Noam Chomsky

Noam Chomsky

Linguist, Philosopher, Activist

Noam Chomsky is a renowned linguist and political activist known for his critiques of media and power structures, particularly through his work 'Manufacturing Consent.'

People Thinking War Country Mean Government
Born
December 7, 1928
Quotes
1.7K
Rank
#238

Quote collection

Noam Chomsky quotes (page 82 of 84)

1.7K quotes — follow a thought to its full quote page.

Noam Chomsky Linguist, Philosopher, Activist
Popular

"Most of us who were opposed to the war, especially in the early '60's - the war we were opposed to was the war on South Vietnam which destroyed South Vietnam's rural society. The South was devastated. But now anyone who opposed this atrocity is regarded as having defended North Vietnam. And that's part of the effort to present the war as if it were a war between South Vietnam and North Vietnam with the United States helping the South. Of course it's fabrication. But it's "official truth" now."

War Effort Atrocities
Read quote 3 likes
Noam Chomsky Linguist, Philosopher, Activist
Popular

"The real invasion of South Vietnam which was directed largely against the rural society began directly in 1962 after many years of working through mercenaries and client groups. And that fact simply does not exist in official American history. There is no such event in American history as the attack on South Vietnam. That's gone. Of course, It is a part of real history. But it's not a part of official history."

Real Years Groups
Read quote 3 likes
Noam Chomsky Linguist, Philosopher, Activist
Popular

"While I think in principle people should not have irrational beliefs, I should say that as a matter of fact, it is people who hold what I regard as completely irrational beliefs who are among the most effective moral actors in the world, in many respects. They're among the worst, but also among the best, even though the moral beliefs are ostensibly the same."

Thinking People Principles
Read quote 3 likes
Noam Chomsky Linguist, Philosopher, Activist
Popular

"There are huge areas where the human mind is apparently incapable of forming sciences, or at least has not done so. There are other areas - so far, in fact, one area only [physics] - in which we have demonstrated the capacity for true scientific progress."

Mind Progress Done
Read quote 3 likes
Noam Chomsky Linguist, Philosopher, Activist
Popular

"For us, we are all very different, our languages are very different, and our societies are very different. But if we could extract ourselves from our point of view and sort of look down at human life the way a biologist looks at other organisms, I think we could see it a different way."

Thinking Views Different
Read quote 3 likes
Noam Chomsky Linguist, Philosopher, Activist
Popular

"It's true that language is in a sense linear but that is as obvious as perceptual space is three-dimensional."

Space Three Language
Read quote 3 likes
Noam Chomsky Linguist, Philosopher, Activist
Popular

"Every night I get many letters, and after every talk I get many questions from people who say, "I want to change things. What can I do?" I never hear these questions from peasants in southern Colombia or Kurds in southeastern Turkey under miserable repression or anybody who is suffering. They don't ask what they can do; they tell you what they're doing."

Night Turkeys People
Read quote 3 likes
Noam Chomsky Linguist, Philosopher, Activist
Popular

"A good education instills in you the intuitive comprehension - it becomes unconscious and reflexive - that you just don't think certain things, things that are threatening to power interests."

Thinking Threatening Certain
Read quote 3 likes
Noam Chomsky Linguist, Philosopher, Activist
Popular

"When something like this [2003 invasion of Iraq] takes place, the international law professionals have a complicated task. There is a fringe that just tells the truth: Look, it's a violation of international law. But most have to construct complex arguments to justify it as defense counsel. That's basically their job, defense counsel for state power."

Jobs Law Iraq
Read quote 3 likes
Noam Chomsky Linguist, Philosopher, Activist
Popular

"What was the invasion of South Vietnam, for example, in 1962, when Kennedy sent the Air Force to bomb South Vietnam and start chemical warfare? That's aggression."

Air Invasion Example
Read quote 3 likes
Noam Chomsky Linguist, Philosopher, Activist
Popular

"I don't really think there have been transitional periods to socialism. There have been efforts, but they have usually been destroyed by a combination of external force and internal corruption."

Thinking Effort Socialism
Read quote 3 likes
Noam Chomsky Linguist, Philosopher, Activist
Popular

"I think that the real tragedy of Greece - aside of the savagery of European bureaucracy, Brussels bureaucracy and northern banks, which was really savage - is that the Greek crisis didn't have to erupt. It could have been taken care of pretty easily at the very beginning. But it happened and Syriza came into office with a declared commitment to combat it, and in fact as I recall they actually called a referendum, which horrified Europe."

Real Taken Commitment
Read quote 3 likes
Noam Chomsky Linguist, Philosopher, Activist
Popular

"We have to be irrational and vindictive, because that's going to frighten people. And we have to maintain this for years. And then we'll be able to carry out the actions that we want to carry out."

Years People Want
Read quote 3 likes
Noam Chomsky Linguist, Philosopher, Activist
Popular

"[Companies that specialized in how to destroy unions] don't make it a secret, and they have all sorts of techniques for management to destroy unions."

Secret Technique Unions
Read quote 3 likes
Noam Chomsky Linguist, Philosopher, Activist
Popular

"I've already supported Bernie Sanders in the primaries."

Primaries
Read quote 3 likes
Noam Chomsky Linguist, Philosopher, Activist
Popular

"The "end of history" has been proclaimed many times, always falsely."

Ends Has Beens
Read quote 3 likes
Noam Chomsky Linguist, Philosopher, Activist
Popular

"In fact, Clinton-era publications of the US Space Command describe control over space as a parallel to control over the oceans a century ago. Then, countries built navies to protect and enhance their power in commercial and strategic interests. Today, the militarization of space is intended to protect US investments and commercial interest and US hegemony around the world."

Country Ocean Space
Read quote 3 likes
Noam Chomsky Linguist, Philosopher, Activist
Popular

"We don't live in tyrannies, you know, the king doesn't decide what's legitimate, and there's much more freedom than there was in the past."

Kings Past Tyranny
Read quote 3 likes
Noam Chomsky Linguist, Philosopher, Activist
Popular

"Sectors of power are not going to favor the flourishing of dissidence."

Favors Flourishing
Read quote 3 likes
Noam Chomsky Linguist, Philosopher, Activist
Popular

"When you read about the end of the Soviet Union, it's always about the "death of socialism." They never say "the death of democracy." But it makes about the same sense."

Democracy Unions Socialism
Read quote 3 likes