Fascism says what you and I experience as facts or what reporters experience as facts are irrelevant. All that matters are impressions and emotions and myths.
Timothy D. SnyderRead
Most Americans are exceptionalists; we think we live outside of history.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that Americans often believe they are unique and not subject to historical patterns.
Timothy D. Snyder's quote reflects on the tendency of Americans to view themselves as exceptional compared to other nations, implying that they believe their country operates outside the usual historical narratives and issues that affect humanity. This mindset can lead to a disconnection from historical context and an underestimation of the potential consequences of their actions.
Themes
ExceptionalismHistoryAmericaContextNarratives
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about American identity, one might say, 'As Timothy D. Snyder noted, most Americans are exceptionalists; we think we live outside of history, reminding us to remain aware of our place in the world.'
More from Timothy D. Snyder
All quotes βDefend an institution. Follow the courts or the media, or a court or a newspaper. Do not speak of 'our institutions' unless you are making them yours by acting on their behalf. Institutions don't protect themselves. They go down like dominoes unless each is defended from the beginning.
Timothy D. SnyderRead
Brittle masculinity, in the right setting, becomes political atrocity. Strength brings problems; weakness brings others, but weakness posing as strength is the most dangerous of all.
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If we don't have access to facts, we can't trust each other. Without trust, there's no law. Without law, there's no democracy.
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Totalitarianism is not about some state that appears out of nowhere and suddenly is all-powerful. There can't be any such thing. Totalitarianism starts when the difference between your public life and your private life is effaced.
Timothy D. SnyderRead
The 20th century shows that the form of government that we take for granted, a constitutional democratic republic with checks and balances and a rule of law - that form of government is usually temporary.
Timothy D. SnyderRead
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