“True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it is not haphazard and superficial. It comes to see that an edifice that produces beggars needs restructuring.”
I think this quote truly captures the essence of public health – public health isn’t about treating individuals with band-aids or quick fixes; it is about protecting health and saving lives– hundreds, thousands, sometimes millions at a time – by restructuring the systems that produce sickness, violence, and other problems that ail our society.
“All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.”
Speaking of good intentions not being enough – I think we all owe it to ourselves and society to not rest upon the fact that we are at least trying to help, but to undertake our work with “painstaking excellence”. If we’re going to try to do this, let’s try to do it right.
“It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can stop him from lynching me, and I think that’s pretty important.”
I have to admit, this quote made me laugh. And it’s a good point – laws and policies have their limitations, but they are also an incredibly powerful tool for change, particularly at the level of populations and systems.
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