--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Secrecy is for losers. . . . It is time…" description: "\"Secrecy is for losers. . . . It is time to dismantle government secrecy, this most persuasive of Cold War-era regulations. It is time to begin building..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3f/daniel-patrick-moynihan-8627_building_secrecy-is-for-losers-it-is-time-to-dism_871898.jpg" --- # Secrecy is for losers. . . . It is time to dismantle… ![“Secrecy is for losers. . . . It is time to dismantle government secrecy, this most persuasive of Cold War-era regulations. It is time to begin building the supports for the era of openness that is already upon us.” quote by Daniel Patrick Moynihan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3f/daniel-patrick-moynihan-8627_building_secrecy-is-for-losers-it-is-time-to-dism_871898.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3f/daniel-patrick-moynihan-8627_building_secrecy-is-for-losers-it-is-time-to-dism_871898.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3f/daniel-patrick-moynihan-8627_building_secrecy-is-for-losers-it-is-time-to-dism_871898.jpg) > “Secrecy is for losers. . . . It is time to dismantle government secrecy, this most persuasive of Cold War-era regulations. It is time to begin building the supports for the era of openness that is already upon us.” [Daniel Patrick Moynihan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-patrick-moynihan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advocates replacing secrecy with openness, arguing that secretive policies are outdated and harmful. **In simple terms:** Openness beats secrecy. Key Takeaway Promote transparency. Themes government transparency policy accountability Mood determined optimistic Type political activist When to use this quote - journalism - whistleblowing - public records - citizen oversight Key Concepts democracy public trust information flow Questions to Reflect On - How can transparency be balanced with security? - What safeguards are needed for open data? A Different Perspective Secrecy can protect national security in certain contexts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cold/) [Cold war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cold-war/) [Eras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eras/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Loser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loser/) [Openness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/openness/) [Persuasive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persuasive/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Regulation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regulation/) [Secrecy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secrecy/) [Support](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/support/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [Secrecy is for losers. For people who do not know how important the information really is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-patrick-moynihan/secrecy-is-for-losers-for-people-who-do-not-know-how-important-the/) [Daniel Patrick Moynihan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-patrick-moynihan/) > [Secrecy is for losers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-patrick-moynihan/secrecy-is-for-losers/) [Daniel Patrick Moynihan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-patrick-moynihan/) > [Anyone who studies declassified documents soon becomes aware that government secrecy is largely an effort to protect policy makers from scrutiny by citizens, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/anyone-who-studies-declassified-documents-soon-becomes-aware-that/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [It's a difficult thing today to be informed about our government even without all the secrecy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/it-s-a-difficult-thing-today-to-be-informed-about-our-government-even/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [Housing, it's not a plaything. 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