Howard Zinn Quotes - Page 2

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• George Orwell said, "Whoever controls the past controls the future," by which he meant that history is incredibly important in shaping the world view of the next generation of people.

  Howard Zinn

  Past, Views, People

  47 Copy quote

• We need to decide that we will not go to war, whatever reason is conjured up by the politicians or the media, because war in our time is always indiscriminate, a war against innocents, a war against children.

  Howard Zinn

  Time, Children, War

  "The Old Way of Thinking". The Progressive, November 2001.

  29 Copy quote

• Since war itself is the most extreme form of terrorism, a war on terrorism is profoundly self-contradictory.

  Howard Zinn

  War, Self, Terrorism

  Howard Zinn (2012). “The Historic Unfulfilled Promise”, p.153, City Lights Publishers

  28 Copy quote

• Protest beyond the law is not a departure from democracy; it is absolutely essential to it.

  Howard Zinn

  Meaningful, Truth, Law

  Howard Zinn (1997). “The Zinn Reader: Writings on Disobedience and Democracy”, p.383, Seven Stories Press

  79 Copy quote

• Americans have been taught that their nation is civilized and humane. But, too often, U.S. actions have been uncivilized and inhumane.

  Howard Zinn

  Taught, Action, Humane

  "Quotations on Terrorism". Book by Harry Kawilarang (p. 61), 2004.

  40 Copy quote

• Terrorism has replaced Communism as the rationale for the militarization of the country [America], for military adventures abroad, and for the suppression of civil liberties at home. It serves the same purpose, serving to create hysteria.

  Howard Zinn

  Country, Military, Home

  Howard Zinn (2011). “Terrorism and War”, p.38, Seven Stories Press

  34 Copy quote

• The cry of the poor is is not always just, but if you don't listen to it, you will never know what justice is.

  Howard Zinn

  Justice, Cry, Poor

  32 Copy quote

• One percent of the nation owns a third of the wealth. The rest of the wealth is distributed in such a way as to turn those in the 99 percent against one another: small property owners against the propertyless, black against white, native-born against foreign-born, intellectuals and professionals against the uneducated and the unskilled. These groups have resented one another and warred against one another with such vehemence and violence as to obscure their common position as sharers of leftovers in a very wealthy country.

  Howard Zinn

  Country, White, Black

  Howard Zinn (2015). “A People's History of the United States: 1492-Present”, p.632, Routledge

  25 Copy quote

• Memorial Day will be celebrated ... by the usual betrayal of the dead, by the hypocritical patriotism of the politicians and contractors preparing for more wars, more graves to receive more flowers on future Memorial Days. The memory of the dead deserves a different dedication. To peace, to defiance of governments.

  Howard Zinn

  Memorial Day, Memories, Betrayal

  Howard Zinn (2011). “The Zinn Reader: Writings on Disobedience and Democracy”, p.331, Seven Stories Press

  71 Copy quote

• The problem in this world is not civil disobedience...th e problem in this world is civil obedience.

  Howard Zinn

  World, Problem, Obedience

  69 Copy quote

• What matters most is not who is sitting in the White House, but "who is sitting in" - and who is marching outside the White House, pushing for change.

  Howard Zinn

  What Matters, White, House

  "The Israel Lobby, the Syrian War and the Meaning of Empire" by Andrew Stewart, www.counterpunch.org. September 12, 2016.

  43 Copy quote

• When a social movement adopts the compromises of legislators, it has forgotten its role, which is to push and challenge the politicians, not fall in meekly behind them. We who protest...are not politicians. We are citizens. Whatever politicians may do, let them first feel the full force of citizens who speak for what is right, not for what is winnable, in a shamefully timorous Congress.

  Howard Zinn

  Fall, Challenges, Roles

  "Are We Politicians or Citizens?" by Howard Zinn, progressive.org. May 1, 2007.

  45 Copy quote

• Pessimism becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy; it reproduces itself by crippling our willingness to act.

  Howard Zinn

  Fear, Self, Pessimism

  Howard Zinn (1994). “You can't be neutral on a moving train: a personal history of our times”, Beacon Press (MA)

  10 Copy quote

• When we organize with one another, when we get involved, when we stand up and speak out together, we can create a power no government can suppress.

  Howard Zinn

  Government, Speaks Out, Together We Can

  Howard Zinn (2013). “A Power Governments Cannot Suppress”, p.16, City Lights Books

  33 Copy quote

• How can you have a war on terrorism when war itself is terrorism?

  Howard Zinn

  War, Terrorism, Terrorist

  33 Copy quote

• If we have learned anything in the past ten years, it is that these lovely things about America were never lovely. We have been expansionist and aggressive and mean to other people from the beginning. And we've been aggressive and mean to people in this country, and we've allocated the wealth of this country in a very unjust way. We've never had justice in our courts for the poor people, for black people, for radicals. Now how can we boast that America is a very special place? It's not that special. It really isn't.

  Howard Zinn

  Country, Mean, Past

  "The Problem is Civil Obedience". www.thirdworldtraveler.com. 1970.

  23 Copy quote

• When the Democrats are attacked for [inciting class warfare] they shrink back. They don't say what obviously should be said, "Yes, there is class warfare. There has always been class warfare in this country." The reason the Democrats shrink back is because the Democrats and the Republicans are on the same side of the class war. They have slightly different takes. The Democrats are part of the upper class that is more willing to make concessions to the lower class in order to maintain their power.

  Howard Zinn

  Country, War, Order

  28 Copy quote

• If the gods had intended for people to vote, they would have given us candidates.

  Howard Zinn

  People, Vote, Given

  4 Copy quote

• History can come in handy. If you were born yesterday, with no knowledge of the past, you might easily accept whatever the government tells you. But knowing a bit of history--while it would not absolutely prove the government was lying in a given instance--might make you skeptical, lead you to ask questions, make it more likely that you would find out the truth.

  Howard Zinn

  Lying, Past, Government

  24 Copy quote

• The Constitution. . . illustrates the complexity of the American system: that it serves the interests of a wealthy elite, but also does enough for small property owners, for middle-income mechanics and farmers, to build a broad base of support. The slightly prosperous people who make up this base of support are buffers against the blacks, the Indians, the very poor whites. They enable the elite to keep control with a minimum of coercion, a maximum of law--all made palatable by the fanfare of patriotism and unity.

  Howard Zinn

  Law, People, Support

  Howard Zinn (2015). “A People's History of the United States: 1492-Present”, p.99, Routledge

  30 Copy quote

• Because of the control of the media by corporate wealth, the discovery of truth depends on an alternative media, such as small radio stations, networks, programs. Also, alternative newspapers, which exist all over the country. Also, cable TV programs, which are not dependent on commercial advertising. Also, the internet, which can reach millions of people by-passing the conventional media.

  Howard Zinn

  Country, Discovery, Media

  "Zinn Speaks". Interview with Wajahat Ali, www.counterpunch.org. April 19, 2008.

  41 Copy quote

• What most of us must be involved in--whether we teach or write, make films, write films, direct films, play music, act, whatever we do--has to not only make people feel good and inspired and at one with other people around them, but also has to educate a new generation to do this very modest thing: change the world.

  Howard Zinn

  Writing, Play, People

  24 Copy quote

• Behind the deceptive words designed to entice people into supporting violence -- words like democracy, freedom, self-defense, national security -- there is the reality of enormous wealth in the hands of a few, while billions of people in the world are hungry, sick, homeless.

  Howard Zinn

  Reality, Self, Hands

  Howard Zinn (2010). “You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train: A Personal History of Our Times”, p.9, Beacon Press

  16 Copy quote

• Nations are not communities and never have been. The history of any country, presented as the history of a family, conceals the fierce conflicts of interest (sometimes exploding, often repressed) between conquerors and conquered, masters and slaves, capitalists and workers, dominators and dominated in race and sex. And in such as world of conflict, a world of victims and executioners, it is the job of thinking people, as Albert Camus suggested, not to be on the side of the executioners.

  Howard Zinn

  Country, Jobs, Sex

  45 Copy quote

• Voting is easy and marginally useful, but it is a poor substitute for democracy, which requires direct action by concerned citizens.

  Howard Zinn

  Direct Action, Voting, Democracy

  Howard Zinn (2012). “The Historic Unfulfilled Promise”, p.208, City Lights Publishers

  25 Copy quote

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