One of the advantages of travelling the world is that you get to know the world broadly. And one of the advantages of staying in one place is that you get to know the world deeply.
Alan MooreRead
It does not do to rely too much on silent majorities, Evey, for silence is a fragile thing, one loud noise, and its gone. But the people are so cowed and disorganised. A few might take the opportunity to protest, but it'll just be a voice crying in the wilderness. Noise is relative to the silence preceding it. The more absolute the hush, the more shocking the thunderclap. Our masters have not heard the people's voice for generations, Evey and it is much, much louder than they care to remember.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the danger of trusting the quietness of the majority, suggesting that silence can quickly be disrupted by a loud outcry.
In this quote, Alan Moore highlights the fragility of silence within the majority and warns against assuming that a quiet populace is content. He suggests that while silence can seem peaceful, it is temporary and can be shattered by decisive actions or voices of dissent. The quote further explores the idea that the true sentiments of the people have been ignored for so long by those in power, and when they do speak out, their voices carry significant weight, often more than the ruling authorities might acknowledge.
Themes
SilenceProtestVoiceMajoritiesPower
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech about civil rights, this quote can remind the audience of the importance of speaking up against injustice.
More from Alan Moore
All quotes →The only reality we can ever truly know is that of our perceptions, our own consciousness, while that consciousness, and thus our entire reality, is made of nothing but signs and symbols. Nothing but language. Even God requires language before conceiving the Universe. See Genesis: “In the beginning was the Word.
Alan MooreRead
My main point about films is that I don't like the adaptation process, and I particularly don't like the modern way of comic book-film adaptations, where, essentially, the central characters are just franchises that can be worked endlessly to no apparent point.
Alan MooreRead
The magician to some degree is trying to drive him or herself mad in a controlled setting, within controlled laws.
Alan MooreRead
When I was working upon the ABC books, I wanted to show different ways that mainstream comics could viably have gone, that they didn't have to follow 'Watchmen' and the other 1980s books down this relentlessly dark route. It was never my intention to start a trend for darkness. I'm not a particularly dark individual.
Alan MooreRead
Love your rage, not your cage.
Alan MooreRead
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