"Moreover, I want us to urge political and religious leaders, and all peoples of the world, to move forward in a conciliatory spirit, to deal with religious matters in a responsible and balanced way, and to focus on their common grounds"
About this Quote
The key phrase is “conciliatory spirit,” a soft-edged term that signals de-escalation while avoiding the more politically charged language of “compromise.” In American politics, compromise can sound like betrayal; conciliation sounds like maturity. By pairing “political and religious leaders,” Hastings hints at a persistent modern problem: religion as a mobilizing identity in the public square, and politics as a system that profits from turning that identity into conflict. His call to treat “religious matters” in a “responsible and balanced way” is a coded rebuke of demagogues and culture-war entrepreneurs who use faith as a blunt instrument.
“Common grounds” does the strategic work of widening the tent. It’s a deliberately non-theological appeal: he’s not asking anyone to dilute belief, only to locate shared civic norms - dignity, peace, restraint - that can coexist with difference. The context, broadly, is late-20th- and early-21st-century governance shaped by globalization, post-9/11 interfaith tensions, and domestic polarization. Hastings, a legislator steeped in coalition politics, speaks in the language of institutional maintenance: keep the temperature down, keep the legitimacy intact, keep people talking.
Quote Details
| Topic | Peace |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Hastings, Alcee. (2026, January 16). Moreover, I want us to urge political and religious leaders, and all peoples of the world, to move forward in a conciliatory spirit, to deal with religious matters in a responsible and balanced way, and to focus on their common grounds. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/moreover-i-want-us-to-urge-political-and-122430/
Chicago Style
Hastings, Alcee. "Moreover, I want us to urge political and religious leaders, and all peoples of the world, to move forward in a conciliatory spirit, to deal with religious matters in a responsible and balanced way, and to focus on their common grounds." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/moreover-i-want-us-to-urge-political-and-122430/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Moreover, I want us to urge political and religious leaders, and all peoples of the world, to move forward in a conciliatory spirit, to deal with religious matters in a responsible and balanced way, and to focus on their common grounds." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/moreover-i-want-us-to-urge-political-and-122430/. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
