--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you control opinion, as corporate…" description: "\"When you control opinion, as corporate America controls opinion in the United States by owning the media, you can make the masses believe almost anythi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84b/gore-vidal-466_america_when-you-control-opinion-as-corporate-am_1997669.jpg" --- # When you control opinion, as corporate America controls… ![“When you control opinion, as corporate America controls opinion in the United States by owning the media, you can make the masses believe almost anything you want, and guide them as you please.” quote by Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84b/gore-vidal-466_america_when-you-control-opinion-as-corporate-am_1997669.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84b/gore-vidal-466_america_when-you-control-opinion-as-corporate-am_1997669.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84b/gore-vidal-466_america_when-you-control-opinion-as-corporate-am_1997669.jpg) > “When you control opinion, as corporate America controls opinion in the United States by owning the media, you can make the masses believe almost anything you want, and guide them as you please.” [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Control of media lets elites shape public belief, making opinion manipulable. **In simple terms:** Media control manipulates public opinion. Key Takeaway Guard against media concentration and seek diverse sources. Themes media power manipulation Mood cautious critical Type political educational When to use this quote - news consumption - political campaigning - education curriculum - activism Key Concepts political theory media studies Questions to Reflect On - How do you verify information sources? - What responsibilities do media owners have? A Different Perspective Free speech concerns may conflict with regulation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Control Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control-opinion-1567688/) [Controls Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/controls-opinion-3497877/) [Corporate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corporate/) [Corporate america](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corporate-america/) [Guides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guides/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass/) [Media](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/media/) [Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion/) [Opinion Corporate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion-corporate-1885639/) [Owning Media](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/owning-media-2954308/) [Please](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/please/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [United](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united/) [United states](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) ## Related quotes > [The trouble, in my opinion, with corporate America today, is that everything is thought of in quarters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-kravis/the-trouble-in-my-opinion-with-corporate-america-today-is-that/) [Henry Kravis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-kravis/) > [The constitution has broken down. We have no enemies except the ones we select and direct towards the nearest nuclear bombs. They need an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-constitution-has-broken-down-we-have-no-enemies-except-the-ones/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [What I will say about crypto and NFTs in general is I really love the idea of creators owning their media and owning their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-conte/what-i-will-say-about-crypto-and-nfts-in-general-is-i-really-love-the/) [Jack Conte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-conte/) > [In many respects, this country is becoming an oligarchy, with a tiny percentage of America owning the media, owning the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/in-many-respects-this-country-is-becoming-an-oligarchy-with-a-tiny/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [Some things are in our control and others not. Things in our control are opinion, pursuit, desire, aversion, and, in a word, whatever are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/some-things-are-in-our-control-and-others-not-things-in-our-control-2/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [As the capacity to coerce declines, it is natural to turn to control of opinion as the basis for authority and domination - a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/as-the-capacity-to-coerce-declines-it-is-natural-to-turn-to-control/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [No one can control his own opinion or his own belief. My belief was forced upon me by my surroundings. I am the product…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-one-can-control-his-own-opinion-or-his-own-belief-my-belief-was/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Some things are in our control and others not. Things in our control are opinion, pursuit, desire, aversion, and, in a word, whatever are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/some-things-are-in-our-control-and-others-not-things-in-our-control/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [When you see the misogyny of hip-hop, it's so horrible, it's so putrid, it's so, you know, odious, that we know, we smell, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/when-you-see-the-misogyny-of-hip-hop-it-s-so-horrible-it-s-so-putrid/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) > [Branding jails corporate America, but honesty sets entrepreneurs free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-altucher/branding-jails-corporate-america-but-honesty-sets-entrepreneurs-free/) [James Altucher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-altucher/) > [It is time for corporate America to become 'the third pillar' of social change in our society, complementing the first two pillars of government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mainwaring/it-is-time-for-corporate-america-to-become-the-third-pillar-of-social/) [Simon Mainwaring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mainwaring/) > [I'd done my time in corporate America, from McDonald's making shakes to Morgan Stanley making deals and, yet, I felt awfully constrained by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-conley/i-d-done-my-time-in-corporate-america-from-mcdonald-s-making-shakes/) [Chip Conley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-conley/) > [The lure of heady profits of the late 1990's spawned abuses and excesses. With strict enforcement and higher ethical standards, we must usher in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/the-lure-of-heady-profits-of-the-late-1990-s-spawned-abuses-and/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Whether you're working in corporate America or you're a journalist, construction worker, a teacher or an actor - we're all trying to keep working.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dule-hill/whether-you-re-working-in-corporate-america-or-you-re-a-journalist/) [Dule Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dule-hill/) > [Corporate America is a 20th-century dinosaur, trembling on the edge of extinction, and the only way for you to have a genuinely secure future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/corporate-america-is-a-20th-century-dinosaur-trembling-on-the-edge-of/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) ## More by Gore Vidal > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Many people in the United States happen to believe that United States policy is wrong in Vietnam and the Vietcong are correct in wanting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/many-people-in-the-united-states-happen-to-believe-that-united-states/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [“It is curious how little interested we are in the sexual desires of those who do not attract us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/it-is-curious-how-little-interested-we-are-in-the-sexual-desires-of/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [This separation was absolute in our original Republic. But the sky-godders do not give up easily. In the 1950s they actually got the phrase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/this-separation-was-absolute-in-our-original-republic-but-the-sky/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/style-is-knowing-who-you-are-what-you-want-to-say-and-not-giving-a/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [The oligarchs think that the people are both dangerous and stupid. Their point is moot. But we do know that the oligarchs are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-oligarchs-think-that-the-people-are-both-dangerous-and-stupid/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [It is curious how often one prefers his enemies to his friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/it-is-curious-how-often-one-prefers-his-enemies-to-his-friends/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [As societies grow decadent, the language grows decadent, too. Words are used to disguise, not to illuminate, action: you liberate a city by destroying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/as-societies-grow-decadent-the-language-grows-decadent-too-words-are/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Rome ... at its most decadent, had never thought of hiring an actor to go through the motions of being an emperor while the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/rome-at-its-most-decadent-had-never-thought-of-hiring-an-actor-to-go/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [History is nothing but gossip about the past, with the hope that it might be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/history-is-nothing-but-gossip-about-the-past-with-the-hope-that-it/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [The malady of civilized man is his knowledge of death. The good artist, like the wise man, addresses himself to life and invests with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-malady-of-civilized-man-is-his-knowledge-of-death-the-good-artist/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Sex is a continuum. You go through different phases along life's way... and if you don't, you've been sort of cheated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/sex-is-a-continuum-you-go-through-different-phases-along-life-s-way/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [All I want is that Americans still be able to read the alphabet in a hundred years. I am not very ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/all-i-want-is-that-americans-still-be-able-to-read-the-alphabet-in-a/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [I do not admire 'the people,' as such. No one really does. Their folk wisdom is usually false, their instincts predatory. Even their sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/i-do-not-admire-the-people-as-such-no-one-really-does-their-folk/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [“One of the problems of a society as tightly controlled as ours is that we get so little information about what those of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/one-of-the-problems-of-a-society-as-tightly-controlled-as-ours-is/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) [Explore all 539 Gore Vidal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? 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