U.S. News
Thomas Warns of Threats to Independent Thought
Clear Facts
- Justice Clarence Thomas spoke at the University of Texas at Austin about independent thinking.
- He said citizens should take a more active role in shaping the country’s future.
- Thomas also pointed to education and civic engagement as key responses to national challenges.
Justice Clarence Thomas delivered remarks at the University of Texas at Austin about the future of the American republic.
He urged citizens to reclaim their role in steering the country away from outside influences.
“I think if we don’t stand up and take ownership of our country, and take responsibility for it, we are slowly letting others control how we think and what we think,” Justice Thomas told the crowd.
The veteran jurist said the remedy for national decline begins with independent thinking.
He added that school should teach people how to think for themselves.
“I think the beauty of going to school is that you learn how to think for yourselves. You develop the discipline to think things through. If you think it’s losing confidence, then you get up and you participate. You don’t sit on the sidelines,” he said.
“You think that the state is being run inconsistent with how you feel, then you get up and you participate. You prepare yourself. If you think that the medical profession is not right, well you become a doctor or be a medical person and you deal with that.”
“I think we need to take ownership of our country,” he added. “It’s our country.”
Many Americans feel the political sphere is slipping out of their control.
Real change stems from how voters engage with the system at the ballot box and through grassroots efforts.
Meaningful progress rarely happens through passive participation.
The ability to drive national change exists within every citizen willing to put in the effort to shape desired outcomes.
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