Noam Chomsky Quotes

The Sanders achievement was maybe the most surprising and significant aspect of the November election. Sanders broke from a century of history of pretty much bought elections. That is a reflection of the decline of how political institutions are perceived.
― Noam Chomsky

You can't educate yourself by looking things up online.
― Noam Chomsky



[Edward Snowden] should not just be pardoned, but honored. We should be asking whether the government should be pardoned.
― Noam Chomsky



You have two choices, you can say, "I'm a pessimist, nothing's going to work, I'm giving up, I'll help ensure the worst can happen". Or, you can grasp onto the opportunities that do exist, the rays of hope that exist and say, "Well, maybe we can make it a better world". It's not much of a choice.
― Noam Chomsky

If I was in the mainstream I'd have to ask myself what I'm doing wrong.
― Noam Chomsky

I never anticipated living in Utopia.
― Noam Chomsky

15 years ago [Islamic terrorism] was confined to a tiny tribal area in Afghanistan. Now it is all over the world. Every time you hit it with a sledgehammer you expand it.
― Noam Chomsky



Every Republican candidate is either a climate change denier or a sceptic who says you can't do anything about it. What they are saying is, "let's destroy the world", is that worth voting against? Yeah.
― Noam Chomsky

My vote would be against the republican candidate. If you abstain, that means you are giving a vote for the republican candidate.
― Noam Chomsky

There are differences between the parties. I don't think they are great difference but they are real and small differences in a system of great power can have enormous consequences.
― Noam Chomsky

Bernie Sanders is a decent honest New Dealer. I agree with him on a lot of things, not on other things... of the current candidates he's the one that, from my point of view, would have the best policies.
― Noam Chomsky



Bernie Sanders may use the word socialist but he's basically a New Dealer. Now, in the current American political spectrum, to be a New Dealer is to be way out on the left.
― Noam Chomsky

It's perfectly obvious that the Assad government is not going to enter into negotiations that are based on the condition that it commits suicide. If that is the condition they are just going to keep destroying the country. That, unfortunately, is the U.S. position.
― Noam Chomsky

Trump is maybe comic relief but its not that different from the mainstream, which I think is more important.
― Noam Chomsky

It [America] is a pretty exceptional country in many ways. One is it's extremely religious. It's one of the most extreme fundamentalist countries in the world.
― Noam Chomsky



During the whole Neoliberal period, the last generation, both political parties have drifted to the right. Today's Democrats are what used to be called moderate Republicans. The Republicans have just drifted off the spectrum. They are so committed to extreme wealth and power that they cannot get votes.
― Noam Chomsky

The idea that Ukraine might join a Western military alliance would be quite unacceptable to any Russian leader.
― Noam Chomsky

The idea that Ukraine might join a Western military alliance would be quite unacceptable to any Russian leader.
― Noam Chomsky

If the master roars, the servants cower.
― Noam Chomsky

When you bomb a village in Yemen, say you kill somebody, maybe the person you were aiming at, maybe not and the other people that happen to be in the neighbourhood, how do you think people react? The say, "We're gonna take revenge".
― Noam Chomsky