Alarms Quote by Michael Newdow
“People don't simply wake up one day and commit genocide. They start by setting themselves apart from others, diminishing the stature of those adhering to dissenting beliefs in small, insidious steps. They begin by saying, 'We're the righteous, and we'll tolerate those others.' And as the toleration diminishes over time, the inevitable harms are overlooked. It is for that reason that James Madison wisely wrote that 'it is proper to take alarm at the first experiment on our liberties'.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The Liberty Paradox, 2015
Gradual dehumanization leads to atrocities; early warning signs matter.
In simple terms: Small biases can grow into genocide.
Key Takeaway
Watch for early intolerance.
Themes
politics
human rights
history
Mood
cautionary
urgent
Type
analytical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- political campaigns
- online forums
- educational curricula
- community leadership
Key Concepts
social psychology
authoritarianism
Questions to Reflect On
- What small actions can protect liberty?
- How can societies reinforce dissenting voices?
A Different Perspective
Complex causes also involve economic factors.
![“We must face the fact that society is founded on intolerance. [. . .] We may prate of toleration as we will; but society must always draw a line somewhere between allowable conduct and insanity or crime, in spite of the risk of mistaking sages for lunatics and saviours for blasphemers. We must…” quote by George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/dcb/george-bernard-shaw-68_quote_we-must-face-the-fact-that-society-is-fo_2004410.jpg)
![“Just as a state's police swear to prevent and punish murder, so the signers of the Genocide Convention [in 1948] swore to police a brave new world order. The rhetoric of moral utopia is a peculiar response to genocide. But those were heady days, just after the trials at Nuremberg, when the full…” quote by Philip Gourevitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/41e/philip-gourevitch-17484_brave-new-world_just-as-a-state-s-police-swear-to-preven_403389.jpg)
