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Meaning
The speaker says criticism is allowed and will be heard, but not necessarily acted on. It draws a line between listening to others and changing oneself in response. The quote emphasizes accountability without promising agreement or reform.
When It Was Said
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Who It Was Said To
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Historical Context
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Source
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Original Language & Translation
Originally said in English.
Did They Really Say It?
Listed as attributed, with no source found on Wikiquote.
Did You Know?
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About John Irving
American and Canadian novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter
John Winslow Irving is an American and Canadian novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter. He is known for fiction that moves between the two countries and for a body of work that has reached readers beyond the page through film and adaptation. Irving writes across novels, short fiction, and screenplays, with a career shaped by both American and Canadian identity. His work is closely associated with storytelling that is broad in scope and attentive to character, family, and the often complicated turns of ordinary life.
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READ THE SOURCE
Books by John Irving
The CIDER HOUSE RULES
1985
The Hotel New Hampshire
1984
A Widow for One Year
1999
A Prayer for Owen Meany
1989
In One Person
2013