---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Snowden’s penetration went beyond…"
description: "\"“Snowden’s penetration went beyond whistle-blowing, however. In the vast number of files he copied were documents that contained the NSA’s most sensiti..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cac/edward-jay-epstein-28064_edward_snowden-s-penetration-went-beyond-whistl_452306.jpg"
---

#  Snowden’s penetration went beyond whistle-blowing…

![“Snowden’s penetration went beyond whistle-blowing, however. In the vast number of files he copied were documents that contained the NSA’s most sensitive sources and methods that had little if anything to do with domestic surveillance or whistle-blowing. Snowden” quote by Edward Jay Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cac/edward-jay-epstein-28064_edward_snowden-s-penetration-went-beyond-whistl_452306.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cac/edward-jay-epstein-28064_edward_snowden-s-penetration-went-beyond-whistl_452306.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cac/edward-jay-epstein-28064_edward_snowden-s-penetration-went-beyond-whistl_452306.jpg)

> ““Snowden’s penetration went beyond whistle-blowing, however. In the vast number of files he copied were documents that contained the NSA’s most sensitive sources and methods that had little if anything to do with domestic surveillance or whistle-blowing. Snowden””

[Edward Jay Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-jay-epstein/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Snowden exposed far more than whistle‑blowing, revealing deep NSA secrets unrelated to domestic surveillance.

**In simple terms:** Snowden revealed secret NSA methods beyond whistle‑blowing.

Key Takeaway

Recognize that leaks can expose hidden systemic dangers.

Themes

privacy government surveillance whistleblowing national security ethics

Mood

concerned critical

Type

analytical informative

When to use this quote

- journalism
- policy making
- legal reform
- public awareness

Key Concepts

information security state secrecy public accountability

Questions to Reflect On

- What responsibilities do journalists have when handling classified material?
- How can societies balance security with transparency?

A Different Perspective

The impact of such leaks may be limited by political inertia and public desensitization.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

## Related quotes

> [One thing we know about government after the New Deal is that checks and balances through whistle-blowing is terrible policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-katyal/one-thing-we-know-about-government-after-the-new-deal-is-that-checks/)

[Neal Katyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-katyal/)

> [There is little incentive even for the media to encourage whistle-blowing or ruffling powerful feathers. They lose advertising, are harassed by government and cut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sucheta-dalal/there-is-little-incentive-even-for-the-media-to-encourage-whistle/)

[Sucheta Dalal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sucheta-dalal/)

> [We have had a lot of whistle-blowing going on out of the Department of Homeland Security, low morale. I want to make sure \[John…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-mccaskill/we-have-had-a-lot-of-whistle-blowing-going-on-out-of-the-department/)

[Claire McCaskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-mccaskill/)

> [When I hear that whistle blowing, I hang my head and cry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-cash/when-i-hear-that-whistle-blowing-i-hang-my-head-and-cry/)

[Johnny Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-cash/)

> [Whistle-blowing and publishing should not be seen as a crime, and certainly not as terrorism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-harrison/whistle-blowing-and-publishing-should-not-be-seen-as-a-crime-and/)

[Sarah Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-harrison/)

> [“There is no denying that Snowden's dramatic disclosures, despite the damage they did to U.S. intelligence, accomplished a salutary service in alerting both the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-jay-epstein/there-is-no-denying-that-snowden-s-dramatic-disclosures-despite-the/)

[Edward Jay Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-jay-epstein/)

> [“Unless one is willing to believe that the Putin regime acted out of purely altruistic motives in exfiltrating this American intelligence worker to Moscow,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-jay-epstein/unless-one-is-willing-to-believe-that-the-putin-regime-acted-out-of/)

[Edward Jay Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-jay-epstein/)

> [“The cliché that “everything leaks; it all comes out in the New York Times eventually” is emphatically not true, above all for sensitive compartmented…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ellsberg/the-clich-that-everything-leaks-it-all-comes-out-in-the-new-york/)

[Daniel Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ellsberg/)

> [“The single biggest lesson of the whole Snowden fiasco is that America's own sloppiness made it vulnerable: whether to misguided whistleblowers, saboteurs or foreign…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lucas/the-single-biggest-lesson-of-the-whole-snowden-fiasco-is-that-america/)

[Edward Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucas/)

> [It's a problem for him because he's got - like Edward VII had - nearly all his lifetime to wait until he becomes Monarch.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-holden/it-s-a-problem-for-him-because-he-s-got-like-edward-vii-had-nearly/)

[Anthony Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-holden/)

> [I've never met Snowden, I've never spoken with him personally. I mean, he's extremely smart. Very, very smart. I guess he was a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-gun/i-ve-never-met-snowden-i-ve-never-spoken-with-him-personally-i-mean/)

[Katharine Gun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-gun/)

> [“Where are we going?” she asked. “Mr. Durbin’s sheep have begun to lamb, and I wanted to see how the ewes are doing.” He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hoyt/where-are-we-going-she-asked-mr-durbin-s-sheep-have-begun-to-lamb-and/)

[Elizabeth Hoyt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hoyt/)

> [“More importantly in my view, the Obama administration has treated whistleblowers with scandalous harshness, especially those from inside the intelligence community. The hardest point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lucas/more-importantly-in-my-view-the-obama-administration-has-treated/)

[Edward Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucas/)

> [I wondered to myself why no one else had seen him standing so far away, before he was suddenly, impossibly saving my life. With…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/i-wondered-to-myself-why-no-one-else-had-seen-him-standing-so-far/)

[Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/)

> [“Edward: I don't know whether to put my fingers in my ears and go la-la-la or find more of your guards so we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/edward-i-don-t-know-whether-to-put-my-fingers-in-my-ears-and-go-la-la/)

[Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/)

## More by Edward Jay Epstein

> [The discrepancy between what actually happened and the version of what happened provided by sources is an enormous gray area.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-jay-epstein/the-discrepancy-between-what-actually-happened-and-the-version-of/)

[Edward Jay Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-jay-epstein/)

> [We have a thriving subculture of 'independent' American movies that makes an impact on America as a whole roughly equivalent to that of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-jay-epstein/we-have-a-thriving-subculture-of-independent-american-movies-that/)

[Edward Jay Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-jay-epstein/)

> [Who can now deny the loss of natural light, of skin tones, of real place, and common but precious things in our movies, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-jay-epstein/who-can-now-deny-the-loss-of-natural-light-of-skin-tones-of-real/)

[Edward Jay Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-jay-epstein/)

> [The problem of journalism is simple. Journalists are rarely in a position to establish the truth of an issue themselves, since they didn't' witness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-jay-epstein/the-problem-of-journalism-is-simple-journalists-are-rarely-in-a/)

[Edward Jay Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-jay-epstein/)

> [In the first week of the showings of the The Matrix Revolutions, The Godfather and The Godfather Part II played on cable television. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-jay-epstein/in-the-first-week-of-the-showings-of-the-the-matrix-revolutions-the/)

[Edward Jay Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-jay-epstein/)

> [What guided Chaplin was the proper protection of self-interest (or craziness). So Chapling, Douglas Fairbanks, and Mark Pickford, with DW Griffith and William S…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-jay-epstein/what-guided-chaplin-was-the-proper-protection-of-self-interest-or/)

[Edward Jay Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-jay-epstein/)

> [“Unless one is willing to believe that the Putin regime acted out of purely altruistic motives in exfiltrating this American intelligence worker to Moscow,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-jay-epstein/unless-one-is-willing-to-believe-that-the-putin-regime-acted-out-of/)

[Edward Jay Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-jay-epstein/)

> [“Greenwald told the Associated Press that the documents that Snowden had taken from the NSA constituted “the instruction manual for how the NSA is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-jay-epstein/greenwald-told-the-associated-press-that-the-documents-that-snowden/)

[Edward Jay Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-jay-epstein/)

> [I regret the way that America has elected to make films for its bluntest section of society and in ways that flatter them, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-jay-epstein/i-regret-the-way-that-america-has-elected-to-make-films-for-its/)

[Edward Jay Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-jay-epstein/)

> [“He further disclosed that before leaving the NSA, he had gained access to the lists of computers that the NSA had penetrated in foreign…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-jay-epstein/he-further-disclosed-that-before-leaving-the-nsa-he-had-gained-access/)

[Edward Jay Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-jay-epstein/)

> [“would strain credibility that such privileges would be awarded to an intelligence defector who had refused to cooperate with Russian authorities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-jay-epstein/would-strain-credibility-that-such-privileges-would-be-awarded-to-an/)

[Edward Jay Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-jay-epstein/)

> [Louis B. Mayer is one of those with a claim to posessing the equation... he began to buy up nickelodeon arcades in the years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-jay-epstein/louis-b-mayer-is-one-of-those-with-a-claim-to-posessing-the-equation/)

[Edward Jay Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-jay-epstein/)

> [The Deer Hunter is securely on my list of American movie events, by which I mean those films that aspired to the whole equation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-jay-epstein/the-deer-hunter-is-securely-on-my-list-of-american-movie-events-by/)

[Edward Jay Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-jay-epstein/)

> [Bonnie and Clyde became not just a big hit, but a movie that went through young audiences like a first slug of Scotch. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-jay-epstein/bonnie-and-clyde-became-not-just-a-big-hit-but-a-movie-that-went/)

[Edward Jay Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-jay-epstein/)

> [I dislike The Exorcist, and I found it a warning sign of the dangers in a furious cinematic talent putting the audience through it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-jay-epstein/i-dislike-the-exorcist-and-i-found-it-a-warning-sign-of-the-dangers/)

[Edward Jay Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-jay-epstein/)

[Explore all 20 Edward Jay Epstein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-jay-epstein/)

## More Edward quotes

> [“Edward: I don't know whether to put my fingers in my ears and go la-la-la or find more of your guards so we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/edward-i-don-t-know-whether-to-put-my-fingers-in-my-ears-and-go-la-la/)

[Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/)

> [I wondered to myself why no one else had seen him standing so far away, before he was suddenly, impossibly saving my life. With…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/i-wondered-to-myself-why-no-one-else-had-seen-him-standing-so-far/)

[Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/)

> [“More importantly in my view, the Obama administration has treated whistleblowers with scandalous harshness, especially those from inside the intelligence community. The hardest point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lucas/more-importantly-in-my-view-the-obama-administration-has-treated/)

[Edward Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucas/)

> [“Where are we going?” she asked. “Mr. Durbin’s sheep have begun to lamb, and I wanted to see how the ewes are doing.” He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hoyt/where-are-we-going-she-asked-mr-durbin-s-sheep-have-begun-to-lamb-and/)

[Elizabeth Hoyt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hoyt/)

> [I've never met Snowden, I've never spoken with him personally. I mean, he's extremely smart. Very, very smart. I guess he was a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-gun/i-ve-never-met-snowden-i-ve-never-spoken-with-him-personally-i-mean/)

[Katharine Gun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-gun/)

> [It's a problem for him because he's got - like Edward VII had - nearly all his lifetime to wait until he becomes Monarch.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-holden/it-s-a-problem-for-him-because-he-s-got-like-edward-vii-had-nearly/)

[Anthony Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-holden/)

> [“The single biggest lesson of the whole Snowden fiasco is that America's own sloppiness made it vulnerable: whether to misguided whistleblowers, saboteurs or foreign…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lucas/the-single-biggest-lesson-of-the-whole-snowden-fiasco-is-that-america/)

[Edward Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucas/)

> [“The cliché that “everything leaks; it all comes out in the New York Times eventually” is emphatically not true, above all for sensitive compartmented…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ellsberg/the-clich-that-everything-leaks-it-all-comes-out-in-the-new-york/)

[Daniel Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ellsberg/)

> [“The way everyone looked at me made me uncomfortable. Even Edward. It was like I had grown a hundred feet during the course of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/the-way-everyone-looked-at-me-made-me-uncomfortable-even-edward-it/)

[Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/)

> [Any country that grants asylum to Snowden risks retaliation from the United States, including diplomatic isolation and costly trade sanctions. Several don't seem to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/any-country-that-grants-asylum-to-snowden-risks-retaliation-from-the/)

[Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/)

> [“As an American historian, I am required to keep an accurate and truthful historical record.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/as-an-american-historian-i-am-required-to-keep-an-accurate-and/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [I tensed for the spring, my eyes squinting as I cringed away, and the sound of Edward's furious roar echoed distantly in the back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/i-tensed-for-the-spring-my-eyes-squinting-as-i-cringed-away-and-the/)

[Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/)

> [ Odd as this might sound, I suppose I’m glad you’re here, Jacob. \[Edward Cullen\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/odd-as-this-might-sound-i-suppose-i-m-glad-you-re-here-jacob-edward/)

[Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/)

> [Snowden is an orderly thinker, with an engineer's approach to problem-solving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/snowden-is-an-orderly-thinker-with-an-engineer-s-approach-to-problem/)

[Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/)

> [I think that Mr. Snowden raised some legitimate concerns. How he did it was something that did not follow the procedures and practices of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-think-that-mr-snowden-raised-some-legitimate-concerns-how-he-did-it/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

Browse all 310 Edward quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Snowden’s penetration went beyond whistle-blowing, however. In the vast number of files he copied were documents that contained the NSA’s most sensitive sources and methods that had little if anything to do with domestic surveillance or whistle-blowing. Snowden”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Edward Jay Epstein"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-jay-epstein/snowden-s-penetration-went-beyond-whistle-blowing-however-in-the-vast/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Edward"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-jay-epstein/snowden-s-penetration-went-beyond-whistle-blowing-however-in-the-vast/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cac/edward-jay-epstein-28064_edward_snowden-s-penetration-went-beyond-whistl_452306.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cac/edward-jay-epstein-28064_edward_snowden-s-penetration-went-beyond-whistl_452306.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cac/edward-jay-epstein-28064_edward_snowden-s-penetration-went-beyond-whistl_452306.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Snowden’s penetration went beyond whistle-blowing, however. In the vast number of files he copied were…” — Edward Jay Epstein",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Edward Jay Epstein",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-jay-epstein/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Snowden’s penetration went beyond whistle-blowing, however....",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-jay-epstein/snowden-s-penetration-went-beyond-whistle-blowing-however-in-the-vast/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-jay-epstein/snowden-s-penetration-went-beyond-whistle-blowing-however-in-the-vast/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
