’s quite another to say, “I disagree with you because you are an uneducated idiot—a pawn—and a dupe.” The prevalence of the latter set of arguments is why the Democratic Party stinks of elitism. Here’s another liberal favorite: “How can we argue with conservatives? They don’t believe in facts anymore—only ‘alternative facts.’ At least, liberals believe in science. Right-wingers don’t!” I understand the source of liberal exasperation here. Even though any high school student can reproduce the greenhouse-gas effect in a laboratory beaker,”
― Van Jones, Beyond the Messy Truth: How We Came Apart, How We Come Together

“other progressives where they are wrong. Too many of us can deconstruct everything but can’t reconstruct anything and make it work. Too many of us know how to run a protest against the adults on our campuses but don’t know how to run a program”
― Van Jones, Beyond the Messy Truth: How We Came Apart, How We Come Together

“what do African Americans get in return for our loyalty? Very little. Democrats do not champion black causes with the same passion that Republicans champion issues that are dear to white evangelical voters. In fact, some Democrats seem terrified to advance any agenda that would explicitly serve the African American community. When state legislatures pass bills that might suppress black votes, mainstream women’s organizations and environmental organizations should be grabbing their legal briefcases and sprinting past lawyers from the NAACP, trying to get into court to defend black access to the ballot box. After all, we are their indispensable voters, without whom”
― Van Jones, Beyond the Messy Truth: How We Came Apart, How We Come Together