--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is foolish for people to think they…" description: "\"It is foolish for people to think they can align themselves and be safe in a police state.\" — Naomi Wolf" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/745/naomi-wolf-1344_foolish_it-is-foolish-for-people-to-think-they-c_891464.png" --- # It is foolish for people to think they can align… ![“It is foolish for people to think they can align themselves and be safe in a police state.” quote by Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/745/naomi-wolf-1344_foolish_it-is-foolish-for-people-to-think-they-c_891464.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/745/naomi-wolf-1344_foolish_it-is-foolish-for-people-to-think-they-c_891464.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/745/naomi-wolf-1344_foolish_it-is-foolish-for-people-to-think-they-c_891464.png) > “It is foolish for people to think they can align themselves and be safe in a police state.” [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She warns that trusting a police state for safety is naïve and dangerous. **In simple terms:** Police control cannot guarantee safety. Key Takeaway Question authority and protect freedoms. Themes political critique civil liberties state power trust Mood critical concerned Type political philosophical When to use this quote - protests - policy debates - community meetings - online forums Key Concepts authoritarianism surveillance individual rights Questions to Reflect On - What alternatives to police safety exist? - How can societies balance safety and freedom? A Different Perspective Overlooks complexities of security needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Foolish people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foolish-people/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Police](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/police/) [Police state](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/police-state/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [“Gun control was never about safety: it was just about taking power away from ordinary Americans,” said Carson.  “It’s to make it safe for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-bracken/gun-control-was-never-about-safety-it-was-just-about-taking-power/) [Matthew Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-bracken/) > [Police can't be successful if they're not viewed as legitimate by the community, and a community will not be safe if the police are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-lightfoot/police-can-t-be-successful-if-they-re-not-viewed-as-legitimate-by-the/) [Lori Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lori-lightfoot/) > [The fact is, people in some communities have been conditioned to instantly feel safe when they see a police car. Others see one and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-collins/the-fact-is-people-in-some-communities-have-been-conditioned-to/) [Jason Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-collins/) > [There are many foolish people in the world and when a man in a rather high position puts on no frills, slaps them on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/there-are-many-foolish-people-in-the-world-and-when-a-man-in-a-rather/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [Some of the most foolish people are some of the most vocal people because they have no filter for their thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/some-of-the-most-foolish-people-are-some-of-the-most-vocal-people/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Wise people speak because they have something to say;Foolish people speak because they have to say something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wise-people-speak-because-they-have-something-to-say-foolish-people/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Foolish people have fool's luck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/foolish-people-have-fool-s-luck/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Riches are the pettiest and least worthy gifts which God can give a man. What are they to God's Word, to bodily gifts, such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/riches-are-the-pettiest-and-least-worthy-gifts-which-god-can-give-a/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [Sometimes one likes foolish people for their folly, better than wise people for their wisdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/sometimes-one-likes-foolish-people-for-their-folly-better-than-wise/) [Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/) > [To succeed inside a political party, one must cultivate an ability to sit still and remain polite while foolish people speak nonsense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morton-blackwell/to-succeed-inside-a-political-party-one-must-cultivate-an-ability-to/) [Morton Blackwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morton-blackwell/) > [It's strange what desire will make foolish people do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-strange-what-desire-will-make-foolish-people-do/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im one of those foolish people who believe the glory days of the record industry arent behind us. Theyre actually ahead of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-a-reid/im-one-of-those-foolish-people-who-believe-the-glory-days-of-the/) [L.A. Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-a-reid/) > [I am far more provoked at being thought foolish by foolish people, than pleased at being thought sensible by sensible people; and the average…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/i-am-far-more-provoked-at-being-thought-foolish-by-foolish-people/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > [When a leader has deployed a private army, that is one definition of a police state. Another is when the president, or a leader,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/when-a-leader-has-deployed-a-private-army-that-is-one-definition-of-a/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [Millions of people have to restore liberty and have to understand the danger and personal risk they face in a police state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/millions-of-people-have-to-restore-liberty-and-have-to-understand-the/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) ## More by Naomi Wolf > [“You could see the signs of female aging as diseased, especially if you had a vested interest in making women too see them your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/you-could-see-the-signs-of-female-aging-as-diseased-especially-if-you/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [Demographically, I'm a hippie from San Francisco and I'm not culturally inclined to be sympathetic to states' rights. My cultural heritage is FDR and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/demographically-i-m-a-hippie-from-san-francisco-and-i-m-not/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [There's been a systematic propagandizing of American citizens for 30 years to make us forget what America is supposed to be and what our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/there-s-been-a-systematic-propagandizing-of-american-citizens-for-30/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [Maybe the less pain we inflict on our bodies, the more beautiful our bodies will look to us](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/maybe-the-less-pain-we-inflict-on-our-bodies-the-more-beautiful-our/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [“The rise of the beauty myth was just one of several emerging social fictions that masqueraded as natural components of the feminine sphere, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/the-rise-of-the-beauty-myth-was-just-one-of-several-emerging-social/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [The Victorian woman became her ovaries, as today's woman has become her "beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/the-victorian-woman-became-her-ovaries-as-today-s-woman-has-become/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [“The anthropologist Margaret Mead concluded in 1948, after observing seven different ethnic groups in the Pacific Islands, that different cultures made different forms of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/the-anthropologist-margaret-mead-concluded-in-1948-after-observing/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [What becomes of a man who acquires a beautiful woman, with her "beauty" his sole target? He sabotages himself. He has gained no friend,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/what-becomes-of-a-man-who-acquires-a-beautiful-woman-with-her-beauty/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [“Beauty” is a currency system like the gold standard. Like any economy, it is determined by politics, and in the modern age in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/beauty-is-a-currency-system-like-the-gold-standard-like-any-economy/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [“Rape and sexual assault ... should be understood not just as a form of forced sex, they should also be understood as as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/rape-and-sexual-assault-should-be-understood-not-just-as-a-form-of/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [“The qualities that a given period calls beautiful in women are merely symbols of the female behavior that that period considers desirable: The beauty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/the-qualities-that-a-given-period-calls-beautiful-in-women-are-merely/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [To live in a culture in which women are routinely naked where men aren't is to learn inequality in little ways all day long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/to-live-in-a-culture-in-which-women-are-routinely-naked-where-men/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [a white person who claims to have no impediment of vision in this country is not, I think, telling the whole truth. And when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/a-white-person-who-claims-to-have-no-impediment-of-vision-in-this/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [“The beauty myth sets it up this way: A high rating as an art object is the most valuable tribute a woman can exact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/the-beauty-myth-sets-it-up-this-way-a-high-rating-as-an-art-object-is/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [“Societies tell themselves necessary fictions in the same way that individuals and families do. Henrik Ibsen called them “vital lies,” and psychologist Daniel Goleman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/societies-tell-themselves-necessary-fictions-in-the-same-way-that/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) [Explore all 251 Naomi Wolf quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) ## More Foolish quotes > [...it isn't foolish or wicked to enjoy. Wickedness is hurting people on purpose. I love what you are and who you are and how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-macdonald/it-isn-t-foolish-or-wicked-to-enjoy-wickedness-is-hurting-people-on/) [John D. MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-macdonald/) > [I was so foolish to ever leave your side, Searching for what was right before my eyes. It was me who didn't realize, 'til…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jazmine-sullivan/i-was-so-foolish-to-ever-leave-your-side-searching-for-what-was-right/) [Jazmine Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jazmine-sullivan/) > [Regrets are just a way for the foolish and the guilty to pass the time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gensoumaden-saiyuki/regrets-are-just-a-way-for-the-foolish-and-the-guilty-to-pass-the-time/) Gensoumaden Saiyuki > [The goal of the Creator is for each entity to make a conscious choice to again seek Oneness, out of our own free will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wilcock/the-goal-of-the-creator-is-for-each-entity-to-make-a-conscious-choice/) [David Wilcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wilcock/) > [It is as foolish to make experiments upon the constancy of a friend, as upon the chastity of a wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/it-is-as-foolish-to-make-experiments-upon-the-constancy-of-a-friend/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Virtue is as little to be acquired by learning as genius; nay, the idea is barren, and is only to be employed as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/virtue-is-as-little-to-be-acquired-by-learning-as-genius-nay-the-idea/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [Right, and you point out something important which is that people who don’t want to pay, people who are pirates, don’t get bothered by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/right-and-you-point-out-something-important-which-is-that-people-who/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [As nature made every man with a nose and eyes of his own, she gave him a character of his own, too; and yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/as-nature-made-every-man-with-a-nose-and-eyes-of-his-own-she-gave-him/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [Foolish tongues talke by the dozen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/foolish-tongues-talke-by-the-dozen/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [I have my good days and my bad days, but I don't have as much energy as I used to back when I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-mccaffrey/i-have-my-good-days-and-my-bad-days-but-i-don-t-have-as-much-energy/) [Anne McCaffrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-mccaffrey/) > [“I wish he were better at hailing taxis than I am; on the other hand, I realize that expectation is culturally conditioned, utterly foolish,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/i-wish-he-were-better-at-hailing-taxis-than-i-am-on-the-other-hand-i/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [Acknowledging foolishness is a very powerful and important experience. We could almost say that being willing to be a fool is one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/acknowledging-foolishness-is-a-very-powerful-and-important-experience/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [Go then if you must, but remember, no matter how foolish your deeds, those who love you will love you still.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/go-then-if-you-must-but-remember-no-matter-how-foolish-your-deeds/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [You know what they say, 'You have to work at wisdom; you have to take pains to be reasonable, but to be foolish, just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-colet/you-know-what-they-say-you-have-to-work-at-wisdom-you-have-to-take/) [Louise Colet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-colet/) > [Am I foolish and insignificant or am I great? I gave all the individuals in the world cause to kneel down in front of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-myung-moon/am-i-foolish-and-insignificant-or-am-i-great-i-gave-all-the/) [Sun Myung Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-myung-moon/) Browse all 1,867 Foolish quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is foolish for people to think they can align themselves and be safe in a police state.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Naomi Wolf" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/it-is-foolish-for-people-to-think-they-can-align-themselves-and-be/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Foolish" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/it-is-foolish-for-people-to-think-they-can-align-themselves-and-be/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/745/naomi-wolf-1344_foolish_it-is-foolish-for-people-to-think-they-c_891464.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/745/naomi-wolf-1344_foolish_it-is-foolish-for-people-to-think-they-c_891464.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/745/naomi-wolf-1344_foolish_it-is-foolish-for-people-to-think-they-c_891464.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is foolish for people to think they can align themselves and be safe in a police state.” — Naomi Wolf", "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": "Naomi Wolf", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is foolish for people to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/it-is-foolish-for-people-to-think-they-can-align-themselves-and-be/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/it-is-foolish-for-people-to-think-they-can-align-themselves-and-be/#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 } } ] } ```