--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Friedrich Hacker says: “Many Arab…" description: "\"“Friedrich Hacker says: “Many Arab intellectuals…consider the Arab mentality, which attributes to the written word and to speech a more than symbolic i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b32/jean-michel-oughourlian-156994_quote_friedrich-hacker-says-many-arab-intellec_846006.jpg" --- # Friedrich Hacker says: “Many Arab intellectuals…consider… ![“Friedrich Hacker says: “Many Arab intellectuals…consider the Arab mentality, which attributes to the written word and to speech a more than symbolic importance, a magical importance, as a dangerous national passion and as a sickness. For this mentality, it suffices to say something for there to be…” quote by Jean-Michel Oughourlian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b32/jean-michel-oughourlian-156994_quote_friedrich-hacker-says-many-arab-intellec_846006.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b32/jean-michel-oughourlian-156994_quote_friedrich-hacker-says-many-arab-intellec_846006.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b32/jean-michel-oughourlian-156994_quote_friedrich-hacker-says-many-arab-intellec_846006.jpg) > ““Friedrich Hacker says: “Many Arab intellectuals…consider the Arab mentality, which attributes to the written word and to speech a more than symbolic importance, a magical importance, as a dangerous national passion and as a sickness. For this mentality, it suffices to say something for there to be no need of doing it. Words do not announce acts and do not prepare them, they replace them.”9”” [Jean-Michel Oughourlian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-michel-oughourlian/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Some cultures value words over deeds, treating speech as a powerful, sometimes dangerous, national passion that can replace action. **In simple terms:** Words are prized over deeds, creating a dangerous culture. Key Takeaway Recognize the limits of rhetoric; act. Themes culture communication identity action danger Mood critical analytical Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - political speeches - educational settings - family discussions - media analysis Key Concepts symbolism nationalism oral tradition passion Questions to Reflect On - How does this mindset affect progress? - Can rhetoric be balanced with concrete steps? A Different Perspective Over‑reliance on words can lead to inaction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arab Intellectuals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arab-intellectuals-694798/) [Arab Mentality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arab-mentality-694797/) [Consider Arab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consider-arab-694800/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Mentality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mentality/) [Says Arab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/says-arab-694799/) ## Related quotes > [“From the eighth or ninth centuries, Muslim Arabs have been politically dominant in the Islamic world and have grown accustomed to that position; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benny-morris/from-the-eighth-or-ninth-centuries-muslim-arabs-have-been-politically/) [Benny Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benny-morris/) > [We have no Arab intellectuals of international stature because we live in a state of generalized mediocrity. We are suspended in the pit without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/we-have-no-arab-intellectuals-of-international-stature-because-we/) [Tahar Ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/) > [There is a gulf between the Arab peoples and Arab intellectuals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/there-is-a-gulf-between-the-arab-peoples-and-arab-intellectuals/) [Tahar Ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/) > [“Try to think of it as though we are rewriting history––the first time this experience occurred you and I never kissed in this Dream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-caligiuri/try-to-think-of-it-as-though-we-are-rewriting-history-the-first-time/) [Ross Caligiuri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-caligiuri/) > [If God was the owner, I was the manager. I needed to adopt a steward's mentality toward the assets He had entrusted - not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-alcorn/if-god-was-the-owner-i-was-the-manager-i-needed-to-adopt-a-steward-s/) [Randy Alcorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-alcorn/) > [My motto is I'm going to go out and work every day no matter who is here. It's a mentality that I always play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deandre-hopkins/my-motto-is-i-m-going-to-go-out-and-work-every-day-no-matter-who-is/) [DeAndre Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deandre-hopkins/) > [I want to be in a winning mentality organization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-schroder/i-want-to-be-in-a-winning-mentality-organization/) [Dennis Schroder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-schroder/) > [“The evolution of human mentality has put us all in vitro now, behind the glass wall of our own ingenuity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/the-evolution-of-human-mentality-has-put-us-all-in-vitro-now-behind/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [I think that, honestly, people's censorship issues are personal but I disagree with most of those personal choices that I see others make. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-rogen/i-think-that-honestly-people-s-censorship-issues-are-personal-but-i/) [Seth Rogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-rogen/) > [“It's just that I take riddling seriously. I was taught that the ability to solve them indicates a sane and rational mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/it-s-just-that-i-take-riddling-seriously-i-was-taught-that-the/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [When a new idea comes our way, we must put it on our mental scales and weigh it carefully before deciding its value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/when-a-new-idea-comes-our-way-we-must-put-it-on-our-mental-scales-and/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [“Fun is not an activity, it is a state of mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/fun-is-not-an-activity-it-is-a-state-of-mind/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [California is a place in which a boom mentality and a sense of Chekhovian loss meet in uneasy suspension.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/california-is-a-place-in-which-a-boom-mentality-and-a-sense-of/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [Nothing more guarantees the erosion of character than getting something for nothing. In the liberal welfare state, one develops an entitlement mentality. And the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/nothing-more-guarantees-the-erosion-of-character-than-getting/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) ## More Israel quotes > [Humanitarian goods and people must flow in both directions. Gaza cannot and must not be allowed to remain a prison camp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cameron/humanitarian-goods-and-people-must-flow-in-both-directions-gaza/) [David Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cameron/) > [We could form a government of national unity fighting corruption. The ordinary Afghan is sick and tired of it, because it's she or he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashraf-ghani/we-could-form-a-government-of-national-unity-fighting-corruption-the/) [Ashraf Ghani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashraf-ghani/) > [The Iranian people have a proud past. They merit a great future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/the-iranian-people-have-a-proud-past-they-merit-a-great-future/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [In the Green Zone in Iraq you have your radio, you have your food, you have your own electricity, your own toilets. Everything is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-colla/in-the-green-zone-in-iraq-you-have-your-radio-you-have-your-food-you/) [Elliott Colla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-colla/) > [ \[Islam\] Leaves no room of human legislation in an Islamic state, because herein all legislative functions vest in God and the only function left… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abul-a-la-maududi/islam-leaves-no-room-of-human-legislation-in-an-islamic-state-because/) [Abul A'la Maududi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abul-a-la-maududi/) > [I hope that the Palestinians don't make the mistake of unleashing a new intifada. They've tried it twice before, and the consequences were bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segev/i-hope-that-the-palestinians-don-t-make-the-mistake-of-unleashing-a/) [Tom Segev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segev/) > [I am a practicing Catholic, but my lineage is Jewish, so if someone asks me if I'm Jewish, I say yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-campbell/i-am-a-practicing-catholic-but-my-lineage-is-jewish-so-if-someone/) [Neve Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neve-campbell/) > [On the McLaughlin Report, August 26, 1990: 'There are only two groups that are beating the drums for war in the middle East, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/on-the-mclaughlin-report-august-26-1990-there-are-only-two-groups/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [“Hitler invaded Poland on 1 September 1939. Much to the bafflement of the Allies, however, Pope Pius XII said nothing. He refused to condemn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyrus-shahrad/hitler-invaded-poland-on-1-september-1939-much-to-the-bafflement-of/) [Cyrus Shahrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyrus-shahrad/) > [A strong, responsible Israel can become a stabilizer in such a turbulent region.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehud-barak/a-strong-responsible-israel-can-become-a-stabilizer-in-such-a/) [Ehud Barak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehud-barak/) > [Iranians hate Arabs. They're a fairly well-educated population and they have centuries of experience with self-government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ledeen/iranians-hate-arabs-they-re-a-fairly-well-educated-population-and/) [Michael Ledeen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ledeen/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [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 am a peace supporting Jew.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/i-am-a-peace-supporting-jew/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [All Germany was in turmoil. Revolutionaries seized power in the cities of Munich, Hanover and Cologne. One regional German government after another was toppled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cross-giblin/all-germany-was-in-turmoil-revolutionaries-seized-power-in-the-cities/) [James Cross Giblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cross-giblin/) [Browse all 16,724 Israel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Friedrich Hacker says: “Many Arab intellectuals…consider the Arab mentality, which attributes to the written word and to speech a more than symbolic importance, a magical importance, as a dangerous national passion and as a sickness. For this mentality, it suffices to say something for there to be no need of doing it. Words do not announce acts and do not prepare them, they replace them.”9”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jean-Michel Oughourlian" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-michel-oughourlian/friedrich-hacker-says-many-arab-intellectuals-consider-the-arab/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Israel" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-michel-oughourlian/friedrich-hacker-says-many-arab-intellectuals-consider-the-arab/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b32/jean-michel-oughourlian-156994_quote_friedrich-hacker-says-many-arab-intellec_846006.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b32/jean-michel-oughourlian-156994_quote_friedrich-hacker-says-many-arab-intellec_846006.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b32/jean-michel-oughourlian-156994_quote_friedrich-hacker-says-many-arab-intellec_846006.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Friedrich Hacker says: “Many Arab intellectuals…consider the Arab mentality, which attributes to the written…” — Jean-Michel Oughourlian", "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": "Jean-Michel Oughourlian", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-michel-oughourlian/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Friedrich Hacker says: “Many Arab intellectuals…consider...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-michel-oughourlian/friedrich-hacker-says-many-arab-intellectuals-consider-the-arab/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-michel-oughourlian/friedrich-hacker-says-many-arab-intellectuals-consider-the-arab/#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 } } ] } ```