Have you ever wondered what famous figures have had to say about our fair university?
Carolina Quotables is a listing kept by the UNC University Libraries of celebrities and important university figures that have had something to say about UNC.
The majority of the quotes are nice, uplifting quips about the wonders of the UNC experience and its admirable reputation.
For example, Bill Clinton said, “This University has produced enough excellence to fill a library or lead a nation . . . As one who grew up in the South, I have long admired this University for understanding that our best traditions call on us to offer that light and liberty to all. Chapel Hill has always been filled with the progressive spirit.”
A more poetic compliment is attributed to Thomas Wolfe, a famous author and UNC graduate:
“So far from forgetting the blessed place, I think my picture of it grows clearer every year: it was as close to magic as I’ve ever been…”
Not everyone included in this compilation has something positive to say, however. And let’s be honest, we’ve all heard the praises for our school…
So who has something not so nice to say?
Jesse Helms was quoted as saying, “Meanwhile, some of the arrogant students at Chapel Hill continue to strut and threaten. It will suit us just as well if they continue to act like the jackals that they have proved themselves to be. If nothing else, they may serve as useful reminders to an apprehensive public that discipline is not in over-abundance on our campuses.”
Additionally, David McReynolds, a writer for The Village Voice, had this to say:
“Chapel Hill is so smug and self-righteous and so proud of the past that it has not really kept pace with the current situation. It has been so willing to live on the moral capital of men like Odum and Graham that it is now fearfully close to being morally bankrupt.”
But, through good and bad, I think Bill Currie sums up our academic career quaintly:
“Nobody ever gets over being a Tar Heel.”
Do you agree? Or do you have a quote of your own to share?
Leave a comment below or tweet us at @PitTalk.
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