It's important that we elevate and primarily focus on the rights of American citizens, but it's also important that we don't forget, 95 percent of the world's population lives beyond our own borders.
Edward SnowdenRead
Citizens with a conscience are not going to ignore wrong-doing simply because they'll be destroyed for it: the conscience forbids it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the importance of moral integrity, even when facing severe consequences.
Edward Snowden highlights the moral imperative of standing up against wrongdoing, suggesting that a person with a conscience cannot remain silent or complicit simply due to the fear of repercussions. The quote underscores the idea that ethical beliefs should drive one's actions, regardless of the potential for personal harm or societal pushback.
Themes
ConscienceWrongdoingMoral IntegrityCourageEthics
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech on civil rights, one might quote this to emphasize the importance of standing up for justice.
More from Edward Snowden
All quotes →I think the most important idea is to remember that there have been times throughout American history where what is right is not the same as what is legal.
Edward SnowdenRead
Congress hasn't declared war on the countries - the majority of them are our allies - but without asking for public permission, NSA is running network operations against them that affect millions of innocent people. And for what? So we can have secret access to a computer in a country we're not even fighting?
Edward SnowdenRead
A child born today will grow up with no conception of privacy at all.
Edward SnowdenRead
Being called a traitor by Dick Cheney is the highest honor you can give an American, and the more panicked talk we hear from people like him... the better off we all are.
Edward SnowdenRead
I don't see myself as a hero because what I'm doing is self-interested: I don't want to live in a world where there's no privacy and therefore no room for intellectual exploration and creativity.
Edward SnowdenRead
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