--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm just another guy who sits there day…" description: "\"I'm just another guy who sits there day to day in the office, watching what's happening, and goes, 'This is something that's not our place to decide.' ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8b/edward-snowden-555_day-to-day_i-m-just-another-guy-who-sits-there-day_892412.jpg" --- # I'm just another guy who sits there day to day in the… ![“I'm just another guy who sits there day to day in the office, watching what's happening, and goes, 'This is something that's not our place to decide.' The public needs to decide whether these programs or policies are right or wrong,” quote by Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8b/edward-snowden-555_day-to-day_i-m-just-another-guy-who-sits-there-day_892412.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8b/edward-snowden-555_day-to-day_i-m-just-another-guy-who-sits-there-day_892412.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8b/edward-snowden-555_day-to-day_i-m-just-another-guy-who-sits-there-day_892412.jpg) > “I'm just another guy who sits there day to day in the office, watching what's happening, and goes, 'This is something that's not our place to decide.' The public needs to decide whether these programs or policies are right or wrong,” [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He argues that democratic legitimacy requires public participation in policy decisions, not just expert or governmental authority. **In simple terms:** Public should decide policies, not officials alone. Key Takeaway Encourage public debate on tech policies. Themes democracy transparency citizen rights Mood concerned serious Type political ethical When to use this quote - legislative hearings - public forums - online petitions Key Concepts public participation policy legitimacy ethical governance Questions to Reflect On - How can citizens be better informed? - What mechanisms ensure informed public input? A Different Perspective Public may lack expertise to assess complex programs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Office](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/office/) [Right or wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-or-wrong/) ## Related quotes > [How many on their deathbeds wished they'd spent more time at the office - or watching TV? The answer is, No one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/how-many-on-their-deathbeds-wished-they-d-spent-more-time-at-the/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [Public interest criteria does not mean criteria that the public decides are in its interest. It means that the elite - via various appointed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/public-interest-criteria-does-not-mean-criteria-that-the-public/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [How the PAP chooses to conduct its politics is something for the PAP to decide. The public are equally entitled to respond as they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pritam-singh/how-the-pap-chooses-to-conduct-its-politics-is-something-for-the-pap/) [Pritam Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pritam-singh/) > [The truth is I don't watch a lot of news, except for when I'm here at the office watching Fox News. I get my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megyn-kelly/the-truth-is-i-don-t-watch-a-lot-of-news-except-for-when-i-m-here-at/) [Megyn Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megyn-kelly/) > [NASA needs to decide, along with Congress, what our destination is going to be, whether it's going to be the moon, an asteroid or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-walker/nasa-needs-to-decide-along-with-congress-what-our-destination-is/) [Shannon Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-walker/) > [Each day there's a decision that each of us has to make, for each of us needs to decide for ourselves, whether to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldyna-threesya/each-day-there-s-a-decision-that-each-of-us-has-to-make-for-each-of/) [Aldyna Threesya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldyna-threesya/) > [Each day There's A Decision That Each Of Us Has To Make, For Each Of Us Needs To Decide For Ourselves, Whether To Give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/each-day-there-s-a-decision-that-each-of-us-has-to-make-for-each-of-2/) Pacifiersucker > [I don't like a guy who sits on the couch all day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olga-kurylenko/i-don-t-like-a-guy-who-sits-on-the-couch-all-day/) [Olga Kurylenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olga-kurylenko/) > [The guy who sits in front of the TV set with headphones on has lost the capacity to react to the tactile environment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-eisenman/the-guy-who-sits-in-front-of-the-tv-set-with-headphones-on-has-lost/) [Peter Eisenman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-eisenman/) > [I'm the nice guy who sits there signing everything that's put in front of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-may/i-m-the-nice-guy-who-sits-there-signing-everything-that-s-put-in/) [Brian May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-may/) > [The guy who sits at the keyboard and types is so much smarter than I am. 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That man is a bad man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-eldredge/the-guy-who-sits-in-front-of-the-television-is-unengaged-that-man-is/) [John Eldredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-eldredge/) > [We don't have a great clash of civilizations, a clash of ideologies, a clash of alternative models, where governments thought to themselves, if we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/we-don-t-have-a-great-clash-of-civilizations-a-clash-of-ideologies-a/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) ## More by Edward Snowden > [It is afraid of an informed, angry public demanding the constitutional government it was promised - and it should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/it-is-afraid-of-an-informed-angry-public-demanding-the-constitutional/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [Much of what I saw in Geneva really disillusioned me about how my government functions and what its impact is in the world. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/much-of-what-i-saw-in-geneva-really-disillusioned-me-about-how-my/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [If it comes to a question of law, the charges they brought against me - the Espionage Act - is called the quintessential political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/if-it-comes-to-a-question-of-law-the-charges-they-brought-against-me/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [The NSA and Israel wrote Stuxnet together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/the-nsa-and-israel-wrote-stuxnet-together/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [As a general rule, so long as you have any choice at all, you should never route through or peer with the UK under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/as-a-general-rule-so-long-as-you-have-any-choice-at-all-you-should/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [ \[Brazil\] went to the UN and said, "We need new standards for this." 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But I believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/a-lot-of-people-in-2008-voted-for-obama-i-did-not-vote-for-him-i/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [Too often we forget that social and political movements don't happen overnight. They don't bring change immediately - you have to build a critical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/too-often-we-forget-that-social-and-political-movements-don-t-happen/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [ There was a real choice when \[Barack Obama\] became president. It was a very difficult choice - to say, "We're not going to hold… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/there-was-a-real-choice-when-barack-obama-became-president-it-was-a/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [We've learned that we've allowed technological capabilities to dictate policies and practices, rather than ensuring that our laws and values guide our technological capabilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/we-ve-learned-that-we-ve-allowed-technological-capabilities-to/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [It's much easier, I think, to protect communications while they're in transit at least, than it is to enforce legislation in every country in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/it-s-much-easier-i-think-to-protect-communications-while-they-re-in/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [If an adversary didn't target our power plants but they did target the core routers, the backbones that tie our internet connections together, entire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/if-an-adversary-didn-t-target-our-power-plants-but-they-did-target/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [I care more about the country than what happens to me. 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