"We travel together, passengers on a little spaceship, dependent on its vulnerable reserves of air and soil; all committed, for our safety, to its security and peace; preserved from annihilation only by the care, the work and the love we give our fragile craft..."
I have to admit that I know very little of the life and work of dear Mr. Stevenson (1900-1965). What I do know is that he had some really important, wise and sometimes very clever things to say. That, and he said these things like few others of his time. (For a taste of Adlai, check out this page.)
He was a graduate of Princeton and studied law at Harvard and Northwestern. He was a speech writer in the cabinet of Franklin D. Roosevelt and later ran for President himself. Prior to that failed bid he served as governor of Illinois and was consistently known for his quick wit, stylish demeanor, frugality, earthiness and his eloquence in support of liberal causes. He died of a heart attack at the age of 65 but much of what he had to say nearly a half century ago is still incredibly relevant and compelling even in our time.
