When you come to understand the truth of who you are you will know there is nothing to fear. (Technically the quote is not on the tower, it's on the Main Building.)
That the pursuit of truth is the greatest endeavor for which we can aspire. It says, Ye Shall Seek the Truth, and The Truth Shall Set You Free. It's all in the seeking. Or as they put it at Farber College:
Technically, it says: "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall *make* you free." I did a summer study at the Univ de Guanajuato in Mexico and appreciated that they had the same line inscribed above the entrance of the main building: "La verdad os hara libres."
it means that someone who follows Jesus' teachings, they are really his followers and those people will know the truth and will be set free by it.
OK, it is from John, 8:32, and refers to knowing Christ. But I don't think all that see the quote on the tower see the words from a strictly Christian interpretation. There are those of many religions and cultures who find the words inspirational, and a call to find truth a worthwhile pursuit, and in fact, words to live by.
Though borrowed from Christian writings, it is manifestly an academic proclamation, i.e. secular. I have always read it as the pursuit of true knowledge will free one from the servitude of ignorance and falsehood. In this sense, it is for me positively anti religious. Of course those who put it there did not have that in mind. They were bible totin' folk, no doubt.
I would find it interesting to know the intent of the original person who selected the quote-were they selecting a quote that sounded good for academic pursuit of all kinds, or were they placing it there to urge the students to find Christ? Or some of both lines of thinking? I know a true Christian will say the quote only means there is one truth, and that is Christ. But those are great words, and can be interpreted more than one way.
the issue is that the meaning of words is not determined by the listener, but rather by the speaker. This is a pretty basic concept within communication. The speaker defines his/her own words, not the listener. Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free, is about the fact that true freedom is found only in knowing Jesus. Jesus very clearly states that He IS the way, the truth, and the life. If He is the truth, then knowing HIm is what makes people free. Now, if people want to say that the words on the main building are NOT the words of Jesus, but rather lifted from Jesus and applied to the academic pursuit at The University, then we would have to see what the person who 'said' them meant. I can see that this would be the intent of the words chiseled into the stone rather than what Jesus said. It all depends on who the speaker is and what the intent is. This is very off subject but interesting. I always am amazed at how the foundations of Harvard are so far from where the University is today. Just shows how things change from the beginning. I wonder how the view of 'Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.' has changed even at UT. I doubt most students know it is a quote from Jesus. I always wanted to take a poll standing under it when I was a student. I just wanted to ask people, "Who said that?" and see what they said. During its early years, the College offered a classic academic course based on the English university model but consistent with the prevailing Puritan philosophy of the first colonists in New England. The College was affiliated with the Congregationalist denomination. An early brochure, published in 1643, justified the College's existence: "To advance Learning and perpetuate it to Posterity; dreading to leave an illiterate Ministry to the Churches." Harvard's early motto was "For Christ and the Church." In a directive to its students, it laid out the purpose of all education: "Let every student be plainly instructed and consider well that the main end of his life and studies is to know God and Jesus, which is eternal life. And therefore to lay Christ at the bottom as the only foundation of all sound learning and knowledge." from wiki article on Harvard University
"Money talks" is the truth and money can make you free in all manner of ways, including electing people who will push your moral agenda, whatever it is, unless of course, it's to get money out of politics.
That accepting the truth that Greg Davis is the best offensive coordinator for a team whose head coach is Mack Brown will make you free to enjoy Saturday afternoons without worrying what droves of numbsculls on the internets think.
I think we can all agree that the original quote from the New Testament is the quote etched in stone on the tower, and what it means. But does anyone know who selected that quote, and was the intent strictly to communicate Christian values, or general academic pursuit in the University setting? I would guess there was the religious intent, ala Harvard's original stated purpose.
Truth, through knowledge, is the foundation of a free people. But what do I know? On a more literal level, I always thought that since the Registar's and Bursar's offices were in the Main Building, that once my grades were posted, the University was going to set me free, sans diploma.... But this will date me and the other posters on here, I always thought Jay and Skip had the right idea with "Money Talks". That and the Lucky Lifetime Lottery Sweepstakes to handle the problem of Tower suicides and painting the Tower in rainbow shades.....
It would be great to one day take my daughters shopping for a college and find the words 'Money Talks and ******** Walks' engraved greek stylie over the main building's doorway. 'This is where the truth will be setting you free, sweetheart.'
Christ is the Truth, but that doesn't preclude any other take on the word. To understand the glory of Creation is to better understand God, which is a great thing to have carved over the Natural Sciences Library.
christ? I thought it was a reference to the boxer - Carl "the truth" Williams of course, he got his *** beat.
All you really need are three chords and the truth. Its why Austin is the live music capital o fthe world.
