Gwen Ifill Quotes

I think it's important to not just speak to like-minded people.

You should be able to voice your opinion and respect the voice of the other side. You should be willing to educate yourself and know what it is you're dealing with.

I've led a school whose faculty and students examine and discuss and debate every aspect of our law and legal system. And what I've learned most is that no one has a monopoly on truth or wisdom. I've learned that we make progress by listening to each other, across every apparent political or ideological divide.

I'm in the civil discourse business. I think it takes all kinds. And more power to everybody.

I encourage people to find and use the power of their voices just as much when I do not agree with those voices as when I do agree with them.

By isolating ourselves from those with whose opinions we disagree, we lose the ability to defend our beliefs.

Above all, spend time in places where people disagree with you. Reach out. Show up and make your argument. People will appreciate it, even if they are not inclined to vote for you.

One of the hallmarks of higher education and of democracy is the ability to converse with people with whom we disagree.

We must have real debates where disagreements exist, listen to each other, not shy away from ideas different from our own and treat people with respect.

Over the next four years, I will continue to listen to different views and accept different suggestions.

If you aren't just brought up in your tribe but interact with other people either directly or vicariously, through journalism and literature, you see what life is like from other points of view and are less likely to demonize them or dehumanize others and more likely to empathize with them.

I have never been shy about listening to the input of others and weighing it seriously.

I think the reason these readers come back to me is because I represent their points of view. It may not be my point of view, but that's OK. Everyone still deserves to have their say.

Everybody's opinion is equally valid, and I feel like everybody should have an opportunity to speak out, and everyone should have the courage to speak out.

A healthy state encourages many voices - and lots of listening.

To the extent that we are all educated and informed, we will be more equipped to deal with the gut issues that tend to divide us.

We have to believe that we can hold different points of view without labeling each other bad feminists.

I'm not scared of diversity. We have to have debates and win the argument, and if there are amendments that need to be brought up so we find out where the party is, so be it.

I think many times Christians don't really take the opportunity to hear what people are saying and seeing in the world around them.

I want to be part of the storytelling that educates people and awakens a sense of compassion in other people of the kind of people they don't encounter in their daily lives very frequently.

Our right to disagree is precious but fragile. The best way to protect and preserve it is to let the other side speak without demonizing them or destroying their right to be heard. Such civil exchanges are the heart beat of democracy - essential to keeping it alive.

The world I want to live in is a world where everybody is a bit more uncertain about their arguments and is a bit more open to other people's arguments. I think that we can engage ideas without ad hominem attacks.

Because trying to see all sides, such an instinct is particularly Jewish.

The politicians are not the only people who are in their own silos. Many of our citizens only watch or listen to the news that they want to hear, and if there is anything else, they turn it off. We all need to listen to the people who are on the other side.

It can be easy and tempting, especially during a presidential campaign, to listen only to opinions that mirror and fortify one's own. That's not ideal, because it eliminates learning and makes it impossible for people to understand what they dismiss as 'the other side.'