People Quote by Bill Ayers
“Two thousand people a day were being murdered in Vietnam in a terrorist war, an official terrorist war.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Anti‑war rally, 1970, United States
Vietnam war caused massive daily civilian deaths, highlighting its status as a terrorist conflict.
In simple terms: The war killed thousands each day, showing its brutal reality.
Key Takeaway
Recognize the human cost of war.
Themes
war
human cost
terrorism
Vietnam
Mood
somber
critical
urgent
Type
historical
political
When to use this quote
- history lessons
- peace activism
- policy debates
Key Concepts
civilian casualties
military policy
media coverage
Questions to Reflect On
- What does labeling a war “terrorist” change public perception?
- How can societies prevent such mass violence?
A Different Perspective
The figure may be contested or politicized.
![“In fact if you look at Reagan's global war on terrorism it very quickly turned into a massive terrorist war: [by us] Central America, South Africa, the Middle East, all U.S.-backed terrorism. That's one of the reasons why it disappeared from history and why the standard line is that Bush 43…” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/59c/noam-chomsky-42_america_in-fact-if-you-look-at-reagan-s-global-w_3214393.jpg)
![“We went to America a few times and [Brian] Epstein always tried to waffle on at us about saying nothing about Vietnam. So there came a time when George [Harrison] and I said 'Listen, when they ask next time, we're going to say we don't like that war and we think they should get right out.' That's…” quote by John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/512/john-lennon-322_america_we-went-to-america-a-few-times-and-brian_12070.jpg)
![“It wasn't [Barack] Obama per se; it was the feeling on the ground; it was seeing an old black woman in a wheelchair being wheeled by her son waving a big American flag, and then seeing a guy with his baby in his arms saying, "I didn't want her to miss tonight! I wanted to be able to tell her!" And…” quote by Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/806/bill-ayers-1848_able_it-wasn-t-barack-obama-per-se-it-was-the_20409.jpg)
![“One of the great crimes of the Bloomberg/Klein administration [in New York City] is that they've removed themselves from communities, as if communities have nothing to say about what their needs and aspirations are for themselves and for their children.” quote by Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/cfb/bill-ayers-1848_administration_one-of-the-great-crimes-of-the-bloomberg_36172.jpg)
![“[Lyndon ] Johnson was responding to a black freedom movement that was tearing the country open and he did what he had to do as a conservative politician.” quote by Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/4e4/bill-ayers-1848_black_lyndon-johnson-was-responding-to-a-black_39317.jpg)
![“I'm wary of government. Part of [the Tea Party] impulse is to dislike and be worried about the rich. I'm that way too. So I don't find them to be as atrocious as most people do, as your liberals do. I'm not a liberal.” quote by Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f9a/bill-ayers-1848_dislike_i-m-wary-of-government-part-of-the-tea-p_60556.jpg)
![“I'd been arrested many times by then. I'd been an organizer, so many things had changed over those three years [from 1965 till 1968].” quote by Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0f8/bill-ayers-1848_arrested_i-d-been-arrested-many-times-by-then-i-d_88658.jpg)
![“[The whole first year at university] was a great time for me and great time of awakening.” quote by Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/37e/bill-ayers-1848_awakening_the-whole-first-year-at-university-was-a_193300.jpg)
