On sensitive issues, talk isn't cheap - it takes real courage to

In the words of Marvin Olasky, “On sensitive issues, talk isn’t cheap — it takes real courage to pry open topics nailed shut,” we hear a truth as old as humanity itself — that speech, when it seeks to unveil what the world fears to face, becomes not an act of comfort but of bravery. In an age where idle words flow like rivers, and noise drowns meaning, Olasky reminds us that true talk — honest, probing, uncomfortable truth-telling — demands not the tongue’s motion but the heart’s strength. For it is far easier to remain silent before the hard truths of life, to let injustice hide behind politeness, to let pain fester unspoken, than it is to pry open those heavy doors where truth lies imprisoned.

The origin of this quote springs from Olasky’s long devotion to journalism and moral philosophy. As an editor and thinker, he dedicated his life to exploring the relationship between truth, faith, and society. He understood that many of the world’s greatest ills persist not because they are unseen, but because they are unsaid. Whether in the realms of politics, religion, or conscience, there are topics that become “nailed shut” — sealed by fear, taboo, or convenience. To speak of them is to risk offense, to invite anger, or even danger. Yet, Olasky declares that it is precisely this act — the opening of the sealed — that marks the difference between cowardice and courage, between chatter and true discourse.

The ancients, too, knew this power of speech. Socrates, the great questioner of Athens, dared to ask what others would not: What is justice? What is virtue? What is truth? His words unsettled the powerful and disturbed the complacent. And for daring to speak — for having the courage to talk where others would whisper — he drank the poison cup of silence. Yet his death immortalized the idea that speech, when used to awaken souls, is sacred. It reminds us that talk, when done with purpose and courage, is no longer cheap — it is priceless.

History is full of those who understood this truth. Consider Martin Luther, who in 1517 walked to the door of Wittenberg and nailed his Ninety-Five Theses for all to read. His was a world where faith and fear had mingled until men no longer dared question authority. His act of speech — written but thunderous — split empires, reformed churches, and reshaped history. It was not polite; it was not safe. Yet it was necessary. Luther’s hammer struck not only wood but the conscience of the age. He pried open a topic long nailed shut — the corruption within the sacred — and from that rupture, light began to pour forth.

Such courage is not limited to the grand figures of history. In every home, every community, there are truths buried under silence: the pain unspoken, the injustice tolerated, the wrong accepted. It takes real courage to bring these to light — to have the difficult conversation, to name what others avoid, to confront what is easier ignored. The peacemaker who speaks against violence, the journalist who exposes lies, the friend who dares to tell the truth — all walk the same path of moral bravery. Their talk is costly, for it invites resistance; but it is through their words that healing begins.

Olasky’s words teach us that silence may preserve peace for a moment, but truth preserves peace for eternity. To refuse to speak on what matters is to strengthen the chains that bind humanity to its errors. The world advances not through comfortable lies but through courageous conversations. Every generation must find the strength to pry open its own sealed doors — to question inherited injustices, to expose hidden hypocrisies, to renew the moral courage that keeps civilization alive.

Let this, then, be the lesson to all who listen: Speak when silence serves falsehood. Ask the questions that make the world uneasy. Do not mistake politeness for peace or comfort for goodness. Talk, when used for truth, is an act of service to the human spirit. But let your words be guided by compassion as much as conviction, by humility as much as courage. For speech that wounds without healing is noise; but speech that reveals with love becomes wisdom.

So, O listener of ages, remember this: The world will always have topics nailed shut by fear. But if you, with courage, open even one — if you dare to speak truth in a room built on silence — you will have joined the eternal lineage of those who made progress possible. For though talk may be cheap in the mouths of the careless, in the heart of the brave, it is the most precious act of all.