Ani DiFranco Quotes

When permitted to listen to alternative opinions and engage in substantive debate, people have been known to change their minds. It can happen.

There is such a polarized discussion of economics among people like analysts, columnists, bloggers; often, they end up just saying that views other than their own should not even be discussed. I find that frustrating. There is no intellectual progress without considering lots and lots of different views.

Funny how a little politeness can change people's minds.

Writing is the act of saying "I," of imposing oneself upon other people, of saying "listen to me, see it my way, change your mind."

Surround yourself with people strong enough to change your mind.

I'm not really opposed to people changing their minds. I'm much more concerned with people who never change their minds no matter what new information is available.

You grow more when you get more people's perspective.

Public discourse requires making an argument for a point of view, not having an argument - as in having a fight.

I still would say generally that more people have access [to] and take advantage of more diversity of opinion than was once .

Progressive culture’s substitution of nastiness for persuasion and argument has robbed America of the incisive commentary of which intelligent progressives would otherwise be capable. Progressives got addicted to the power of cancel culture — their seemingly invincible H-bomb — and when it stopped working they just didn’t know what else to do, because they had forgotten everything they used to do in the time before Twitter.

I'm really lucky to have the kind of people I've got around me. I've got such a great group of predominantly young people, but so diverse, and they bring different perspectives to the table. They will tell me exactly what's on their mind.

When I went on Fox News people asked me why I was going on those shows. Are you kidding? You have to go, especially to people you don't agree with.

I always really curious to see how people interpret things. I know my version, and I'm kind of bored with my version so I want to see their version.

The key here in my view is not having to change people's minds, it's just allowing them to know.

You almost never get the pleasure of seeing that you won the argument in real time. People just don't like to publicly change their minds. They change their minds in private.

Some of the best people with whom you can have a relationship are the people who challenge your thinking.

... The person who, at any stage of a conversation, disagrees, should at least hope to reach agreement in the end. He should be as much prepared to have his own mind changed as seek to change the mind of another ... No one who looks upon disagreement as an occasion for teaching another should forget that it is also an occasion for being taught.

Free speech is one of our fundamental principles and it's pretty hard to speak freely when people are yelling at you when it's your turn. That would never be allowed in a classroom or in any other kind of meeting.

I've learned to keep my mind open to ideas from any source.

The only way to settle questions of an ideological nature or controversial issues among the people is by the democratic method, the method of discussion, of criticism, of persuasion and education, and not by the method of coercion or repression.

I want considerate people to listen to the voice of Aikido. It is not for correcting others; it is for correcting your own mind. This is Aikido. This is the mission of Aikido and should be your mission.

You're not going to change anyone's mind. Especially online.

People who were right a lot of the time were people who often changed their minds.

You have to engage with people who are different from you and try to work with their thinking and their mind. That's a real challenge.

A man in the wrong may more easily be convinced than one half right.