When you introduce an idealistic vision to the modern world, it’s a certainty that skeptics, critics and doubters will rise in opposition.  As the International Olympic Committee began its work again in the aftermath of World War I, Baron Pierre de Coubertin sought to remind his colleagues to stay the course—and remain resolute in the face of any attack. The Baron knew that the independence of the International Olympic Committee was essential to its autonomy—and the only guarantee of that independence was the collective faith and unity of the membership.  This quote is from the Baron’s “Letter to the Members of the International Olympic Committee,” which he issued in January 1919.