--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No one can terrorize a whole nation…" description: "\"No one can terrorize a whole nation, unless we are all his accomplices.\" — Edward R. Murrow" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fca/edward-r-murrow-7369_quote_no-one-can-terrorize-a-whole-nation-unle_1859847.jpg" --- # No one can terrorize a whole nation, unless we are all his… ![“No one can terrorize a whole nation, unless we are all his accomplices.” quote by Edward R. Murrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fca/edward-r-murrow-7369_quote_no-one-can-terrorize-a-whole-nation-unle_1859847.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fca/edward-r-murrow-7369_quote_no-one-can-terrorize-a-whole-nation-unle_1859847.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fca/edward-r-murrow-7369_quote_no-one-can-terrorize-a-whole-nation-unle_1859847.jpg) > “No one can terrorize a whole nation, unless we are all his accomplices.” [Edward R. Murrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-r-murrow/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Collective in enables oppression; without public resistance, tyrants can dominate a nation. **In simple terms:** People enable tyranny when they stay silent. Key Takeaway Speak out against injustice. Themes justice collective responsibility political power Mood determined urgent Type political activist When to use this quote - protests - whistleblowing - community organizing - media scrutiny Key Concepts authoritarianism civil disobedience social contract Questions to Reflect On - What role does personal courage play in confronting oppression? - How can ordinary citizens effectively oppose authoritarianism? A Different Perspective Even with resistance, systemic change can be slow and risky. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accomplices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accomplices/) [Nation Unless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nation-unless-1146614/) [Terrorize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorize-1547547/) [Terrorize Nation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorize-nation-2496200/) [Unless Accomplices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unless-accomplices-2496201/) ## Related quotes > [“No one man can terrorize a whole nation unless we are all his accomplices.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-r-murrow/no-one-man-can-terrorize-a-whole-nation-unless-we-are-all-his/) [Edward R. Murrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-r-murrow/) > [A territory cannot become a state or a nation unless Congress approves legislation and the president signs it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro-pierluisi/a-territory-cannot-become-a-state-or-a-nation-unless-congress/) [Pedro Pierluisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro-pierluisi/) > [A man must first care for his own household before he can be of use to the state. But no matter how well he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/a-man-must-first-care-for-his-own-household-before-he-can-be-of-use/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [I am, my own worst enemy. I terrorize myself. I mutilate and corrupt myself. I am, my own destruction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-my-own-worst-enemy-i-terrorize-myself-i-mutilate-and-corrupt/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [BJP can only divide and terrorize people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mayawati/bjp-can-only-divide-and-terrorize-people/) [Mayawati](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mayawati/) > [The infamy of n - - is - it's a word that has been used to terrorize people, to put people down. But it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-kennedy/the-infamy-of-n-is-it-s-a-word-that-has-been-used-to-terrorize-people/) [Randall Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-kennedy/) > [If I don't terrorize, I'm not Pop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iggy-pop/if-i-don-t-terrorize-i-m-not-pop/) [Iggy Pop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iggy-pop/) > [“There's always that one group of people who think they have special permission to terrorize anybody who disagrees with them. And then everybody who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-willow-wilson/there-s-always-that-one-group-of-people-who-think-they-have-special/) [G. Willow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-willow-wilson/) > [I think all of us have a sense if we imagine the kind of world we would face if the people who bombed the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/i-think-all-of-us-have-a-sense-if-we-imagine-the-kind-of-world-we/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [I put out on Twitter that the only thing I terrorize is the rim. People know me, my teammates know me, everybody knows me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enes-kanter/i-put-out-on-twitter-that-the-only-thing-i-terrorize-is-the-rim/) [Enes Kanter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enes-kanter/) > [It's the rich you can terrorize. The poor have nothing to lose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imelda-marcos/it-s-the-rich-you-can-terrorize-the-poor-have-nothing-to-lose/) [Imelda Marcos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imelda-marcos/) > [Every scarecrow has a secret ambition to terrorize.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislaw-jerzy-lec/every-scarecrow-has-a-secret-ambition-to-terrorize/) [Stanislaw Jerzy Lec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislaw-jerzy-lec/) > [I'm the terrorist, do what I say or I'll terrorize you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-the-terrorist-do-what-i-say-or-i-ll-terrorize-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Why not rise from the grave and terrorize a little instead of staying buried and dead in the cemetery?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/why-not-rise-from-the-grave-and-terrorize-a-little-instead-of-staying/) [Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/) > [I recognize terror as the finest emotion and so I will try to terrorize the reader. But if I find that I cannot terrify,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/i-recognize-terror-as-the-finest-emotion-and-so-i-will-try-to/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## More by Edward R. Murrow > [Tuberculosis, starvation, fatigue, and there are many who have no desire to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-r-murrow/tuberculosis-starvation-fatigue-and-there-are-many-who-have-no-desire/) [Edward R. Murrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-r-murrow/) > [A thing of orchestrated hell-a terrible symphony of light and flame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-r-murrow/a-thing-of-orchestrated-hell-a-terrible-symphony-of-light-and-flame/) [Edward R. Murrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-r-murrow/) > [“A great many people think they are thinking when they are really rearranging their prejudices.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-r-murrow/a-great-many-people-think-they-are-thinking-when-they-are-really/) [Edward R. Murrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-r-murrow/) > [American traditions and the American ethic require us to be truthful, but the most important reason is that truth is the best propaganda and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-r-murrow/american-traditions-and-the-american-ethic-require-us-to-be-truthful/) [Edward R. Murrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-r-murrow/) > [We are in the same tent as the clowns and the freaks-that's show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-r-murrow/we-are-in-the-same-tent-as-the-clowns-and-the-freaks-that-s-show/) [Edward R. Murrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-r-murrow/) > [When the politicians complain that TV turns the proceedings into a circus, it should be made clear that the circus was already there, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-r-murrow/when-the-politicians-complain-that-tv-turns-the-proceedings-into-a/) [Edward R. Murrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-r-murrow/) > [Most truths are so naked that people feel sorry for them and cover them up, at least a little bit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-r-murrow/most-truths-are-so-naked-that-people-feel-sorry-for-them-and-cover/) [Edward R. Murrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-r-murrow/) > [We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine, and remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-r-murrow/we-will-not-be-driven-by-fear-into-an-age-of-unreason-if-we-dig-deep/) [Edward R. Murrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-r-murrow/) > [Senator McCarthy's reckless and unfounded attempt to impugn my loyalty is just one more example of his typical tactic of attempting to tie up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-r-murrow/senator-mccarthy-s-reckless-and-unfounded-attempt-to-impugn-my/) [Edward R. Murrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-r-murrow/) > [Our major obligation is not to mistake slogans for solutions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-r-murrow/our-major-obligation-is-not-to-mistake-slogans-for-solutions/) [Edward R. Murrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-r-murrow/) > [We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-r-murrow/we-must-not-confuse-dissent-with-disloyalty/) [Edward R. Murrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-r-murrow/) > [We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information. Our mass media reflect this. But unless we get up off our fat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-r-murrow/we-have-currently-a-built-in-allergy-to-unpleasant-or-disturbing/) [Edward R. Murrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-r-murrow/) > [Don't be deluded into believing that the titular heads of the networks control what appears on their networks. They all have better taste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-r-murrow/don-t-be-deluded-into-believing-that-the-titular-heads-of-the/) [Edward R. Murrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-r-murrow/) > [Our history will be what we make of it. If we go on as we are, then history will take its revenge and retribution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-r-murrow/our-history-will-be-what-we-make-of-it-if-we-go-on-as-we-are-then/) [Edward R. Murrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-r-murrow/) > [I have said, and I believe, that potentially we have in this country a free enterprise system of radio and television which is superior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-r-murrow/i-have-said-and-i-believe-that-potentially-we-have-in-this-country-a/) [Edward R. Murrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-r-murrow/) [Explore all 92 Edward R. Murrow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-r-murrow/) ## More Accomplices quotes > [It takes little or nothing to undo reputations, the merest trifle makes and remakes them, it is simply a question of finding the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/it-takes-little-or-nothing-to-undo-reputations-the-merest-trifle/) [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [Americans will not allow any Islamic regime to reach the position of governance except if it is an accomplice to the Americans, just like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayman-al-zawahiri/americans-will-not-allow-any-islamic-regime-to-reach-the-position-of/) [Ayman al-Zawahiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayman-al-zawahiri/) > [And this is the forbidden truth, the unspeakable taboo - that evil is not always repellent but frequently attractive; that it has the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/and-this-is-the-forbidden-truth-the-unspeakable-taboo-that-evil-is/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [Insecurity is miserable. That's the bottom line. We don't need it. We don't want it. And we really can live without it. So what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/insecurity-is-miserable-that-s-the-bottom-line-we-don-t-need-it-we/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [An American professor complained that a crypto-Marxist like me was invited in the USA, and I was denounced by the press in Eastern European…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-foucault/an-american-professor-complained-that-a-crypto-marxist-like-me-was/) [Michel Foucault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-foucault/) > [And the past held only this wisdom: that love was a damaging mistake, and its accomplice, hope, a treacherous illusion. And whenever those twin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/and-the-past-held-only-this-wisdom-that-love-was-a-damaging-mistake-2/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [You're only a victim once. The next time you're an accomplice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-judd/you-re-only-a-victim-once-the-next-time-you-re-an-accomplice/) [Naomi Judd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-judd/) > [Then one day I realized that a false picture of the German camps had been created and that the problem of the concentration camps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rassinier/then-one-day-i-realized-that-a-false-picture-of-the-german-camps-had/) [Paul Rassinier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rassinier/) > [And what is an authentic madman? It is a man who preferred to become mad, in the socially accepted sense of the word, rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-artaud/and-what-is-an-authentic-madman-it-is-a-man-who-preferred-to-become/) [Antonin Artaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-artaud/) > [The injustice of defeat lies in the fact that its most innocent victims are made to look like heartless accomplices. It is impossible to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-injustice-of-defeat-lies-in-the-fact-that-its-most-innocent/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Simply because, one hand, there are the haters, The hater has power. All we can do is oppose it, or one becomes an accomplice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/simply-because-one-hand-there-are-the-haters-the-hater-has-power-all/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [I have never seen more Senators express discontent with their jobs…I think the major cause is that, deep down in our hearts, we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-danforth/i-have-never-seen-more-senators-express-discontent-with-their-jobs-i/) [John C. Danforth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-danforth/) > [You give up the world line by line. Stoically. And then one day you realize that your courage is farcical. It doesn't mean anything.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/you-give-up-the-world-line-by-line-stoically-and-then-one-day-you/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [We become accomplices in evil every time we seek to soothe the unslakable appetites of the crime family that sits in Pyongyang.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/we-become-accomplices-in-evil-every-time-we-seek-to-soothe-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [When struck on one cheek to turn the other, is really joining a conspiracy to secure the triumph of brutality. To agree not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/when-struck-on-one-cheek-to-turn-the-other-is-really-joining-a/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) [Browse all 95 Accomplices quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accomplices/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "No one can terrorize a whole nation, unless we are all his accomplices.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edward R. 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