It's important that we elevate and primarily focus on the rights of American citizens, but it's also important that we don't forget, 95 percent of the world's population lives beyond our own borders.
Edward SnowdenRead
America is a fundamentally good country. We have good people with good values who want to do the right thing. But the structures of power that exist are working to their own ends to extend their capability at the expense of the freedom of all publics.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the inherent goodness of the American people while critiquing the corrupt structures of power that undermine freedom.
Edward Snowden's quote reflects a deep belief in the fundamental goodness of American individuals who possess good values and genuinely desire to do the right thing. However, it also highlights a critical perspective on existing power structures that tend to operate selfishly, prioritizing their own interests over the freedom and welfare of the general public, thus presenting a dichotomy between the ethical intentions of citizens and the corrupt nature of institutional powers.
Themes
GoodnessFreedomPowerCorruptionValues
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech on civic responsibility, one could say, 'As Edward Snowden pointed out, despite the goodness in our society, we must remain vigilant against the corrupt structures of power.'
More from Edward Snowden
All quotes →I think the most important idea is to remember that there have been times throughout American history where what is right is not the same as what is legal.
Edward SnowdenRead
Congress hasn't declared war on the countries - the majority of them are our allies - but without asking for public permission, NSA is running network operations against them that affect millions of innocent people. And for what? So we can have secret access to a computer in a country we're not even fighting?
Edward SnowdenRead
A child born today will grow up with no conception of privacy at all.
Edward SnowdenRead
Being called a traitor by Dick Cheney is the highest honor you can give an American, and the more panicked talk we hear from people like him... the better off we all are.
Edward SnowdenRead
I don't see myself as a hero because what I'm doing is self-interested: I don't want to live in a world where there's no privacy and therefore no room for intellectual exploration and creativity.
Edward SnowdenRead
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