The opportunity before all of us is living up to the dream of the Library of Alexandria and then taking it a step further - universal access to all knowledge. Interestingly, it is now technically doable
Brewster KahleRead
Libraries have had a long history of dealing with authoritarian organizations demanding reader records - who's read what - and this has led to people being rounded up and killed.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the dangers of authoritarianism and the importance of privacy in reading.
Brewster Kahle's quote reflects the historical struggle between libraries and authoritarian regimes that seek to monitor and control the intellectual activities of citizens. The act of tracking who reads what can lead to severe consequences, including persecution, indicating that the right to read freely is essential for a healthy society and democracy.
Themes
LibrariesAuthoritarianismPrivacyFreedomReading
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech on the importance of free expression, one might use this quote to emphasize the need for protecting library records.
More from Brewster Kahle
All quotes βSimilar quotes
Reading a book is like re-writing it for yourself.
Angela CarterRead
Above all, though, children are linked to adults by the simple fact that they are in process of turning into them. For this they may be forgiven much. Children are bound to be inferior to adults, or there is no incentive to grow up.
Philip LarkinRead
A man's grammar, like Caesar's wife, must not only be pure, but above suspicion of impurity.
Edgar Allan PoeRead
Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and the rest of the Ivy League are worthy institutions, to be sure, but they're not known for educating large numbers of poor young people.
Robert ReichRead
If you do a job where someone tells you exactly what to do, they will find someone cheaper than you to do it. And yet our schools are churning out kids who are stuck looking for jobs where the boss tells them exactly what to do.
Seth GodinRead
Thanks to my reading, I have never been caught flat-footed by any situation, never at a loss for how any problem has been addressed... It doesn't give me all the answers, but it lights what is often a dark path ahead.
Jim MattisRead