--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A citizenry that is aware of always being…" description: "\"A citizenry that is aware of always being watched quickly becomes a compliant and fearful one.\" — Glenn Greenwald" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6f/glenn-greenwald-1215_citizenry_a-citizenry-that-is-aware-of-always-bein_962792.jpg" --- # A citizenry that is aware of always being watched quickly… ![“A citizenry that is aware of always being watched quickly becomes a compliant and fearful one.” quote by Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6f/glenn-greenwald-1215_citizenry_a-citizenry-that-is-aware-of-always-bein_962792.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6f/glenn-greenwald-1215_citizenry_a-citizenry-that-is-aware-of-always-bein_962792.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6f/glenn-greenwald-1215_citizenry_a-citizenry-that-is-aware-of-always-bein_962792.jpg) > “A citizenry that is aware of always being watched quickly becomes a compliant and fearful one.” [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Constant surveillance breeds conformity and anxiety, eroding freedom. **In simple terms:** Being watched makes people obedient. Key Takeaway Guard privacy to protect liberty. Themes privacy surveillance freedom Mood cautious critical Type political philosophical When to use this quote - online behavior - political activism - workplace monitoring - public spaces Key Concepts Social contract psychology of control Questions to Reflect On - How does awareness of monitoring affect you? - What balance between security and privacy? A Different Perspective Surveillance can also deter crime. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fearful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fearful/) ## Related quotes > [Praise, help, or even a look, may be enough to interrupt him, or destroy the activity. 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Initially, it is always the country’s dissidents and marginalized who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/no-matter-the-specific-techniques-involved-historically-mass-2/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [History shows that the mere existence of a mass surveillance apparatus, regardless of how it is used, is in itself sufficient to stifle dissent.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/history-shows-that-the-mere-existence-of-a-mass-surveillance/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [ \[I\]t's impossible to evade the fact that Endless War will inevitably degrade the citizenry of the country that engages in it. 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Worse, it turns the Internet into a tool of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/converting-the-internet-into-a-system-of-surveillance-thus-guts-it-of/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“the desire for privacy is shared by us all as an essential, not ancillary, part of what it means to be human. We all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/the-desire-for-privacy-is-shared-by-us-all-as-an-essential-not/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [I don't have a 'side'—I'm responsible for what I say and nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/i-don-t-have-a-side-i-m-responsible-for-what-i-say-and-nothing-else/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“Encryption matters, and it is not just for spies and philanderers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/encryption-matters-and-it-is-not-just-for-spies-and-philanderers/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“Among other devices, the agency intercepts and tampers with routers and servers manufactured by Cisco to direct large amounts of Internet traffic back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/among-other-devices-the-agency-intercepts-and-tampers-with-routers/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“NSA has increasingly made use of a secret technology that enables it to enter and alter data in computers even if they are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/nsa-has-increasingly-made-use-of-a-secret-technology-that-enables-it/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [A key purpose of journalism is to provide an adversarial check on those who wield the greatest power by shining a light on what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/a-key-purpose-of-journalism-is-to-provide-an-adversarial-check-on/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“We all instinctively understand that the private realm is where we can act, think, speak, write, experiment, and choose how to be, away from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/we-all-instinctively-understand-that-the-private-realm-is-where-we/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) [Explore all 270 Glenn Greenwald quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) ## More Citizenry quotes > [A well informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-well-informed-citizenry-is-the-best-defense-against-tyranny/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [You cannot have 300-some million Americans - and really, right, the global citizenry be at risk of having their phone conversations intercepted with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-lieu/you-cannot-have-300-some-million-americans-and-really-right-the/) [Ted Lieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-lieu/) > [Politics is about the participation and engagement of the wider citizenry - to miss that point would doom us to irrelevance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-blunkett/politics-is-about-the-participation-and-engagement-of-the-wider/) [David Blunkett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-blunkett/) > [One reason the United States finds itself at the edge of a foreign policy disaster is its underinformed citizenry, a key weakness in democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-halper/one-reason-the-united-states-finds-itself-at-the-edge-of-a-foreign/) Stefan Halper > [Higher education is confronting challenges, like the economy is, about the need for a higher number of more adequately trained, more highly educated citizenry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-spellings/higher-education-is-confronting-challenges-like-the-economy-is-about/) [Margaret Spellings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-spellings/) > [Democracy is not about trust; it is about distrust. It is about accountability, exposure, open debate, critical challenge, and popular input and feedback from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/democracy-is-not-about-trust-it-is-about-distrust-it-is-about/) [Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/) > [I have spoken about what we can do as citizens, what we can do as a responsive citizenry, and this is where we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-have-spoken-about-what-we-can-do-as-citizens-what-we-can-do-as-a/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [A popular feel for scientific endeavors should, if possible, be restored given the needs of the twenty-first century. This does not mean that every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/a-popular-feel-for-scientific-endeavors-should-if-possible-be/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [The best defense against usurpatory government is an assertive citizenry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/the-best-defense-against-usurpatory-government-is-an-assertive/) [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) > [And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind is closed, the leader…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-caesar/and-when-the-drums-of-war-have-reached-a-fever-pitch-and-the-blood/) [Julius Caesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-caesar/) > [I think it's something that the citizenry needs to be vigilant about - participating in democracy, and that includes issues like what's going on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-damon/i-think-it-s-something-that-the-citizenry-needs-to-be-vigilant-about/) [Matt Damon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-damon/) > [Today's political leaders demonstrate their low opinion of the public with every social law they pass. They believe that, if given the right to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-skousen/today-s-political-leaders-demonstrate-their-low-opinion-of-the-public/) [Mark Skousen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-skousen/) > [“When justice is prioritized by any leader at any level then to give justice to the citizenry will always be at the back of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/when-justice-is-prioritized-by-any-leader-at-any-level-then-to-give/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [I feel that the Second Amendment is the right to keep and bear arms for our citizenry. This not for someone who's in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharron-angle/i-feel-that-the-second-amendment-is-the-right-to-keep-and-bear-arms/) [Sharron Angle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharron-angle/) > [This has been the new normal since September 11. Everyone knows, but nobody says, that if something happens again, the elite consensus in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-pierce/this-has-been-the-new-normal-since-september-11-everyone-knows-but/) [Charlie Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-pierce/) Browse all 138 Citizenry quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A citizenry that is aware of always being watched quickly becomes a compliant and fearful one.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Glenn Greenwald" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/a-citizenry-that-is-aware-of-always-being-watched-quickly-becomes-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Citizenry" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/a-citizenry-that-is-aware-of-always-being-watched-quickly-becomes-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6f/glenn-greenwald-1215_citizenry_a-citizenry-that-is-aware-of-always-bein_962792.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6f/glenn-greenwald-1215_citizenry_a-citizenry-that-is-aware-of-always-bein_962792.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6f/glenn-greenwald-1215_citizenry_a-citizenry-that-is-aware-of-always-bein_962792.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A citizenry that is aware of always being watched quickly becomes a compliant and fearful one.” — Glenn Greenwald", "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": "Glenn Greenwald", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A citizenry that is aware of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/a-citizenry-that-is-aware-of-always-being-watched-quickly-becomes-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/a-citizenry-that-is-aware-of-always-being-watched-quickly-becomes-a/#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 } } ] } ```