“Fear is the foundation of most governments; but it is so sordid and brutal a passion, and renders men in whose breasts it predominates so stupid and miserable, that Americans will not be likely to approve of any political institution which is founded on it.”
John Adams
“There is no more good-natured, but also no more gullible people than the Germans. No lie can be conceived treacherous enough, the Germans believe it. They follow a slogan which was given to them, to act against their own countrymen, rather than the real enemies of their country.”
Napoleon Bonaparte
“The real goal of totalitarian ideology is not the transformation of the external conditions of human existence and not the revolutionary reorganization of the social order, but the transformation of human nature itself, which, as it is, constantly opposes the totalitarian process. … What is at stake in total domination is really the essence of man.”
Hannah Arendt
“At any given moment, public opinion is a chaos of superstition, misinformation and prejudice.”
Gore Vidal
“Citizens of the democratic societies should undertake a course of intellectual self defense to protect themselves from manipulation and control, and to lay the basis for meaningful democracy.”
Noam Chomsky
“The secret of liberty is to enlighten men, as that of tyranny is to keep them in ignorance.”
Maximilien de Robespierre
“Numbing the senses by monotonously repeating an assertion is a key element in utilizing mind control techniques.”
Joost A.M. Meerloo
“The continual intrusion into our minds of the hammering noises of arguments and propaganda can lead to two kinds of reactions. It may lead to apathy and indifference, the I-don’t-care reaction, or to a more intensified desire to study and to understand. Unfortunately, the first reaction is the more popular one.”
Joost A.M. Meerloo
“He who dictates and formulates the words and phrases we use, he who is master of the press and radio, is master of the mind. Repeat mechanically your assumptions and suggestions, diminish the opportunity for communicating dissent and opposition. This is the formula for political conditioning of the masses”
Joost A.M. Meerloo
“People are addicted to mass hysteria because it’s a way for them to funnel their very real anxieties, fears, sadness and neurotic behaviors into something relatable to other people. It doesn’t feel so lonely if everyone collectively loses their grip on reality together.”
Just.A.Thought