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Quote by Howard Zinn

“Behind the deceptive words designed to entice people into supporting violence -- words like democracy, freedom, self-defense, national security -- there is the reality of enormous wealth in the hands of a few, while billions of people in the world are hungry, sick, homeless.”

Quote by Howard Zinn

Book:You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train: A Personal History of Our Times

Work

You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train: A Personal History of Our Times

Written by Howard Zinn, this work is a blend of personal anecdotes and critical analysis, examining the impact of historical events on the author's life and the broader society. The book delves into the author's involvement in various social movements and his reflections on the role of activism in shaping the modern world. more

Author

American historian known for his critical analysis of historical events and advocacy for social justice. His work emphasizes the connection between history and contemporary social issues, particularly focusing on the role of ordinary people in the historical process. more

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“While some multimillionaires started in poverty, most did not. A study of the origins of 303 textile, railroad and steel executives of the 1870s showed that 90 percent came from middle- or upper-class families. The Horatio Alger stories of "rags to riches" were true for a few men, but mostly a myth, and a useful myth for control.”

Men Stories Wealth Class Poverty Study Middle Percent Myth Riches Executives Steel Rags Railroads Upper Class Horatio Textiles Rags To Riches

Book:A People's History of the United States: 1492-Present

Source: A People's History of the United States: 1492-Present

“Sometimes it's a short step from banning to burning.”

Sometimes Steps Burning

Author:Howard Zinn

“I believe there are huge numbers of people in this country who would be willing to have radical changes in our economic and social system in order to make it a more egalitarian society and do away with homelessness and hunger and clean up the environment. But these people have no voice. They have no way of expressing themselves. Elections give them no way of expressing themselves.”

“Are terrorists going to be deterred - are terrorists going to be scared if we react violently? No. They love it. That's what they dote on. They dote on violence. They dote on having more reasons to commit more terrorism.”

Ifs Reason Violence Scared Terrorism Terrorist Commit

Author:Howard Zinn

“I start from the supposition that the world is topsyturvy, that things are all wrong, that the wrong people are in jail and the wrong people are out of jail, that the wrong people are in power and the wrong people are out of power, that the wealth is distributed in this country and the world in such a way as not simply to require small reform but to require a drastic reallocation of wealth. I start from the supposition that we don't have to say too much about this because all we have to do is think about the state of the world today and realize that things are all upside down.”

People Thinking World Way Country States Today Realizing Wealth Too Much Reform Jail World Today Upside Down Drastic Supposition

Book:The Zinn Reader: Writings on Disobedience and Democracy

Source: The Zinn Reader: Writings on Disobedience and Democracy

“Protest beyond the law is not a departure from democracy; it is absolutely essential to it. It is a corrective to the sluggishness of "the proper channels," a way of breaking through passages blocked by tradition and prejudice. It is disruptive and troublesome, but it is a necessary disruption, a healthy troublesome.”

Way Law Democracy Healthy Essentials Tradition Prejudice Protest Passages Departure Disruption Troublesome Blocked Disruptive

Book:The Zinn Reader: Writings on Disobedience and Democracy

Source: The Zinn Reader: Writings on Disobedience and Democracy

“Again and again, Americans have voted for a president to keep them out of a war, only to see the "peace" candidate elected who then brings the nation into war.”

War Nations President Candidates Again And Again

Book:The Zinn Reader: Writings on Disobedience and Democracy

Source: The Zinn Reader: Writings on Disobedience and Democracy

“Now I have been studying very closely what happens every day in the courts in Boston, Massachusetts. You would be astounded--maybe you wouldn't, maybe you have been around, maybe you have lived, maybe you have thought, maybe you have been hit--at how the daily rounds of injustice make their way through this marvelous thing that we call "due process.”

Way Has Beens Happens Would Be Process Study Court Rounds Injustice Dues Marvelous Boston Massachusetts Due Process Astounded Marvelous Things

Book:The Zinn Reader: Writings on Disobedience and Democracy

Source: The Zinn Reader: Writings on Disobedience and Democracy

“There is the past and its continuing horrors: violence, war, prejudices against those who are different, outrageous monopolization of the good earth's wealth by a few, political power in the hands of liars and murderers, the building of prisons instead of schools, the poisoning of the press and the entire culture by money. It is easy to become discouraged observing this, especially since this is what the press and television insist that we look at, and nothing more.”

Source: A People's History of the United States: 1492-Present

“The First Amendment and Fourteenth Amendment rights in the United States Constitution were being violated in Albany again and again - freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, the equal protection of the laws - I could count at least 30 such violations. Yet the president, sworn to uphold the Constitution, and all the agencies of the United States government at his disposal, were nowhere to be seen.”