--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As Yale history professor Timothy Snyder…" description: "\"“As Yale history professor Timothy Snyder writes in his book On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, “To abandon facts is to abandon fre..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/603/hillary-rodham-clinton-890_authoritarianism_as-yale-history-professor-timothy-snyder_2994311.jpg" --- # As Yale history professor Timothy Snyder writes in his… ![“As Yale history professor Timothy Snyder writes in his book On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, “To abandon facts is to abandon freedom. If nothing is true, then no one can criticize power, because there is no basis upon which to do so. If nothing is true, then all is…” quote by Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/603/hillary-rodham-clinton-890_authoritarianism_as-yale-history-professor-timothy-snyder_2994311.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/603/hillary-rodham-clinton-890_authoritarianism_as-yale-history-professor-timothy-snyder_2994311.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/603/hillary-rodham-clinton-890_authoritarianism_as-yale-history-professor-timothy-snyder_2994311.jpg) > ““As Yale history professor Timothy Snyder writes in his book On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, “To abandon facts is to abandon freedom. If nothing is true, then no one can criticize power, because there is no basis upon which to do so. If nothing is true, then all is spectacle.” Attempting to define reality is a core feature of authoritarianism.”” [Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Abandoning facts erodes freedom; truth is essential to challenge authority. **In simple terms:** Truth protects freedom. Key Takeaway Defend factual integrity. Themes freedom truth authoritarianism Mood concerned urgent Type political analytical When to use this quote - media literacy - activism - policy debate Key Concepts epistemology political theory Questions to Reflect On - How do we safeguard truth? - What role does media play in truth? A Different Perspective Truth can be contested, making consensus hard. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abandon Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abandon-facts-1795602/) [Abandon Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abandon-freedom-1382815/) [Authoritarianism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authoritarianism/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Facts Abandon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts-abandon-1795601/) [Feature Authoritarianism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feature-authoritarianism-4721872/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/timothy-snyder-221615/) ## Related quotes > [“To abandon facts is to abandon freedom. If nothing is true, then no one can criticize power, because there is no basis upon which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-rodham-clinton/to-abandon-facts-is-to-abandon-freedom-if-nothing-is-true-then-no-one-2/) [Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/) > [To abandon facts is to abandon freedom. If nothing is true, then all is spectacle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-d-snyder/to-abandon-facts-is-to-abandon-freedom-if-nothing-is-true-then-all-is/) [Timothy D. Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-d-snyder/) > [“To abandon facts is to abandon freedom. If nothing is true, then no one can criticize power, because there is no basis upon which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/to-abandon-facts-is-to-abandon-freedom-if-nothing-is-true-then-no-one/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“To abandon facts is to abandon freedom. If nothing is true, then no one can criticize power, because there is no basis upon which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/to-abandon-facts-is-to-abandon-freedom-if-nothing-is-true-then-no-one-3/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“To abandon facts is to abandon freedom. You submit to tyranny when you renounce the difference between what you want to hear and what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/to-abandon-facts-is-to-abandon-freedom-you-submit-to-tyranny-when-you/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“To abandon facts is to abandon freedom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/to-abandon-facts-is-to-abandon-freedom/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“10 Believe in truth. To abandon facts is to abandon freedom. If nothing is true, then no one can criticize power, because there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/10-believe-in-truth-to-abandon-facts-is-to-abandon-freedom-if-nothing/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“Attempting to define reality is a core feature of authoritarianism. This is what the Soviets did when they erased political dissidents from historical photos.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-rodham-clinton/attempting-to-define-reality-is-a-core-feature-of-authoritarianism/) [Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/) > [“Since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, historians have become both more accurate and more honest—fractionally more brave, one might say—about that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/since-the-fall-of-the-berlin-wall-in-1989-historians-have-become-both/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“Hitler and Mussolini were indeed authoritarians, but it doesn’t follow that authoritarianism equals fascism or Nazism. 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There is no due process, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-methos/you-are-dealing-with-national-security-anything-labeled-a-national/) [Victor Methos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-methos/) > [Anhamirak, abandon and freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelia-atwater-rhodes/anhamirak-abandon-and-freedom/) [Amelia Atwater-Rhodes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelia-atwater-rhodes/) > [“The mission is, not to replace old world mindlessness with new world mindlessness, but to put an end to all forms of brainless authoritarianism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/the-mission-is-not-to-replace-old-world-mindlessness-with-new-world/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) ## More by Hillary Rodham Clinton > [“Putin has positioned himself as the leader of an authoritarian, xenophobic international movement that wants to expel immigrants, break up the European Union, weaken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-rodham-clinton/putin-has-positioned-himself-as-the-leader-of-an-authoritarian/) [Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/) > [“It’s true, though, that we struggled to stay on message. My advisors had to deal with a candidate—me—who often wanted something new to say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-rodham-clinton/it-s-true-though-that-we-struggled-to-stay-on-message-my-advisors-had/) [Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/) > [“He reminded me to focus on the “trendlines,” not just the headlines, and to relish the experiences.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-rodham-clinton/he-reminded-me-to-focus-on-the-trendlines-not-just-the-headlines-and/) [Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/) > [“Democrats should reevaluate a lot of our assumptions about which policies are politically viable. 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If you want to go far, go together”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-rodham-clinton/if-you-want-to-go-quickly-go-alone-if-you-want-to-go-far-go-together/) [Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/) > [“On her very first day, when she politely raised questions about Bernie’s health care plan—she has a master’s degree in public health and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-rodham-clinton/on-her-very-first-day-when-she-politely-raised-questions-about-bernie/) [Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/) > [“Too many saw the world in zero-sum terms, believing that gains made by fellow Americans they viewed as “other”—people of color, immigrants, women, LGBT…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-rodham-clinton/too-many-saw-the-world-in-zero-sum-terms-believing-that-gains-made-by/) [Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/) > [“Usually when I meet people who are frustrated and angry, my instinctive response is to talk about how we can fix things. That’s why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-rodham-clinton/usually-when-i-meet-people-who-are-frustrated-and-angry-my/) [Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/) > [“In the words of Secretary Clinton, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance in the world to pursue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-rodham-clinton/in-the-words-of-secretary-clinton-never-doubt-that-you-are-valuable/) [Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/) > [“To quote Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins, the first woman to serve in the U.S. Cabinet, under FDR, “The accusation that I’m a woman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-rodham-clinton/to-quote-secretary-of-labor-frances-perkins-the-first-woman-to-serve/) [Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/) > [“While there are few problems in today’s world that the United States can solve alone, there are even fewer that can be solved without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-rodham-clinton/while-there-are-few-problems-in-today-s-world-that-the-united-states/) [Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/) > [“if he knows that the Donald J. Trump Foundation is little more than a personal piggy bank, he’ll turn around and accuse, with no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-rodham-clinton/if-he-knows-that-the-donald-j-trump-foundation-is-little-more-than-a/) [Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/) > [“One of the most important but least recognized facts in American politics is that Republicans tend to win in places where more people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-rodham-clinton/one-of-the-most-important-but-least-recognized-facts-in-american/) [Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/) [Explore all 336 Hillary Rodham Clinton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/) ## More Authoritarianism quotes > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [“The mission is, not to replace old world mindlessness with new world mindlessness, but to put an end to all forms of brainless authoritarianism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/the-mission-is-not-to-replace-old-world-mindlessness-with-new-world/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [Motherland is our property and we have right to handle our properties as pleased. 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