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Noam Chomsky

Noam Chomsky Quotes

Linguist

Noam Chomsky, born on December 7, 1928, is a renowned linguist from the United States. His research in generative grammar and transformational grammar has had a profound impact on modern linguistics. Chomsky's academic achievements extend beyond linguistics, as he is also an active political commentator and philosopher, known for his unique perspective and profound insights.

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Famous Noam Chomsky Quotes

“Over the years, there's been case after case when there were very narrow decisions that had to be made about whether to launch nuclear weapons in serious cases. What is this guy [Donald Trump] going to do if his vaunted negotiating skills fail, if somebody doesn't do what he says? Is he going to say, "Okay we'll nuke them? We're done?"”

Ifs Years Made Done Guy Decision Cases Failing Serious Trump Skills Weapons Okay Nuclear Nuclear Weapons This Guy Negotiating Nukes

Author:Noam Chomsky

“Remember that in any major nuclear war, the first strike destroys the country that attacks; it's been known for years. The first strike of a major power is very likely to cause what's called nuclear winter, leads to global famine for years and everything's basically gone. Some survivors straggling around. Could [Donald Trump] do it? Who knows.”

Knows Years Firsts War Country Remember Causes Known Gone Trump Majors Winter Strikes Nuclear Survivor Famine Nuclear War Nuclear Winter

Author:Noam Chomsky

“For fifty years, we heard NATO is necessary to save Western Europe from the Russian hordes, you know the slave state, stuff I was taking about. In 1990-91, no Russian hordes. Okay, what happens? Well there are actually visions of the future system that were presented. One was [Mikhail] Gorbachev. He called for a Eurasian security system, with no military blocs. He called it a Common European Home. No military blocs, no Warsaw Pact. Just an integrated security system with no conflicts.Now the other vision was presented by George Bush, this is the "statesman".”

“What's the purpose of NATO? Well actually we have an official answer. It isn't publicized much, but a couple of years ago, the secretary-general of NATO made a formal statement explaining the purpose of NATO in the post-Cold War world is to control global energy systems, pipelines, and sea lanes. That means it's a global system and of course he didn't say it, it's an intervention force under US command, as we've seen in case after case. So that's NATO.”

“If you look back to the anti-intervention movements, what were they? Let's take the Vietnam War - the biggest crime since the Second World War. You couldn't be opposed to the war for years. The mainstream liberal intellectuals were enthusiastically in support of the war. In Boston, a liberal city where I was, we literally couldn't have a public demonstration without it being violently broken up, with the liberal press applauding, until late 1966.”

Ifs World Years Looks War Cities Support Crime Movement Broken Late Presses War Of The Worlds Vietnam Mainstream Boston Intervention Demonstration Vietnam War Second World War Broken Up

Author:Noam Chomsky

“What happened in the following years? Well, I think that among the educated classes it stayed the same. You talk about humanitarian intervention, it's like Vietnam was a humanitarian intervention. Among the public, it's quite different.”

Thinking Years Wells Different Class Happened Following Humanitarian Educated Vietnam Intervention Humanitarian Intervention

Author:Noam Chomsky

“That's a point that Dan Ellsberg has made for years. He said it's kind of like if you and I go into a grocery store to rob it, and I have a gun. The guy may give you the money in the cash register. I'm using the gun even if I don't shoot. Well that's nuclear weapons - essential to post-war deterrence - they cast a shadow over everything.”

Ifs Giving Years Wells Kind May Made Said War Guy Essentials Weapons Gun Shadow Casts Stores Nuclear Posts Cash Nuclear Weapons Groceries Register Grocery Stores Post War Deterrence

Author:Noam Chomsky

“We have to be irrational and vindictive, because that's going to frighten people. And we have to maintain this for years. And then we'll be able to carry out the actions that we want to carry out.”

People Want Years Able Action Irrational Vindictive

Author:Noam Chomsky

“That's our nuclear weapons strategy [going to frighten people], as of the early post-Cold War years. And I think this is a real failure of the intellectual community, including scholarship and the media. It's not like you had headlines all over the place. And it's not secret, the documents are there. And I think that's probably the right picture.”

People Thinking Years War Real Community Secret Media Like You Cold Weapons Intellectual Strategy Including Nuclear Posts Nuclear Weapons Documents Cold War Scholarship Headlines

Author:Noam Chomsky

“Like most terms of political discourse, socialism has more or less, lost its meaning. Socialism used to mean something. If you go back far enough it meant basically control of production by producers, elimination of wage labor, democratization of all spheres of life; production, commerce, education, media, workers control of factories, community control of communities, and so on. That was socialism once. But it hasn't meant that for a hundred years. Socialism meant something different.”

“As far as Bernie Sanders is concerned, he is a decent, honest person, and I supported him. What he means by socialism is New Deal Liberalism. In fact, his actual policies would not have been a great surprise to General Eisenhower. The fact that this is called a "political revolution" is a sign of how far to the right the political spectrum has shifted, mainly in the last 30 years since the neoliberal programs began to be instituted. What he was calling for was a restoration of something like New Deal Liberalism, which is a very good thing.”

“We have to remember that literally within months after Castro's taking office the planes from Florida were beginning to bomb Cuba. Within a year, the Eisenhower administration secretly, but formally, decided to overthrow the government. Then came the Bay of Pigs invasion. The Kennedy administration was furious about the failure of the invasion and immediately launched a major terrorist war and economic war that got harsher through the years. Under these conditions it is kind of amazing that Cuba survived.”

“One thing that you and I know is language. Another thing that you and I know is how objects behave in perceptual space. We have a whole mass of complex ways of understanding what is the nature of visual space. A proper part of psychology ought to be, and in recent years has been, an effort to try to discover the principles of how we organize visual space. I would say that the same is true of every domain of psychology, of human studies.”

Knows Way Trying Years Humans Has Beens Whole Language Understanding Space Effort Principles Study Psychology One Thing Objects Ought Mass Complexes Behave Visuals Organize Domain

Author:Noam Chomsky

“There have, for years, been comparative studies of religious fanaticism and factors that correlate with it. By and large, it tends to decline with increasing industrialization and education. The US, however, is off the chart, ranking near devastated peasant societies. About 1/2 the population believe the world was created a few thousand years ago: the justification for the belief is that that is what they were ordered to believe by authority figures to whom they were taught one must subordinate oneself. And on, and on.”

“The real invasion of South Vietnam which was directed largely against the rural society began directly in 1962 after many years of working through mercenaries and client groups. And that fact simply does not exist in official American history. There is no such event in American history as the attack on South Vietnam. That's gone. Of course, It is a part of real history. But it's not a part of official history.”

Years Doe Real Facts Courses Gone Groups Events South Officials Vietnam American History Clients Invasion

Author:Noam Chomsky

“For thirty years, Isreal has been highjacking ships in international waters, killing people, taking hostages, bringing them to Israel, putting them in secret prisons, all with the help of the United States. That's serious piracy.”

People Years Has Beens States Helping Water United Secret United States Serious Prison Killing International Israel Ships Thirty Thirty Years Hostage Piracy

Author:Noam Chomsky

“In America, we happen to be living in a third world country from the point of view of economic and social development. I came back from New York yesterday and I took the fastest train in the country, the Acela. My wife and I took the New York-Boston train sixty years ago - it wasn't called the Acela then - and I think it's improved by about fifteen minutes since then. Any other country in the world would be about half the time. In fact when it's riding along the Connecticut turnpike it's barely keeping up with traffic, which is just scandalous.”

“If you want information about sports, I can tell you things from the 1940's, and the couple years that my grandson was kind of a jock, but nothing in between.”

Ifs Want Years Kind I Can Sports Information Couple Jocks Grandson

Author:Noam Chomsky

“I organized tax resistance in 1965, with a friend. I kept at it for about ten years. I don't see it as a principle, it's a tactic. And I felt I had exhausted its potential as a tactic right about then, so I stopped.”

Years Felt Principles Ten Taxes Resistance Organized Exhausted Tactics

Author:Noam Chomsky

“When I was ten years old I wanted to be a taxidermist for some reason, don't ask me why.”

Years Reason Wanted Asks Ten Ask Me

Author:Noam Chomsky

“To say that the United States has pursued diplomacy with North Korea is a little bit misleading. It did under the Clinton administration, though neither side completely lived up to their obligations. Clinton didn't do what was promised, nor did North Korea, but they were making progress. So when Bush came into the presidency, North Korea had enough uranium or plutonium for maybe one or two bombs, but then very limited missile capacity. During the Bush years it's exploded. The reason is, he immediately canceled the diplomacy and he's pretty much blocked it ever since.”

“China has been there for 3,000 years, has contempt for the barbarians, is overcoming a century of domination, and simply moves on its own. It does not get intimidated when Uncle Sam shakes his fist. That's scary.”

Years Doe Has Beens Moving Century Overcoming Scary China Shakes Contempt Uncles Domination Fists Intimidated Barbarians Uncle Sam

Author:Noam Chomsky

“Popular support for alternative energy has been very high for years. But it harms corporate profits.”

Years Has Beens Energy Support Profit Harm Alternatives Corporate Alternative Energy

Author:Noam Chomsky

“I remember talking to, 40 years ago, one of the leading people in the government who was involved in arms control, pressing for arms control measures, détente, and so on. He's very high up, and we were talking about whether arms control could succeed. And only partially as a joke he said, "Well it might succeed if the high tech industry makes more profit from arms control than it can make from weapons-related research and production. If we get to that tipping point maybe arms control will work." He was partially joking but there's a truth that lies behind it.”

People Ifs Years Wells Said Government Might Remember Lying Behinds Talking Arms Industry Involved Succeed Weapons Jokes Research Years Ago Profit Productions Related Tipping Tipping Point

Author:Noam Chomsky

“I think the activism of the 1960s had a very definite civilizing effect on the whole society in all kinds of ways. So lots of things that by now are almost taken for granted were heretical in the 1960s. We had anti-sodomy laws until not many years ago.”

Thinking Way Years Kind Whole Law Taken Effects Years Ago Activism All Kinds Granted Definite 1960s Taken For Granted

Author:Noam Chomsky

“The Iraq War is the first war in history, in which there were huge demonstrations before the war was launched, not beginning five years later and then being broken up. All of these are changes, and the people who are writing in journals today lived through these changes.”

People Writing Years Firsts War Today Five Huge Broken Iraq Five Years Journal Demonstration Iraq War Broken Up Being Broken

Author:Noam Chomsky

“Let's take Southeast Asia. The last 20, 30 years has been what's called the "Asian Miracle" - fast economic growth, industrial society. It's happening all over, with one exception, which one? The Philippines is the one that can't grow, which the US has been running for 100 years. Is there a correlation? Have you read about it? It comes to mind, at least.”

Years Mind Has Beens Running Lasts Grows Growth Economic Happenings Miracle Exception Asia Asian Economic Growth Philippines Correlation Southeast Asia

Author:Noam Chomsky

“If [Respulicans] can't get rid of [Obamacare], they're going to have to tell their base, we've been lying to you for the last five years. So they're willing to go to almost any extent to do that. That's unusual, in fact I think it's unique in the history of modern parliamentary systems. And it's very dangerous for the country and for the world.”

Ifs Thinking World Years Country Facts Lasts Lying Five Modern Dangerous Willing Unique Five Years Unusual Obamacare Parliamentary Last Five Years Parliamentary System

Author:Noam Chomsky

“The shutdown itself is bad but not devastating. The real danger will come up in a couple of weeks. There's legislation which is in fact routine - it's passed every year - which allows the government to borrow money, otherwise it can't function. If Congress does not approve this budget request, the government may have to default.”

Ifs Years May Doe Real Facts Government Week Danger Couple Function Congress Come Up Budgets Routine Legislation Request Default

Author:Noam Chomsky

“Half of the [USA] population, roughly, thinks the world was created a couple thousand years ago. Two thirds of the country is expecting the second coming of Christ. They've also had to turn to nativists. The gun culture in the United States, which is out of control, is party fueled by people who think 'we've got to have our guns to protect ourselves.'”

“I'm sorry to say it has some historical analogs. It's kind of reminiscent of what happened in Germany in the late Weimar years.”

Years Kind Happened Late Historical Sorry Germany I'm Sorry Analog

Author:Noam Chomsky

“The US has been the leading terrorist state in the world for many years.”

World Years Has Beens States Terrorist

Author:Noam Chomsky

“Part of the uprising of Latin America, particularly in the last 10 to 15 years, has been a reaction to [neoliberal regime], and they have thrown out a lot of these measures and moved in a different direction. In earlier years, the US would have overthrown the governments or, one way or another, curtailed them. Now, it can't do that.”

Way Years Has Beens Different Government Lasts America Moved Reactions One Way Thrown Latin Regimes Latin America Uprising Different Directions

Author:Noam Chomsky

“Europe is being subjected to the kinds of programs that devastated Latin America for many years. Latin America has thrown them out and is pulling out: It's successful; it's democratizing; it's economically developing; and it's free from the shrapnel of US imperialism for 25 years. Meanwhile, Western Europe is destroying itself systematically, destroying itself going in the opposite direction.”

Years Kind America Successful Europe Program Opposites Western Developing Thrown Latin Destroying Pulling Imperialism Latin America Devastated Western Europe

Author:Noam Chomsky

“We can try to gain some of the sensibility of some of the indigenous populations of the world or our predecessors 800 years ago. We can laugh at them as being naive and unsophisticated, but unless we can gain that sensibility that there has to be rights of nature as Bolivians and others put it, then we're going to be destroyed.”

World Trying Years Laughing Rights Gains Years Ago Population Destroyed Sensibility Naive Indigenous Predecessors

Author:Noam Chomsky

“America has always been the richest and most secure, and sometimes the most dangerous country in the world. In the early years, the danger was to everybody near us, slaves, Native Americans, Mexicans. It finally expanded in 1898 to the Caribbean, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and the Philippines.”

World Years Country Sometimes America Dangerous Danger Slave Secure Native Native American Hawaii Cuba Philippines Caribbean Puerto Rico Rico

Author:Noam Chomsky

“Hamas is regularly described as 'Iranian-backed Hamas, which is dedicated to the destruction of Israel.' One will be hard put to find something like 'democratically elected Hamas, which has long been calling for a two-state settlement in accord with the international consensus'—blocked for over 30 years by the US and Israel. All true, but not a useful contribution to the Party Line, hence dispensable.”

Years Long Two Hard States Lines Party Calling Destruction International Israel Terrorism Contribution Dedicated Palestinian Consensus Accord Settlement Iranian Gaza Blocked Hamas Dispensable

Author:Noam Chomsky

“If you're teaching today what you were teaching five years ago, either the field is dead or you are.”

Ifs Years Today Five Teaching Fields Years Ago Five Years

Author:Noam Chomsky

“For 500 years, since European explorers came, Latin American countries had been separated from one another. They had very limited relations. Integration is a prerequisite for independence.”

Years Country Relation Independence Latin Integration Explorers Prerequisites Latin American

Author:Noam Chomsky

“Democracy doesn't mean much if people have to confront concentrated systems of economic power as isolated individuals. Democracy means something if people can organize to gain information, to have thoughts for that matter, to make plans, to enter into the political system in some active way, to put forth programs and so on. If organizations of that kind exist, then democracy can exist too. Otherwise it's a matter of pushing a lever every couple of years; it's like having the choice between Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola.”

“The threat of China is not military. The threat of China is they can't be intimidated. Europe you can intimidate. When the US tries to get people to stop investing in Iran, European companies pull out, China disregards it. You look at history and understand why - they've been around for 4,000 years, they have contempt for the barbarians, they just don't give a damn.”

People Giving Trying Years Looks Company Military Europe Threat Investing China Chinese Damn Iran Contempt Intimidating Intimidated Disregard Barbarians Don't Give A Damn

Author:Noam Chomsky

“Latin America, for the first time in 500 years, is moving towards a degree of independence.”

Years Firsts America Moving Degrees First Time Independence Latin Latin America

Author:Noam Chomsky

“In the years of the Reagan-Bush administration alone, about 1.5 million people were killed by South Africa just in the surrounding countries. Forget what was happening in South Africa and Namibia.”

People Years Country Politics Forget Millions Media Happenings South Administration South Africa Namibia

Book:Media Control: The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda

Source: Media Control: The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda

About the Author

Born: December 7, 1928
Known for: Linguist
Quotes: 1825

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