---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Just the minute the FBI begins making…"
description: "\"Just the minute the FBI begins making recommendations on what should be done with its information, it becomes a Gestapo.\" — J. Edgar Hoover"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/263/j-edgar-hoover-17421_done_just-the-minute-the-fbi-begins-making-re_656880.png"
---

#  Just the minute the FBI begins making recommendations on…

![“Just the minute the FBI begins making recommendations on what should be done with its information, it becomes a Gestapo.” quote by J. Edgar Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/263/j-edgar-hoover-17421_done_just-the-minute-the-fbi-begins-making-re_656880.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/263/j-edgar-hoover-17421_done_just-the-minute-the-fbi-begins-making-re_656880.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/263/j-edgar-hoover-17421_done_just-the-minute-the-fbi-begins-making-re_656880.png)

> “Just the minute the FBI begins making recommendations on what should be done with its information, it becomes a Gestapo.”

[J. Edgar Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-edgar-hoover/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He warns that FBI data recommendations could lead to authoritarian control reminiscent of the Gestapo.

**In simple terms:** Unchecked data power may become tyrannical.

Key Takeaway

Guard against data misuse.

Themes

politics privacy surveillance authority ethics

Mood

cautious serious

Type

political warning

When to use this quote

- policy drafting
- public debate
- legal frameworks

Key Concepts

Power concentration civil liberties government oversight

Questions to Reflect On

- What safeguards are needed?
- Who decides data use?

A Different Perspective

Balancing security and freedom is complex.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

## Related quotes

> [“Everything begins by making your audience pay attention.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darin-bradley/everything-begins-by-making-your-audience-pay-attention/)

[Darin Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darin-bradley/)

> [Before the advent of Hitler or Stalin, who took their power from the German and the Russian people, measures were thrust upon the free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-arthur-hall/before-the-advent-of-hitler-or-stalin-who-took-their-power-from-the/)

Edwin Arthur Hall

> [“No wonder there are so many people with eating disorders.It’s like this diet plan is being administered by the Gestapo.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-argiro/no-wonder-there-are-so-many-people-with-eating-disorders-it-s-like/)

[Helen Argiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-argiro/)

> [Well, the role of our "allies," in my view, is a scandal. 53 other countries cooperated in the kidnapping, "extraordinary rendition," of suspected terrorists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-mcgovern/well-the-role-of-our-allies-in-my-view-is-a-scandal-53-other/)

[Ray McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-mcgovern/)

> [The mission of the Gestapo expanded steadily as from 1933 onward, "political criminality" was given a much broader definition than ever before and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-fitzpatrick/the-mission-of-the-gestapo-expanded-steadily-as-from-1933-onward/)

[Sheila Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-fitzpatrick/)

> [“I believe all sin, love, glory are this: when you slide down the knotted sheets, escaping from Gestapo headquarters, and she hugs you, there,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/i-believe-all-sin-love-glory-are-this-when-you-slide-down-the-knotted/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [“That concentration camps were ultimately provided for the same groups in all countries, even though there were considerable differences in the treatment of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/that-concentration-camps-were-ultimately-provided-for-the-same-groups/)

[Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/)

> [By the end of the war, I could pick out Jewish people almost as if I had a sixth sense about it, even if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diet-eman/by-the-end-of-the-war-i-could-pick-out-jewish-people-almost-as-if-i/)

[Diet Eman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diet-eman/)

> [And I know you're not supposed to say 'Nazi Germany,' but I don't care about political correctness. You know, you had a government using…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-carson/and-i-know-you-re-not-supposed-to-say-nazi-germany-but-i-don-t-care/)

[Benjamin Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-carson/)

> [Nothing whatever but the constitutional law, the political structure, of these United States protects any American from arbitrary seizure of his property and his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-wilder-lane/nothing-whatever-but-the-constitutional-law-the-political-structure/)

[Rose Wilder Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-wilder-lane/)

> [No socialist government conducting the entire life and industry of the country could afford to allow free, sharp or violently worded expressions of public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/no-socialist-government-conducting-the-entire-life-and-industry-of/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [To put the point sharply: If an informer in the French underground who sent a friend to the torture chambers of the Gestapo was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-maltz/to-put-the-point-sharply-if-an-informer-in-the-french-underground-who/)

[Albert Maltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-maltz/)

> [Americans have no idea why they have been at war in the Middle East, Asia and Africa for a decade. They don't realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-craig-roberts/americans-have-no-idea-why-they-have-been-at-war-in-the-middle-east/)

[Paul Craig Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-craig-roberts/)

> [A large group of us were crowded into the Gestapo hall, and at that moment the circumstances of all our lives were the same.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/a-large-group-of-us-were-crowded-into-the-gestapo-hall-and-at-that/)

[Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/)

> [The anger I felt when the ACLU tried to disenfranchise me because my religious stayed with me. These are dangerous people who make dangerous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hyde/the-anger-i-felt-when-the-aclu-tried-to-disenfranchise-me-because-my/)

[Henry Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hyde/)

## More by J. Edgar Hoover

> [ I would do it \[study UFOs\], but before agreeing to do it, we must insist upon full access to discs recovered. For instance in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-edgar-hoover/i-would-do-it-study-ufos-but-before-agreeing-to-do-it-we-must-insist/)

[J. Edgar Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-edgar-hoover/)

> [It can be held certain that information that is withheld or suppressed contains truths that are detrimental to the persons involved in the suppression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-edgar-hoover/it-can-be-held-certain-that-information-that-is-withheld-or/)

[J. Edgar Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-edgar-hoover/)

> [Even great men can be corrupted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-edgar-hoover/even-great-men-can-be-corrupted/)

[J. Edgar Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-edgar-hoover/)

> [Banks are an almost irresistible attraction for that element of our society which seeks unearned money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-edgar-hoover/banks-are-an-almost-irresistible-attraction-for-that-element-of-our/)

[J. Edgar Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-edgar-hoover/)

> [There is something addictive about secrets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-edgar-hoover/there-is-something-addictive-about-secrets/)

[J. Edgar Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-edgar-hoover/)

> [WHAT WE NEED IN AMERICA TODAY IS A VIGOROUS RETURN TO THE GOD OF OUR FATHERS AND A MOST VIGOROUS DEFENSE AGAINST THE MINION…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-edgar-hoover/what-we-need-in-america-today-is-a-vigorous-return-to-the-god-of-our/)

[J. Edgar Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-edgar-hoover/)

> [The individual is handicapped by coming face-to-face with a conspiracy so monstrous he cannot believe it exists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-edgar-hoover/the-individual-is-handicapped-by-coming-face-to-face-with-a/)

[J. Edgar Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-edgar-hoover/)

> [I regret to say that we of the FBI are powerless to act in cases of oral-genital intimacy, unless it has in some way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-edgar-hoover/i-regret-to-say-that-we-of-the-fbi-are-powerless-to-act-in-cases-of-2/)

[J. Edgar Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-edgar-hoover/)

> [What you need is a good Hoovering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-edgar-hoover/what-you-need-is-a-good-hoovering/)

[J. Edgar Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-edgar-hoover/)

> [All persons who bear the blessed title of parent have the personal responsibility to see that their children are growing up fully appreciative of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-edgar-hoover/all-persons-who-bear-the-blessed-title-of-parent-have-the-personal/)

[J. Edgar Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-edgar-hoover/)

> [We are a fact-gathering organization only. We don't clear anybody. We don't condemn anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-edgar-hoover/we-are-a-fact-gathering-organization-only-we-don-t-clear-anybody-we/)

[J. Edgar Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-edgar-hoover/)

> [Experts say that children are not born criminals, nor pampered parasites. They are made that way by the environment in which they live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-edgar-hoover/experts-say-that-children-are-not-born-criminals-nor-pampered/)

[J. Edgar Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-edgar-hoover/)

> [Why should you care if you have nothing to hide?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-edgar-hoover/why-should-you-care-if-you-have-nothing-to-hide/)

[J. Edgar Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-edgar-hoover/)

> [The American mind simply has not come to a realization of the evil which has been introduced into our midst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-edgar-hoover/the-american-mind-simply-has-not-come-to-a-realization-of-the-evil/)

[J. Edgar Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-edgar-hoover/)

> [Justice is incidental to law and order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-edgar-hoover/justice-is-incidental-to-law-and-order/)

[J. Edgar Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-edgar-hoover/)

[Explore all 37 J. Edgar Hoover quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-edgar-hoover/)

## More Done quotes

> [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [Usually male directors have to use foul language to get the job done. But I never came down to that level as being a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-khosla-kumar/usually-male-directors-have-to-use-foul-language-to-get-the-job-done/)

[Divya Khosla Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-khosla-kumar/)

> [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Forcing modern speakers of English to not - whoops, not to split an infinitive because it isn't done in Latin makes about as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/forcing-modern-speakers-of-english-to-not-whoops-not-to-split-an/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/)

[Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/)

> [Against his own will, almost, Will felt himself understanding; he would have done anything, he thought, told any lie, taken any risk, to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/against-his-own-will-almost-will-felt-himself-understanding-he-would/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/)

[Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/)

> [If the members of parliament no longer consider themselves mandatories of the taxpayers but deputies of those receiving salaries, wages, subsidies, doles, and other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/if-the-members-of-parliament-no-longer-consider-themselves/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/)

[Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/)

[Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/)

> [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/)

[Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/)

> [I don't enjoy killing, but when done righteously, it's just a chore, like any other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua/i-don-t-enjoy-killing-but-when-done-righteously-it-s-just-a-chore/)

[Joshua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua/)

> [Of everything I have done, 'The Archers' always gets the most excitement; there's a sort of uncontrollable joy from fans of the program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/of-everything-i-have-done-the-archers-always-gets-the-most-excitement/)

[Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/)

Browse all 25,653 Done quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Just the minute the FBI begins making recommendations on what should be done with its information, it becomes a Gestapo.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "J. Edgar Hoover"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-edgar-hoover/just-the-minute-the-fbi-begins-making-recommendations-on-what-should/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Done"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-edgar-hoover/just-the-minute-the-fbi-begins-making-recommendations-on-what-should/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/263/j-edgar-hoover-17421_done_just-the-minute-the-fbi-begins-making-re_656880.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/263/j-edgar-hoover-17421_done_just-the-minute-the-fbi-begins-making-re_656880.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/263/j-edgar-hoover-17421_done_just-the-minute-the-fbi-begins-making-re_656880.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Just the minute the FBI begins making recommendations on what should be done with its information, it…” — J. Edgar Hoover",
                "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": "J. Edgar Hoover",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-edgar-hoover/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Just the minute the FBI begins...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-edgar-hoover/just-the-minute-the-fbi-begins-making-recommendations-on-what-should/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-edgar-hoover/just-the-minute-the-fbi-begins-making-recommendations-on-what-should/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
