Home / Quotes / Quote by Ray McGovern

Quote by Ray McGovern

“I would say that not many German people are still alive, who experienced what happened during the third reich. We don't have to go to the Stasi, we can go to the Gestapo, and see what happens, when your human rights, your ability to a freedom of expression and a freedom of thought is infringed upon. This is terribly, terribly dangerous territory.”

Quote by Ray McGovern

Author

Ray McGovern, born on August 25, 1939, is an intelligence analyst and former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer. He was involved in intelligence analysis and evaluation during his time at the CIA and has continued to focus on international security and policy issues after retirement. McGovern served in the United States Navy, gaining a background in intelligence analysis, and joined the CIA in 1963. He held various positions, including intelligence analyst and intelligence evaluation officer. After retirement, he has remained active in the public domain, voicing his concerns about national security and foreign policy. Known for his deep understanding and critical thinking of intelligence work, McGovern has influenced policymakers and the public. more

You May Also Like

“And the passiveness, you know, the apathy, well, that's not responsible citizenship. When I'm asked, why am I an activist, I say, well that's the rent that I pay for living on this planet, okay?”

Knows Wells Pay Planets Okay Responsible Activist Apathy Citizenship Living On Passiveness

Author:Ray McGovern

“We all have a responsibility, and as Rabbi Heschel, one of my prophets, has put it: "Those who condone, or are silent, in the face of injustice, are more guilty than the perpetrators." And so, to the degree we pretend to be a democracy, we have a corresponding duty to be activist enough to prevent our human rights form being infringed upon.”

Humans Enough Faces Form Responsibility Democracy Rights Duty Degrees Silent Injustice Human Rights Guilty Prophet Activist Corresponding Rabbi Perpetrators

Author:Ray McGovern

“Form a small group. Five or six people, of people who think the way you do, and are willing to meet regularly, every week, and you will be surprised at what imaginative, gutsy thought and action comes out of that synergy. Takes a while, but there's something that every little group like that can do.”

People Thinking Way Littles Action Form Can Do Five Groups Week Willing Six Imaginative Small Groups Thoughts And Actions Synergy

Author:Ray McGovern

“Now the big danger is to avoid doing anything, unless you have a surety, unless you have an assurance that you'll be successful. It's not about being successful. It's about being faithful. The good is worth doing, because it's good. And who knows what the results will be?”

Knows Bigs Results Successful Danger Faithful Being Successful Assurance Being Faithful

Author:Ray McGovern

“You know, we may just be planting seeds for future generations, but that's okay. We can't be deterred from doing things, because we might be laughed at, because somebody might say, "What did you think you'd accomplish by turning your back on the secretary of state," or something like that.”

Thinking Knows May States Might Generations Okay Accomplish Seeds Laughed Secretary Future Generation Planting Seeds Turning Your Back

Author:Ray McGovern

“You do what you know is good, because it's good, and then you have a certain peace of mind, saying, you've been an activist in a constructive way.”

Knows Way Mind Certain Peace Of Mind Activist Constructive

Author:Ray McGovern

“I think you're never going to get somewhere ambitious if you don't start out with great ambitions. What I would say is: we got a start. That to me is a very significant thing. Here we were, a historic meeting to talk about climate change.”

Ifs Thinking Ambition Meetings Climate Climate Change Significant Ambitious Historic Great Ambition Significant Things

Author:Christy Clark

“How are we going to know what impact that has on the greenhouse gas emissions? How are we going to hold everybody accountable for doing their part?”

Knows Impact Gas Emissions Greenhouses Greenhouse Gases

Author:Christy Clark

“I hope that people will be held accountable, even if accountability just means naming it and letting the citizens of the country know where you're at. I think that has a huge impact on the way people think.”

People Ifs Thinking Knows Way Mean Country Huge Citizens Impact Accountability

Author:Christy Clark

“You can't say British Columbia's carbon tax is exactly the same as increasing hydroelectricity rates in another province. They're very different mechanisms, but we shouldn't deny that both of them can have an impact, and that's why we're talking about this broadly.”

Different Talking Taxes Impact Rate Deny British Mechanism Carbon Provinces Columbia British Columbia Carbon Tax

Author:Christy Clark