---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think Noam Chomsky is a national…"
description: "\"I think Noam Chomsky is a national treasure - make that an international treasure.\" — Jello Biafra"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7a/jello-biafra-5188_chomsky_i-think-noam-chomsky-is-a-national-treas_153158.png"
---

#  I think Noam Chomsky is a national treasure - make that an…

![“I think Noam Chomsky is a national treasure - make that an international treasure.” quote by Jello Biafra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7a/jello-biafra-5188_chomsky_i-think-noam-chomsky-is-a-national-treas_153158.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7a/jello-biafra-5188_chomsky_i-think-noam-chomsky-is-a-national-treas_153158.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7a/jello-biafra-5188_chomsky_i-think-noam-chomsky-is-a-national-treas_153158.png)

> “I think Noam Chomsky is a national treasure - make that an international treasure.”

[Jello Biafra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jello-biafra/)

## About This Quote

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

The speaker elevates Noam Chomsky’s status, suggesting his importance should be recognized both nationally and internationally.

**In simple terms:** Chomsky is a valuable intellectual asset worldwide.

Key Takeaway

Promote recognition of influential thinkers globally.

Themes

intellectual heritage recognition political thought global impact

Mood

inspirational thoughtful

Type

cultural political

When to use this quote

- education curricula
- public discourse
- policy analysis

Key Concepts

linguistics media criticism activism

Questions to Reflect On

- How can societies better honor intellectual contributions?
- What criteria determine a “national treasure”?

A Different Perspective

May overlook differing opinions on Chomsky’s influence.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[National treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/national-treasure/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treasure/)

## Related quotes

> [Discovery is the ability to be puzzled by simple things. Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/discovery-is-the-ability-to-be-puzzled-by-simple-things-noam-chomsky/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [“The main job of radicals in the Noam Chomsky or G. Gordon Liddy mode is to go around from one scruffy lecture hall to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/the-main-job-of-radicals-in-the-noam-chomsky-or-g-gordon-liddy-mode/)

[David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/)

> [“One night, Tim stumbled across a documentary called Manufacturing Consent. After viewing it, he found some writing online by its subject, Noam Chomsky, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-kultgen/one-night-tim-stumbled-across-a-documentary-called-manufacturing/)

[Chad Kultgen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-kultgen/)

> [The lessons Noam Chomsky sets out to teach us in 'Toward a New Cold War' are invaluable. The United States, like any other nations,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-blinken/the-lessons-noam-chomsky-sets-out-to-teach-us-in-toward-a-new-cold/)

[Antony Blinken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-blinken/)

> [We got email today from an LGF reader who was browsing the Lexis research system and discovered that anti-American, anti-capitalist icon Noam Chomsky has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-foster-johnson/we-got-email-today-from-an-lgf-reader-who-was-browsing-the-lexis/)

[Charles Foster Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-foster-johnson/)

> [Noam Chomsky is, in some ways, a victim of this new millennium we live in because you can't pull a sound bite from that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-buffalo-mailer/noam-chomsky-is-in-some-ways-a-victim-of-this-new-millennium-we-live/)

[John Buffalo Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-buffalo-mailer/)

> [“I know how easy it is to sound like a corny version of Noam Chomsky when talking about something like this, but in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dito-montiel/i-know-how-easy-it-is-to-sound-like-a-corny-version-of-noam-chomsky/)

[Dito Montiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dito-montiel/)

> [Noam Chomsky skittles and skithers all over the political landscape to distract the reader’s attention from the plain truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-hook/noam-chomsky-skittles-and-skithers-all-over-the-political-landscape/)

[Sidney Hook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-hook/)

> [ “\[A TV commercial\] crossed my desk in 1986. It came with a press release boasting about an enormous production budget employed in service of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-garfield/a-tv-commercial-crossed-my-desk-in-1986-it-came-with-a-press-release/)

[Bob Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-garfield/)

> [The role of the intellectual, so it is said, is to speak truth to power. Noam Chomsky has dismissed this pious tag on two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/the-role-of-the-intellectual-so-it-is-said-is-to-speak-truth-to-power/)

[Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/)

> [“A fundamental element of human nature is the need for creative work, for creative enquiry, for free creation.’1 Noam Chomsky”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-ind/a-fundamental-element-of-human-nature-is-the-need-for-creative-work/)

[Nicholas Ind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-ind/)

> [Please stop putting quotes from Nietzsche at the end of your emails. Five years ago you were laughing your guts out over American Pie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/please-stop-putting-quotes-from-nietzsche-at-the-end-of-your-emails/)

[Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/)

> [“even if Noam Chomsky were right about everything, the Islamic doctrines related to martyrdom, jihad, blasphemy, apostasy, the rights of women and homosexuals, etc.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/even-if-noam-chomsky-were-right-about-everything-the-islamic/)

[Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/)

> [I read Noam Chomsky. I like some of Gore Vidal's stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cusack/i-read-noam-chomsky-i-like-some-of-gore-vidal-s-stuff/)

[John Cusack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cusack/)

> [“I think maybe I'd still nod and smile and have lunch with him. I think maybe I'd still go to the Noam Chomsky documentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhoda-janzen/i-think-maybe-i-d-still-nod-and-smile-and-have-lunch-with-him-i-think/)

[Rhoda Janzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhoda-janzen/)

## More by Jello Biafra

> [Don't hate the media, become the media.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jello-biafra/don-t-hate-the-media-become-the-media/)

[Jello Biafra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jello-biafra/)

> [When my sixth grade teacher opened the class with subtle praise for the guardsmen shooting four people to death at Kent State, I'd given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jello-biafra/when-my-sixth-grade-teacher-opened-the-class-with-subtle-praise-for/)

[Jello Biafra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jello-biafra/)

> [You can spend the money on new housing for poor people and the homeless, or you can spend it on a football stadium or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jello-biafra/you-can-spend-the-money-on-new-housing-for-poor-people-and-the/)

[Jello Biafra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jello-biafra/)

> [Another part of what gave me a questioning, rabble-rousing, activist heart and soul is that when all these heavy events went down, my parents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jello-biafra/another-part-of-what-gave-me-a-questioning-rabble-rousing-activist/)

[Jello Biafra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jello-biafra/)

> [A hairstyle's not a lifestyle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jello-biafra/a-hairstyle-s-not-a-lifestyle/)

[Jello Biafra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jello-biafra/)

> [So basically the understanding on these so-called reissues is that they were done behind my back, without my permission, and the band informed me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jello-biafra/so-basically-the-understanding-on-these-so-called-reissues-is-that/)

[Jello Biafra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jello-biafra/)

> [I got out of that immediately was that now, all of a sudden, rock music had become a spectator sport, that corporate labels and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jello-biafra/i-got-out-of-that-immediately-was-that-now-all-of-a-sudden-rock-music/)

[Jello Biafra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jello-biafra/)

> [It depends on the situation. I mean, on one hand there's the argument that people should be left alone on the other hand, there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jello-biafra/it-depends-on-the-situation-i-mean-on-one-hand-there-s-the-argument/)

[Jello Biafra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jello-biafra/)

> [It's very irresponsible as a parent to follow Tipper Gore or the Religious Right's advice and just take the offending CD or game away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jello-biafra/it-s-very-irresponsible-as-a-parent-to-follow-tipper-gore-or-the/)

[Jello Biafra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jello-biafra/)

> [Any alternative culture that inspires a lot of passion and inspiration is also in danger of being set in its ways, almost from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jello-biafra/any-alternative-culture-that-inspires-a-lot-of-passion-and/)

[Jello Biafra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jello-biafra/)

> [I'm appalled at how many people my age, or even five or ten years younger, have no tangible memories of important history that happened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jello-biafra/i-m-appalled-at-how-many-people-my-age-or-even-five-or-ten-years/)

[Jello Biafra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jello-biafra/)

> [They've gone to great length to disguise the fact that I'm not in the band, even sending out a photo to promoters with my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jello-biafra/they-ve-gone-to-great-length-to-disguise-the-fact-that-i-m-not-in-the/)

[Jello Biafra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jello-biafra/)

> [A lot of the best acting training I had was in junior high and high school. We had very demanding directors and did real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jello-biafra/a-lot-of-the-best-acting-training-i-had-was-in-junior-high-and-high/)

[Jello Biafra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jello-biafra/)

> [I am an anarchist in my personal life. I try to live my life in a way that I don't need cops or baby-sitters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jello-biafra/i-am-an-anarchist-in-my-personal-life-i-try-to-live-my-life-in-a-way/)

[Jello Biafra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jello-biafra/)

> [If you liked school, you're gonnnnna lovvvvve work!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jello-biafra/if-you-liked-school-you-re-gonnnnna-lovvvvve-work/)

[Jello Biafra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jello-biafra/)

[Explore all 102 Jello Biafra quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jello-biafra/)

## More Chomsky quotes

> [Discovery is the ability to be puzzled by simple things. Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/discovery-is-the-ability-to-be-puzzled-by-simple-things-noam-chomsky/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [I read Noam Chomsky. I like some of Gore Vidal's stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cusack/i-read-noam-chomsky-i-like-some-of-gore-vidal-s-stuff/)

[John Cusack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cusack/)

> [“even if Noam Chomsky were right about everything, the Islamic doctrines related to martyrdom, jihad, blasphemy, apostasy, the rights of women and homosexuals, etc.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/even-if-noam-chomsky-were-right-about-everything-the-islamic/)

[Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/)

> [Please stop putting quotes from Nietzsche at the end of your emails. Five years ago you were laughing your guts out over American Pie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/please-stop-putting-quotes-from-nietzsche-at-the-end-of-your-emails/)

[Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/)

> [As Chomsky says here, clearly and in depth, the American empire is doing all it can to consolidate its system of domination. And we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugo-chavez/as-chomsky-says-here-clearly-and-in-depth-the-american-empire-is/)

[Hugo Chavez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugo-chavez/)

> [“My quarrel with Chomsky goes back to the Balkan wars of the 1990s, where he more or less openly represented the "Serbian Socialist Party"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/my-quarrel-with-chomsky-goes-back-to-the-balkan-wars-of-the-1990s/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [“Chomsky's writings are "classics" in Mark Twain's sense: something that everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to read.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-pinker/chomsky-s-writings-are-classics-in-mark-twain-s-sense-something-that/)

[Stephen Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-pinker/)

> [“A fundamental element of human nature is the need for creative work, for creative enquiry, for free creation.’1 Noam Chomsky”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-ind/a-fundamental-element-of-human-nature-is-the-need-for-creative-work/)

[Nicholas Ind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-ind/)

> [The role of the intellectual, so it is said, is to speak truth to power. Noam Chomsky has dismissed this pious tag on two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/the-role-of-the-intellectual-so-it-is-said-is-to-speak-truth-to-power/)

[Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/)

> [“Chomsky is like the teenager who first discovers that those in authority—his parent, his teacher—are not as all-knowing as they claim to be and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-c-isaac/chomsky-is-like-the-teenager-who-first-discovers-that-those-in/)

Jeffrey C. Isaac

> [ “\[A TV commercial\] crossed my desk in 1986. It came with a press release boasting about an enormous production budget employed in service of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-garfield/a-tv-commercial-crossed-my-desk-in-1986-it-came-with-a-press-release/)

[Bob Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-garfield/)

> [Noam Chomsky skittles and skithers all over the political landscape to distract the reader’s attention from the plain truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-hook/noam-chomsky-skittles-and-skithers-all-over-the-political-landscape/)

[Sidney Hook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-hook/)

> [ “I personally never expected anything of Obama, and wrote about it before the 2008 primaries. I thought it was smoke and mirrors \[...\] I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-personally-never-expected-anything-of-obama-and-wrote-about-it/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [“I know how easy it is to sound like a corny version of Noam Chomsky when talking about something like this, but in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dito-montiel/i-know-how-easy-it-is-to-sound-like-a-corny-version-of-noam-chomsky/)

[Dito Montiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dito-montiel/)

> [“In the succeeding thirty-two years of U.S. guidance, not only has Guatemala gradually become a terrorist state rarely matched in the scale of systematic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/in-the-succeeding-thirty-two-years-of-u-s-guidance-not-only-has/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

Browse all 44 Chomsky quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I think Noam Chomsky is a national treasure - make that an international treasure.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jello Biafra"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jello-biafra/i-think-noam-chomsky-is-a-national-treasure-make-that-an/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Chomsky"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jello-biafra/i-think-noam-chomsky-is-a-national-treasure-make-that-an/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7a/jello-biafra-5188_chomsky_i-think-noam-chomsky-is-a-national-treas_153158.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7a/jello-biafra-5188_chomsky_i-think-noam-chomsky-is-a-national-treas_153158.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7a/jello-biafra-5188_chomsky_i-think-noam-chomsky-is-a-national-treas_153158.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I think Noam Chomsky is a national treasure - make that an international treasure.” — Jello Biafra",
                "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": "Jello Biafra",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jello-biafra/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I think Noam Chomsky is a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jello-biafra/i-think-noam-chomsky-is-a-national-treasure-make-that-an/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jello-biafra/i-think-noam-chomsky-is-a-national-treasure-make-that-an/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
