Daniel Ellsberg Quotes

Powerful Daniel Ellsberg for Daily Growth

About Daniel Ellsberg

Daniel Ellsberg, born on April 7, 1931, in Chicago, Illinois, is an influential American political activist and former military analyst who gained prominence for leaking the Pentagon Papers, a classified U.S. Department of Defense history of the Vietnam War. Ellsberg graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1952 with degrees in economics and mathematics. He was commissioned as an officer in the Marine Corps Reserve while at Harvard and served in the Pacific during the Korean War. His military service continued into the early years of the Vietnam War, where he worked as a consultant for the RAND Corporation, a global policy think tank. It was during his time at RAND that Ellsberg gained access to classified documents detailing the U.S. government's secret history and actions in the Vietnam War. Shaken by what he read, he decided to release these papers to the public, a move that would lead to a series of events known as the Pentagon Papers controversy. The leak and subsequent publication of the papers brought widespread public attention to the controversial nature of the U.S.'s involvement in Vietnam and led to debates about the role of government transparency. Ellsberg faced charges under the Espionage Act but was never tried due to a Justice Department order to drop all charges. Post-Pentagon Papers, Ellsberg continued his activism and remains an outspoken critic of the U.S. government's foreign policies. He has been awarded numerous honors for his actions, including the Right Livelihood Award in 2006 and the Sam Adams Award in 2010. His autobiography, "Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers," provides a detailed account of his life and experiences.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"The purest form of democracy is open discussion."

Daniel Ellsberg's quote emphasizes that a key aspect of a democratic society lies in the open exchange of ideas, opinions, and information. This "open discussion" allows for collective decision-making, encourages critical thinking, fosters understanding among individuals, and ultimately empowers citizens to participate effectively in shaping their communities and nations. The more open, diverse, and inclusive these discussions are, the stronger our democratic systems become.

"Secrets are defenses. Secrecy is defense. In government, everything is classified: You classify friends and enemies, and if you're not careful, the difference between the two gets blurred."

This quote by Daniel Ellsberg emphasizes the potential dangers of excessive secrecy in government. He suggests that when too much information is kept secret, it becomes challenging to discern between friends and enemies, potentially leading to confusion and unintended consequences. The blurred line between allies and adversaries could lead to questionable decisions or harmful actions, ultimately undermining the transparency and accountability essential for a functioning democracy.

"If the truth is inconvenient, reveal it anyway."

This quote by Daniel Ellsberg emphasizes the importance of transparency and honesty in all matters, especially when information may be uncomfortable or challenging to share. It encourages individuals to prioritize revealing truth over convenience, as truth is considered essential for informed decision-making, accountability, and a well-functioning society. This quote serves as a powerful reminder that the pursuit of knowledge, transparency, and integrity should never be compromised for short-term benefits or comfort.

"The greatest danger to any revolution in the 20th century was its success."

This quote by Daniel Ellsberg suggests that the most significant threat to a successful revolution or transformative change is not external opposition, but rather the consequences of that change itself. Once a revolution achieves its objectives, it must establish and maintain a new order, which can often be more difficult than overthrowing the old one. The fear of failure or instability may lead people to resist or undermine the change, leading to a potential backlash against the successful revolution. This insight encourages us to anticipate and address the challenges that come after success in any transformative movement or endeavor.

"The cover-up of the Vietnam war was much more damaging than the initial deception."

This quote by Daniel Ellsberg emphasizes that the act of concealing or hiding information about a significant event, in this case, the Vietnam War, can have more far-reaching and harmful consequences than the initial misinformation or deceit. The cover-up of the truth erodes trust, fosters cynicism, and hampers informed decision-making, potentially leading to greater suffering, damage, and loss than the original actions that were concealed. The truth is essential for democracy and accountability, as it enables citizens to make informed judgments about their leaders and the policies they pursue.

If monarchy is corrupting - and it is - wait till you see what overt empire does to us.

- Daniel Ellsberg

Wait, See, Till, Monarchy

There are two types of courage involved with what I did. When it comes to picking up a rifle, millions of people are capable of doing that, as we see in Iraq or Vietnam. But when it comes to risking their careers, or risking being invited to lunch by the establishment, it turns out that's remarkably rare.

- Daniel Ellsberg

Lunch, Doing, Risking, Remarkably

It was a good 15 or 20 years before anyone at Rand would be in the same room with me. They didn't want the question raised, 'What's your relationship with Daniel Ellsberg?' And not one of them wrote me a letter because they didn't want a letter of theirs to show up in my trash - which the FBI had been going through.

- Daniel Ellsberg

Through, Been, Before, FBI

My feelings of revulsion and foreboding about nuclear weapons had not changed an iota since 1945, and they have never left me. Since I was 14, the overriding objective of my life has been to prevent the occurrence of nuclear war.

- Daniel Ellsberg

My Life, Been, About, Occurrence

There should be at least one leak like the Pentagon Papers every year.

- Daniel Ellsberg

Year, Like, Leak, At Least One

President Johnson put destroyers in harm's way in the Tonkin Gulf not only once, but several times, with the, with a lot of his people hoping that it would lead to a confrontation and claiming that it had. And could have resulted in the lost of many lives in the course of it.

- Daniel Ellsberg

Harm, Resulted, Several, Gulf

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.

- Daniel Ellsberg

Country, Another, Equivalent, Decree

Only we, the public, can force our representatives to reverse their abdication of the war powers that the Constitution gives exclusively to the Congress.

- Daniel Ellsberg

War, Constitution, Congress, Powers

Look, all administrations, all governments lie, all officials lie and nothing they say is to be believed. That's a pretty good rule.

- Daniel Ellsberg

Nothing, Pretty, Pretty Good, Officials

We were young, we were foolish, we were arrogant, but we were right.

- Daniel Ellsberg

Young, Arrogant, Were, Foolish

Nixon did have a secret plan, and I knew that it involved making threats of nuclear war to North Vietnam.

- Daniel Ellsberg

Making, Knew, Nixon, Nuclear War

Obama is making a choice now that will lead to the deaths of many thousands of civilians in Afghanistan by American hands. By ordinary standards of presidents, he is a decent man. But those standards aren't good enough. He's in a position either to kill or not to kill, and he's made the decision to kill.

- Daniel Ellsberg

Hands, Obama, Presidents, Civilians

The fact is that when it comes to judgment as to what should be secret and what should not be secret, Julian Assange's judgment has been pretty good so far.

- Daniel Ellsberg

Fact, Pretty, Been, Pretty Good

I agree that there are things that should be kept secret.

- Daniel Ellsberg

Secret, Should, Things, Agree

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