The effect of that is to poison the flow of information to the President himself and to create a situation where a President can be almost, to use a metaphor, psychotically divorced from the realities in which he is acting.
We were young, we were foolish, we were arrogant, but we were right.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Youth can bring a sense of certainty that may be perceived as foolishness, yet sometimes youthfulness can lead to being right despite arrogance.
This quote reflects on the duality of youth, emphasizing that while young people may often act with arrogance and naivety, they can still possess a profound clarity or insight into certain situations. It suggests that the confidence often associated with youth can lead to truths that are overlooked by more experienced individuals, highlighting the importance of listening to diverse perspectives, regardless of age.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a graduation speech, one might use this quote to encourage graduates to trust their instincts as they embark on their journeys.
More from Daniel Ellsberg
All quotes βThere should be at least one leak like the Pentagon Papers every year.
I felt that as an American citizen, as a responsible citizen, I could no longer cooperate in concealing this information from the American public. I did this clearly at my own jeopardy and I am prepared to answer to all the consequences of this decision.
I see Edward Snowden as someone who has chosen, at best, exile from the country he loves-with a serious risk of his assassination by agents of his government or life in prison (in solitary confinement)-to awaken us to the danger of our loss of democracy to a total-surveilla nce state
EVERY attack now made on WikiLeaks and Julian Assange was made against me and the release of the Pentagon Papers at the time.
If there's another 9/11 or a major war in the Middle-East involving a U.S. attack on Iran, I have no doubt that there will be, the day after or within days an equivalent of a Reichstag fire decree that will involve massive detentions in this country.
Similar quotes
Give up, renounce the world. Now we are like dogs strayed into a kitchen and eating a piece of meat, looking round in fear lest at any moment some one may come and drive them out. Instead of that, be a king and know you own the world. This never comes until you give it up and it ceases to bind. Give up mentally, if you do not physically. Give up from the heart of your hearts
if you do one good deed your reward usually is to be set to do another and harder and better one.
I thought, I need to be more cautious about my choices - it reflects on who I am.
If you're going to lick the icing off somebody else's cake you won't be nourished and it won't do you any good,--or you might find the cake had caraway seeds and you hate them.
Your intention rules your life and determines the outcome.
Sweep up the debris of decaying faith; _x000D_ Sweep down the cobwebs of worn-out out beliefs, _x000D_ And throw your soul wide open to the light of reason and of knowledge. _x000D_ Be not afraid _x000D_ To thrust aside half-truths and grasp the whole.