--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All of the evidence highlights the…" description: "\"All of the evidence highlights the implicit bargain that is offered to citizens: pose no challenge and you have nothing to worry about. Mind your own b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/glenn-greenwald-1215_authority_all-of-the-evidence-highlights-the-impli_3015557.jpg" --- # All of the evidence highlights the implicit bargain that… ![“All of the evidence highlights the implicit bargain that is offered to citizens: pose no challenge and you have nothing to worry about. Mind your own business, and support or at least tolerate what we do, and you'll be fine. Put differently, you must refrain from provoking the authority that…” quote by Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/glenn-greenwald-1215_authority_all-of-the-evidence-highlights-the-impli_3015557.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/glenn-greenwald-1215_authority_all-of-the-evidence-highlights-the-impli_3015557.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/glenn-greenwald-1215_authority_all-of-the-evidence-highlights-the-impli_3015557.jpg) > “All of the evidence highlights the implicit bargain that is offered to citizens: pose no challenge and you have nothing to worry about. Mind your own business, and support or at least tolerate what we do, and you'll be fine. Put differently, you must refrain from provoking the authority that wields surveillance powers if you wish to be deemed free of wrongdoing. This is a deal that invites passivity, obedience, and conformity. The safest course, the way to ensure being “left alone,” is to remain quiet, unthreatening, and compliant.” [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. The quote warns that societies pressured to avoid challenging authority to avoid surveillance, promoting passivity and compliance as a means to personal safety. **In simple terms:** Avoiding authority keeps you safe but limits freedom. Key Takeaway Stay vigilant and speak up despite risks. Themes surveillance authority passivity compliance civil liberties Mood cautious critical defiant Type political ethical philosophical When to use this quote - journalism - activism - community organizing - legal advocacy Key Concepts social contract power dynamics citizen responsibility Questions to Reflect On - What risks are you willing to take to challenge surveillance? - How can societies balance security and freedom? A Different Perspective Compliance may protect individuals but erodes democratic accountability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Bargains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bargains/) [Challenges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) [Citizens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizens/) [Conformity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conformity/) [Conformity Safest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conformity-safest-1411759/) [Courses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courses/) [Deals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deals/) [Evidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evidence/) [Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fine/) [Highlights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/highlights/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Implicit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/implicit/) [Invites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invites/) [Left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left/) [Left alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left-alone/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Mind your own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind-your-own/) [Mind your own business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind-your-own-business/) [Obedience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obedience/) [Obedience Conformity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obedience-conformity-1404873/) [Own business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/own-business/) [Passivity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passivity/) [Passivity Obedience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passivity-obedience-1411758/) [Provoking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/provoking/) [Quiet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quiet/) [Refrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/refrain/) [Remain Quiet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remain-quiet/) [Support](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/support/) [Surveillance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surveillance/) [Surveillance Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surveillance-powers-3227961/) [Tolerate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tolerate/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Wields Surveillance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wields-surveillance-4855878/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) [Worry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worry/) [Wrongdoing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrongdoing/) ## Related quotes > [“This is a deal that invites passivity, obedience, and conformity. The safest course, the way to ensure being “left alone,” is to remain quiet,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/this-is-a-deal-that-invites-passivity-obedience-and-conformity-the/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“One NSA slide details PRISM’s special surveillance powers:”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/one-nsa-slide-details-prism-s-special-surveillance-powers/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“A prime justification for surveillance—that it’s for the benefit of the population—relies on projecting a view of the world that divides citizens into categories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/a-prime-justification-for-surveillance-that-it-s-for-the-benefit-of/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [Love is not obedience, conformity, or submission. It is a counterfeit love that is contingent upon authority, punishment, or reward. True love is respect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-barker/love-is-not-obedience-conformity-or-submission-it-is-a-counterfeit/) [Dan Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-barker/) > [Being a team player should not imply a demand for simple obedience and conformity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfie-kohn/being-a-team-player-should-not-imply-a-demand-for-simple-obedience/) [Alfie Kohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfie-kohn/) > [A person is bound to work in obedience to and in conformity to that person's own nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/a-person-is-bound-to-work-in-obedience-to-and-in-conformity-to-that/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [You may regret calamities if you can thereby help the sufferer, but if you cannot, mind your own business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/you-may-regret-calamities-if-you-can-thereby-help-the-sufferer-but-if/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Reading is a pleasure of the mind, which means that it is a little like a sport: your eagerness and knowledge and quickness count…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bennett-cerf/reading-is-a-pleasure-of-the-mind-which-means-that-it-is-a-little/) [Bennett Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bennett-cerf/) > [Anarchism may be described as the doctrine that all the affairs of men should be managed by individuals or voluntary associations, and that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-tucker/anarchism-may-be-described-as-the-doctrine-that-all-the-affairs-of/) [Benjamin Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-tucker/) > [Here we are, then, once more back at the old doctrine - Laissez faire. Let us translate it into blunt English, and it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-graham-sumner/here-we-are-then-once-more-back-at-the-old-doctrine-laissez-faire-let/) [William Graham Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-graham-sumner/) > [What you think you become.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/what-you-think-you-become/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [I don't know how people get so anti-something. Just mind your own business, take care of your own affairs, and don't worry about other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-white/i-don-t-know-how-people-get-so-anti-something-just-mind-your-own/) [Betty White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-white/) > [Mind your own Brazilian!" The words fly out of my mouth before I can stop them. Oops. OK. The trick when you've said something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-kinsella/mind-your-own-brazilian-the-words-fly-out-of-my-mouth-before-i-can/) [Sophie Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-kinsella/) > [There are three proven rules for good teeth: brush after every meal; see your dentist twice a year; and mind your own business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-boyd/there-are-three-proven-rules-for-good-teeth-brush-after-every-meal/) [Henry Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-boyd/) > [Ninety percent of all human wisdom is the ability to mind your own business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/ninety-percent-of-all-human-wisdom-is-the-ability-to-mind-your-own/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) ## More by Glenn Greenwald > [In essence, I see the value of journalism as resting in a twofold mission: informing the public of accurate and vital information, and its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/in-essence-i-see-the-value-of-journalism-as-resting-in-a-twofold/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“The evidence shows that assurances that surveillance is only targeted at those who “have done something wrong” should provide little comfort, since a state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/the-evidence-shows-that-assurances-that-surveillance-is-only-targeted/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“It's almost hard to imagine anything more undemocratic than the view that political officials should not debate American wars in public, but only express…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/it-s-almost-hard-to-imagine-anything-more-undemocratic-than-the-view/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [It's hardly news that the Obama administration is intensely and, in many respects, unprecedentedly hostile toward the news-gathering process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/it-s-hardly-news-that-the-obama-administration-is-intensely-and-in/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [Only In America can a renowned and devoted terrorism supporter like Peter King be the arbiter of national security and treason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/only-in-america-can-a-renowned-and-devoted-terrorism-supporter-like/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“Above even our physical well-being, a central value is keeping the state out of the private realm—our “persons, houses, papers, and effects,” as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/above-even-our-physical-well-being-a-central-value-is-keeping-the/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“That capability at any time could be turned around on the American people and no American would have any privacy left, such is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/that-capability-at-any-time-could-be-turned-around-on-the-american/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“Converting the Internet into a system of surveillance thus guts it of its core potential. 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 Authority quotes > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [I think people need to be comfortable questioning the authority of a doctor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/i-think-people-need-to-be-comfortable-questioning-the-authority-of-a/) [Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/) > [At a distance, we cannot conceive of the authority of a despot who knows all his subjects on sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/at-a-distance-we-cannot-conceive-of-the-authority-of-a-despot-who/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/throughout-human-history-as-our-species-has-faced-the-frightening/) [Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/) > [“I'm of the age and immaturity level that I cannot give you my respect solely because you are older or ranked higher on an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-goros/i-m-of-the-age-and-immaturity-level-that-i-cannot-give-you-my-respect/) [Erica Goros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-goros/) > [In the end theologians are jealous of science, for they are aware that it has greater authority than do their own ways of finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/in-the-end-theologians-are-jealous-of-science-for-they-are-aware-that/) [Jerry A. 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This delay was due to a desire on the part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-execution-was-set-for-the-29th-of-march-at-nine-in-the-morning/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [I started with the belief that every person who came to the laboratory was free to accept or to reject the dictates of authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/i-started-with-the-belief-that-every-person-who-came-to-the/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [The rationale which accompanies that imposition of male authority euphemistically referred to as 'the battle of the sexes' bears a certain resemblance to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-millett/the-rationale-which-accompanies-that-imposition-of-male-authority/) [Kate Millett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-millett/) > [“We are at the mercy of whoever wields authority over the things we either desire or detest. 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Hamas has a vision and a program, and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-haniyeh/the-victory-of-hamas-is-not-only-based-on-the-corruption-of-the/) [Ismail Haniyeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-haniyeh/) [Browse all 4,003 Authority quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "All of the evidence highlights the implicit bargain that is offered to citizens: pose no challenge and you have nothing to worry about. Mind your own business, and support or at least tolerate what we do, and you'll be fine. Put differently, you must refrain from provoking the authority that wields surveillance powers if you wish to be deemed free of wrongdoing. This is a deal that invites passivity, obedience, and conformity. 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