--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The majority of terrorist attacks that…" description: "\"The majority of terrorist attacks that have been disrupted in the United States have been disrupted due to things like the Time Square bomber, who was ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91d/edward-snowden-555_attacks_the-majority-of-terrorist-attacks-that-h_187804.jpg" --- # The majority of terrorist attacks that have been disrupted… ![“The majority of terrorist attacks that have been disrupted in the United States have been disrupted due to things like the Time Square bomber, who was caught by a hotdog vendor, not a mass surveillance program, not a cyber-espionage campaign.” quote by Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91d/edward-snowden-555_attacks_the-majority-of-terrorist-attacks-that-h_187804.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91d/edward-snowden-555_attacks_the-majority-of-terrorist-attacks-that-h_187804.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91d/edward-snowden-555_attacks_the-majority-of-terrorist-attacks-that-h_187804.jpg) > “The majority of terrorist attacks that have been disrupted in the United States have been disrupted due to things like the Time Square bomber, who was caught by a hotdog vendor, not a mass surveillance program, not a cyber-espionage campaign.” [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. The quote points out that many thwarted terrorist attacks in the U.S. resulted from ordinary citizens' vigilance rather than sophisticated surveillance or cyber operations, emphasizing the power of public awareness and reporting. **In simple terms:** Every thwarted thwart often comes from ordinary people, not high‑tech surveillance. Key Takeaway Encourage public vigilance and reporting of suspicious activity. Themes security citizen involvement counterterrorism public awareness law enforcement Mood alert responsible protective Type public safety citizen empowerment preventive When to use this quote - neighborhood watch - public safety campaigns - media alerts Key Concepts community vigilance human intelligence preventive action citizen reporting law enforcement collaboration Questions to Reflect On - What incentives can motivate citizens to report responsibly? - How can authorities balance vigilance with civil liberties? A Different Perspective Reliance on citizens may lead to false reports or privacy concerns. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attacks/) [Attacks Disrupted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attacks-disrupted-1990722/) [Bombers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bombers/) [Campaigns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/campaigns/) [Caught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caught/) [Cyber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cyber/) [Disrupted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disrupted-1141025/) [Dues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dues/) [Espionage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/espionage/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Majority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/majority/) [Majority Terrorist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/majority-terrorist-1990723/) [Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass/) [Program](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/program/) [Squares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/squares/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [Surveillance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surveillance/) [Terrorist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorist/) [Terrorist attacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorist-attacks/) [Times square](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/times-square/) [United](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united/) [United states](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states/) [Vendors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vendors/) ## Related quotes > [In the United States the White House has appointed two different independent panels who had full access to classified information for the last 10…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/in-the-united-states-the-white-house-has-appointed-two-different/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [When we look at the full-on mass surveillance watching everyone in the country, in the United States, it doesn't work. It didn't stop the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/when-we-look-at-the-full-on-mass-surveillance-watching-everyone-in/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [When we have some horrible terrorist attacks happen in some country we see in the recording that follows, that the intelligence community already knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/when-we-have-some-horrible-terrorist-attacks-happen-in-some-country/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [The digital revolution has disrupted most traditional media: newspapers, magazines, books, record companies, radio.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-auletta/the-digital-revolution-has-disrupted-most-traditional-media/) [Ken Auletta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-auletta/) > [You start a business being hungry, foolish, and a little bit naive. But more often than not, you end up being disrupted yourself. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taavet-hinrikus/you-start-a-business-being-hungry-foolish-and-a-little-bit-naive-but/) [Taavet Hinrikus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taavet-hinrikus/) > [Whether in services or in manufacturing, the trick is to stay ahead of the curve. I believe we should not wait to be disrupted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anand-mahindra/whether-in-services-or-in-manufacturing-the-trick-is-to-stay-ahead-of/) [Anand Mahindra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anand-mahindra/) > [It's not like I'm that wildly famous that it's disrupted my lifestyle in some way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariana-klaveno/it-s-not-like-i-m-that-wildly-famous-that-it-s-disrupted-my-lifestyle/) [Mariana Klaveno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariana-klaveno/) > [“They disrupted the performance”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maryrose-wood/they-disrupted-the-performance/) [Maryrose Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maryrose-wood/) > [Whether driven by ambition or circumstance, every career gets disrupted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-samit/whether-driven-by-ambition-or-circumstance-every-career-gets-disrupted/) [Jay Samit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-samit/) > [I have always had disrupted, broken sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toyah-willcox/i-have-always-had-disrupted-broken-sleep/) [Toyah Willcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toyah-willcox/) > [My sleep pattern got disrupted around the time I was taking my O-levels, but in those days nobody really addressed things like that in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toyah-willcox/my-sleep-pattern-got-disrupted-around-the-time-i-was-taking-my-o/) [Toyah Willcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toyah-willcox/) > [I think technology, on one side, you can look at it; it's disrupted a lot of industries and businesses. On the other side, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mindy-grossman/i-think-technology-on-one-side-you-can-look-at-it-it-s-disrupted-a/) [Mindy Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mindy-grossman/) > [Look, we have a very lousy system for retraining workers that get disrupted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kasich/look-we-have-a-very-lousy-system-for-retraining-workers-that-get/) [John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/) > [Disruptors are the ones with a keen sense of how the world is changing and how to get in front of change, driven by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-engelbert/disruptors-are-the-ones-with-a-keen-sense-of-how-the-world-is/) [Cathy Engelbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-engelbert/) > [“His life had been disrupted, but not his billing cycles.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-lavalle/his-life-had-been-disrupted-but-not-his-billing-cycles/) [Victor LaValle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-lavalle/) ## 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." We need to take a look at what they're calling "data… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/brazil-went-to-the-un-and-said-we-need-new-standards-for-this-we-need/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [You are also asked to take an oath, and that's the oath of service. The oath of service is not to secrecy, but to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/you-are-also-asked-to-take-an-oath-and-that-s-the-oath-of-service-the/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [We need to think about encryption not as this sort of arcane, black art. It's a basic protection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/we-need-to-think-about-encryption-not-as-this-sort-of-arcane-black/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [A lot of people in 2008 voted for Obama. I did not vote for him. I voted for a third party. 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. But we can't allow the law to become a political weapon or agree…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/i-care-more-about-the-country-than-what-happens-to-me-but-we-can-t/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) [Explore all 478 Edward Snowden quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) ## More Attacks quotes > [The way I look at it is, cancer research is absolutely nonpartisan. Cancer is very democratic in the sense that it attacks people regardless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-koch/the-way-i-look-at-it-is-cancer-research-is-absolutely-nonpartisan/) [David H. Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-koch/) > [I personally felt that his ad hominen attacks on British architects were not the sort of thing a Prince of Wales should be doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-holden/i-personally-felt-that-his-ad-hominen-attacks-on-british-architects/) [Anthony Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-holden/) > [The administration of George W. Bush, emboldened by the Sept. 11 attacks and the backing of a Republican Congress, has sought to further extend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/the-administration-of-george-w-bush-emboldened-by-the-sept-11-attacks/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) > [If nothing else, the cyber attacks that occurred during the 2016 presidential election have laid bare the very real vulnerabilities that exist across our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-quigley/if-nothing-else-the-cyber-attacks-that-occurred-during-the-2016/) [Mike Quigley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-quigley/) > [We've had Saudis and Jordanians and Pakistanis who have - and Syrians - who have been involved in armed attacks against coalition forces in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-armitage/we-ve-had-saudis-and-jordanians-and-pakistanis-who-have-and-syrians/) [Richard Armitage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-armitage/) > [“At the same time that we see a massive deployment of wireless radiation, we see the most violent attacks on modern society.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/at-the-same-time-that-we-see-a-massive-deployment-of-wireless/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [At sleepovers I would have panic attacks trying to break it to girls that they didn't want to kiss me without outing myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/io-tillett-wright/at-sleepovers-i-would-have-panic-attacks-trying-to-break-it-to-girls/) [iO Tillett Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/io-tillett-wright/) > [I knew I was having a panic attack. I hadn't had one in a while, though, and I'd forgotton how it makes me feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hemantsmarty/i-knew-i-was-having-a-panic-attack-i-hadn-t-had-one-in-a-while-though/) [Hemantsmarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hemantsmarty/) > [We now know that gun-free zones, though well intentioned, do not prevent attacks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-prince/we-now-know-that-gun-free-zones-though-well-intentioned-do-not/) [Erik Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-prince/) > [Weichel hits very hard and is very good with the timing of his attacks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricio-freire/weichel-hits-very-hard-and-is-very-good-with-the-timing-of-his-attacks/) [Patricio Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricio-freire/) > [The wrongful arrest of tens of thousands of British Muslims after the September 11 attacks can be explained by the very poor intelligence the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-mulgan/the-wrongful-arrest-of-tens-of-thousands-of-british-muslims-after-the/) [Geoff Mulgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-mulgan/) > [Mediocrity always attacks excellence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-beckwith/mediocrity-always-attacks-excellence/) [Michael Beckwith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-beckwith/) > [We can't gather the intelligence we need to foil future attacks, if we are blindly granting terrorists the right to remain silent. But for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-can-t-gather-the-intelligence-we-need-to-foil-future-attacks-if-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Less than a year after the Sept. 11 attacks, al-Qaida attacks were continuing: the firebombing of a synagogue in Tunisia in April, a bomb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-dedman/less-than-a-year-after-the-sept-11-attacks-al-qaida-attacks-were/) [Bill Dedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-dedman/) > [He who attacks the fundamentals of the American broadcasting industry attacks democracy itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-paley/he-who-attacks-the-fundamentals-of-the-american-broadcasting-industry/) [William S. Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-paley/) [Browse all 291 Attacks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attacks/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The majority of terrorist attacks that have been disrupted in the United States have been disrupted due to things like the Time Square bomber, who was caught by a hotdog vendor, not a mass surveillance program, not a cyber-espionage campaign.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edward Snowden" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/the-majority-of-terrorist-attacks-that-have-been-disrupted-in-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attacks" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/the-majority-of-terrorist-attacks-that-have-been-disrupted-in-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91d/edward-snowden-555_attacks_the-majority-of-terrorist-attacks-that-h_187804.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91d/edward-snowden-555_attacks_the-majority-of-terrorist-attacks-that-h_187804.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91d/edward-snowden-555_attacks_the-majority-of-terrorist-attacks-that-h_187804.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The majority of terrorist attacks that have been disrupted in the United States have been disrupted due to…” — Edward Snowden", "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 Snowden", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The majority of terrorist attacks that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/the-majority-of-terrorist-attacks-that-have-been-disrupted-in-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/the-majority-of-terrorist-attacks-that-have-been-disrupted-in-the/#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 } } ] } ```