What if there was a library which held every book? Not every book on sale, or every important book, or even every book in English, but simply every book - a key part of our planet's cultural legacy.
Aaron SwartzRead
Think deeply about things. Don’t just go along because that’s the way things are or that’s what your friends say. Consider the effects, consider the alternatives, but most importantly, just think.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote encourages critical thinking and self-reflection rather than blindly accepting the status quo.
Aaron Swartz emphasizes the importance of thinking deeply and critically about ideas and decisions. Instead of simply conforming to societal norms or what friends suggest, he advocates for a thoughtful examination of the implications and alternatives to any situation. This active engagement of the mind can lead to more informed and meaningful choices.
Themes
ThinkingCritical ThinkingReflectionDecision MakingSelf-Awareness
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during a school assembly to inspire students to think for themselves.
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All quotes →Without the ability to talk about government power, there's no way for citizens to make sure this power isn't being misused.
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Large corporations, of course, are blinded by greed. The laws under which they operate require it - their shareholders would revolt at anything less.
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We need to download scientific journals and upload them to file-sharing networks.
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But like all power, there are those who want to keep it for themselves. The world's entire scientific and cultural heritage, published over centuries in books and journals, is increasingly being digitized and locked up by a handful of private corporations. Want to read the papers featuring the most famous results of the sciences? You'll need to send enormous amounts to publishers like Reed Elsevier.
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Information is power. But like all power, there are those who want to keep it for themselves.
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