When one lives in a society where people can no longer rely on the institutions to tell them the truth, the truth must come from culture and art.
John TrudellRead
We have power... Our power isn’t in a political system, or a religious system, or in an economic system, or in a military system; these are authoritarian systems... they have power... but it’s not reality. The power of our intelligence, individually or collectively IS the power; this is the power that any industrial ruling class truly fears: clear coherent human beings.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True power lies in our individual and collective intelligence, not in established authoritarian systems.
This quote emphasizes that the actual power of humanity is derived from our intelligence and ability to think clearly, rather than from traditional structures of authority such as politics, religion, or military. John Trudell suggests that these systems may hold power in a conventional sense, but they do not represent true reality. The quote inspires a recognition of the strength that comes from clarity and unity among individuals, which is a fundamental threat to those in positions of industrial or authoritative control.
Themes
PowerIntelligenceAuthorityHumanClarity
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of critical thinking in education.
More from John Trudell
All quotes →When I go around in America and I see the bulk of the white people, they do not feel oppressed; they feel powerless... and we understand the psychological genocide that they have already inflicted upon their own people.
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We’re not Indians and we’re not Native Americans. We’re older than both concepts. We’re the people, we’re the human beings.
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The great lie is that it is civilization. It's not civilized. It has been literally the most blood thirsty brutalizing system ever imposed upon this planet. That is not civilization. That's the great lie, is that it represents civilization.
John TrudellRead
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