"Few tragedies can be more extensive than the stunting of life, few injustices deeper than the denial of an opportunity to strive or even to hope, by a limit imposed from without, but falsely identified as lying within"

This quote by Stephen Jay Gould speaks to the disaster of a life stunted by external forces. It speaks to the oppression of denying someone the opportunity to aim or even to hope, when the limitation is incorrectly credited to something within the person. This quote speaks to the power of external forces to restrict a person's capacity, and the disaster of a life that could have been a lot more. It speaks to the oppression of a system that denies people the opportunity to reach their complete potential, and the need to acknowledge and deal with the external forces that restrict a person's potential. This quote speaks to the need to recognize and address the external forces that limit a person's potential, and to guarantee that everyone has the opportunity to make every effort and to hope.