There is no plausible theory under which the record of the Pentagon Papers can be interpreted as relating to the national defense.
Noam ChomskyRead
Violence can succeed, as Americans know well from the conquest of the national territory. But at terrible cost. It can also provoke violence in response, and often does.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Violence can achieve immediate results, but it always carries severe consequences and can lead to retaliatory violence.
In this quote, Noam Chomsky reflects on the historical context of violence, particularly in relation to American expansion. He suggests that while violence may achieve short-term goals, such as territorial conquest, it ultimately incurs a heavy toll, not just in human cost but also in creating cycles of violence that can lead to further conflict and retaliation.
Themes
ViolenceConquestConsequencesRetaliationHistory
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a debate about the impact of war on society.
More from Noam Chomsky
All quotes βThe 'free-floating intellectual' may occupy himself with problems because of their inherent interest and importance, perhaps to little effect.
Noam ChomskyRead
If you're teaching today what you were teaching five years ago, either the field is dead or you are.
Noam ChomskyRead
There are very few people who are going to look into the mirror and say, 'That person I see is a savage monster;' instead, they make up some construction that justifies what they do.
Noam ChomskyRead
The Republican Party has become overwhelmingly so extreme that it's hardly a traditional political party anymore.
Noam ChomskyRead
There is still much debate about whether torture has been effective in eliciting information - the assumption being, apparently, that if it is effective, then it may be justified.
Noam ChomskyRead
Similar quotes
The emotions aren't always immediately subject to reason, but they are always immediately subject to action.
William JamesRead
Waiting time is not wasting time. Waiting patiently in expectation is the foundation of the spiritual life.
Henri NouwenRead
Without the Spirit of God we can do nothing. We are as ships without wind or chariots without steeds. Like branches without sap, we are withered. Like coals without fire, we are useless. As an offering without the sacrificial flame, we are unaccepted.
Charles SpurgeonRead
One problem with globalisation is that bad ideas seem to travel faster than good ones; first there was smearing tomato ketchup on everything; then drinking sugar-soaked cocktails ('Cosmo'-politanism) instead of our traditional whisky soda, and now this idea that we should abandon the poor to their fate in order to protect their dignity.
Abhijit BanerjeeRead
Everybody since the '60s has been saying the nation is a fiction - the nation is an imaginary unity - but people didn't connect the dots and say all human endeavours sprang from the same principle.
Yuval Noah HarariRead
When the mother of the race is free, we shall have a better world, by the easy right of birth and by the calm, slow, friendly forces of evolution.
Charlotte Perkins GilmanRead