Without the ability to talk about government power, there's no way for citizens to make sure this power isn't being misused.
Aaron SwartzRead
What if there was a library which held every book? Not every book on sale, or every important book, or even every book in English, but simply every book - a key part of our planet's cultural legacy.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote imagines a comprehensive library containing all books, emphasizing the importance of preserving cultural knowledge.
Aaron Swartz's quote invites us to envision a library that encompasses every book ever written, not just the popular or significant ones. This idea highlights the value of all literature as a crucial element of our cultural history, suggesting that every book contributes to our understanding of human experience and knowledge.
Themes
LibraryBooksCultureKnowledgeLegacy
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of libraries, this quote could be used to inspire the audience to advocate for more funding and resources for libraries.
More from Aaron Swartz
All quotes →Large corporations, of course, are blinded by greed. The laws under which they operate require it - their shareholders would revolt at anything less.
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We need to download scientific journals and upload them to file-sharing networks.
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Think deeply about things. Don’t just go along because that’s the way things are or that’s what your friends say. Consider the effects, consider the alternatives, but most importantly, just think.
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But like all power, there are those who want to keep it for themselves. The world's entire scientific and cultural heritage, published over centuries in books and journals, is increasingly being digitized and locked up by a handful of private corporations. Want to read the papers featuring the most famous results of the sciences? You'll need to send enormous amounts to publishers like Reed Elsevier.
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Information is power. But like all power, there are those who want to keep it for themselves.
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