Karl Marx said, โThe task is not just to understand the world but to change it.โ A variant to keep in mind is that if you want to change the world youโd better try to understand it. That doesnโt mean listening to a talk or reading a book, though thatโs helpful sometimes. You learn from participating. You learn from others. You learn from the people youโre trying to organize. We all have to gain the understanding and the experience to formulate and implement ideas.
Noam ChomskyFrom 1962 to 1965 the US was dedicated to try to prevent the independence of South Vietnam, the reason was of course that Kennedy and Johnson knew that if any political solution was permitted in the south, the National Liberation Front would effectively come to power, so strong was its political support in comparison with the political support of the so-called South Vietnamese government.
Noam ChomskyActually, my first article, it wasn't about the anarchists; it was about the fall of Barcelona and the spread of fascism over Europe, which was frightening. But a couple of years later I became interested in the anarchist movement.
Noam ChomskyIn southern culture, possession of a gun became kind of a sign of manhood, not just because of slaves but other white men. If you had a gun, you're not going to push me around. You know, I'm not one of those guys you can kick in the face.
Noam ChomskyYou can see it in the worship of [Ronald] Reagan, which portrays him as somebody who saved us from government. Actually he was an apostle of big government.
Noam ChomskyI would feel no hesitation in saying that it is the responsibility of a decent human being to give assistance to a child who is being attacked by a rabid dog, but I would not intend this to imply that in all imaginable circumstances one must, necessarily, act in accordance with this general responsibility.
Noam Chomsky