How we cite our quotes: (Sentence)
Quote #1
(The Great Society) is a place where the city of man serves not only the needs of the body and the demands of commerce but the desire for beauty and the hunger for community. (19)
The City of Man is one of two symbolic cities conceived by St. Augustine in the 5th century CE. The other city is the City of God (surprise). We live in the city of "earthly" concerns—making money, getting better stuff than your friends, having the coolest clothes. But we should be able to look up from our phones from time to time to focus on the bigger, more beautiful picture.
Quote #2
It is a place which honors creation for its own sake and for what it adds to the understanding of the race. (21)
Sad Great-Society-smashing fact: Sesame Street had to be sold to HBO so it could afford to air reruns on PBS. Kids whose families can afford HBO get the first look.
Quote #3
It is a challenge constantly renewed, beckoning us toward a destiny where the meaning of our lives matches the marvelous products of our labor. (24)
Soaring rhetoric there: "renewed," "destiny," "meaning." LBJ's reminding his listeners that achieving the Great Society isn't a one-and-done deal. It's a job that's never finished. How are we doing with that challenge today?
Quote #4
Once man can no longer walk with beauty or wonder at nature his spirit will wither and his sustenance be wasted. (55)
Makes you think about all those urban garden projects that get city kids, some of whom have never seen a growing vegetable, to get a look (and taste) of the natural world. This just in: Stanford researchers have proven LBJ's belief about nature lifting the spirit to be true.
Quote #5
You can help build a society where the demands of morality, and the needs of the spirit, can be realized in the life of the Nation. (84)
LBJ pushes the idea that morality and spirituality aren't just personal matters. You can build a society where these ideas are manifested in justice and equal opportunity. We're hearing echoes of Dr. King's 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech again: "No, no, we are not satisfied and will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream."