There is no plausible theory under which the record of the Pentagon Papers can be interpreted as relating to the national defense.
Noam ChomskyRead
If voting could actually change anything, it would be illegal.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that voting is ineffective for real change and implies that those in power prefer it to remain so.
Noam Chomsky's quote highlights a cynical perspective on the political system, where he suggests that the act of voting, while seemingly a democratic process, does not lead to substantial changes in power dynamics. The implication is that if voting truly had the power to challenge the status quo, those in control would prevent it, indicating a deep skepticism towards the effectiveness of electoral participation in creating meaningful reform or justice.
Themes
VotingChangePowerPoliticsDemocracy
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the effectiveness of political participation, one might quote Chomsky to argue that voting alone won't bring about real societal transformation.
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.
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If you're teaching today what you were teaching five years ago, either the field is dead or you are.
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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.
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The Republican Party has become overwhelmingly so extreme that it's hardly a traditional political party anymore.
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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.
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Similar quotes
Just because you are not interested in politics, does not mean that politics is not interested in you.
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We owe gratitude to France, justice to England, good will to all, and subservience to none ... it was by the sober sense of our citizens that we were safely and steadily conducted from monarchy to republicanism, and it is by the same agency alone we can be kept from falling back.
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Let each citizen remember at the moment he is offering his vote...that he is executing one of the most solemn trusts in human society for which he is accountable to God and his country.
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It is urgent to prevent new U.S. aggression. The time is now for the world to say 'no' to U.S. threats of air attack against Iran, and to the very notion of a nuclear first-use 'option' by America or any other nation.
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I don't think that people are disinterested or uninterested in politics. I think very often they are disengaged from the formal political process. To some extent they are suspicious or even despairing of formal politics as a means to give expression and effect to what they want.
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