In a democracy, dissent is an act of faith. Like medicine, the test of its value is not in its taste but its effect, not how it makes people feel in the moment but how it makes them feel in the long run. Criticism, in short is more than a right; it is an act of patriotism, a higher form of patriotism, I believe, than the familiar rituals of national adulation. To criticize one’s country is to do it a service and pay it a compliment. It is a service because it may spur the country to do better than it is doing; it is a compliment be cause it evidences a belief that a country can do better than it is doing. — Senator from Arkansas for 30 years, also known for the Fulbright Act 1946 which established an exchange program for American and foreign educators and students. - Senator J. William Fulbright [ more quotes ] (1905–1995)