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Quote by William Safire

“The Latin motto over Poindexter's new Pentagon office reads Scientia Est Potentia - "knowledge is power." Exactly: the government's infinite knowledge about you is its power over you.”

Quote by William Safire

Author

William Safire, born on December 17, 1929, was an accomplished American author, journalist, and political commentator. Known for his incisive political commentary and distinctive writing style, he won the Pulitzer Prize. Safire had a rich political background, serving as a speechwriter for President Nixon, which had a profound impact on his later work. more

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“The proselytizing fanatic strengthens his own faith by converting others. The creed whose legitimacy is most easily challenged is likely to develop the strongest proselytizing impulse.”

Impulse Strongest Creeds Fanatics Legitimacy Converting Proselytizing

Book:THE TRUE BELIEVER

Source: THE TRUE BELIEVER

“It is also plausible that those movements with the greatest inner contradiction and between profession and practice - that is to say with a strong feeling of guilt - are likely to be the most fervent in imposing their faith on others.”

Feelings Strong Practice Movement Guilt Profession Contradiction Imposing Plausible Fervent Strong Feeling

Book:THE TRUE BELIEVER

Source: THE TRUE BELIEVER

“It's coming to America first, The cradle of the best and of the worst. It's here they got the range And the machinery for change And it's here they got the spiritual thirst. It's here the family's broken And it's here the lonely say That the heart has got to open In a fundamental way: Democracy is coming to the U.S.A. O mighty Ship of State! To the Shores of Need Past the Reefs of Greed Through the Squalls of Hate Sail on, sail on.”

Source: The Lyrics of Leonard Cohen: Enhanced Edition

“Laughter is nothing else but sudden glory arising from some sudden conception of some eminency in ourselves, by comparison with the infirmity of others, or with our own formerly.”

Happiness Joy Glory Laughter Comparison Conception Infirmity

Author:Thomas Hobbes

“My objection to the church isn't that the preachers are cruel, hypocritical, actually wicked, though some of them are that, too - think of how many are arrested for selling fake stock, for seducing 14-year-old girls in orphanages under their care, for arson, for murder. An it isn't so much that the church is in bondage to Big Business and doctrines as laid down by millionaires - though a lot of churches are that, too. My chief objection is that 99% of sermons and Sunday School teachings are so agonizingly dull.”

“In war, too, the discretionary power of the Executive is extended; its influence in dealing out offices, honors, and emoluments is multiplied; and all the meaning of seducing the minds, are added to those of subduing the force, of the people. The same malignant aspect in republicanism may be traced in the inequality of fortunes, and the opportunities of fraud, growing out of a state of war, and in the degeneracy of manners and morals, engendered by both. No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare.”

“Whenever we remove a brick from the wall that was designed to separate religion and government, we increase the risk of religious strife and weaken the foundation of our democracy.”

Government Religious Democracy Risk Wall Increase Foundation Remove Strife Bricks Religion And Government

Author:John Paul Stevens

“The U.S. has in its stockpiles more nuclear bombs, chemical and biological weapons, more aircraft, rockets and delivery systems in number and sophistication than the rest of the world combined. Included are twenty commissioned Trident II nuclear submarines any one of which could destroy Europe.”

World Numbers Weapons Europe Twenties Nuclear Bombs Chemicals Rockets Delivery Sophistication Aircraft Nuclear Bomb Submarines Biological Weapons

Author:Ramsey Clark

“When you're in this type of conflict, when you're at war, civil liberties are treated differently.”

War Liberty Type Conflict Treated Civil Liberties

Author:Trent Lott

“When your government, employer, landlord, merchant, banker and local sports team gang up to picture, digitize and permanently record your every activity, you are placed under unprecedented control.”

Government Sports Records Team Activity Locals Gang Employers Bankers Unprecedented Merchants Sports Team Landlord

Author:William Safire