Be careful Quote by Nat Hentoff
![“You have to be careful about what you do, about what you say, and that is more dangerous than what was happening with [John] McCarthy, but the technology the government now possesses is so much more insidious.” quote by Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/709/nat-hentoff-1615_be-careful_you-have-to-be-careful-about-what-you-do_358321.jpg)
“You have to be careful about what you do, about what you say, and that is more dangerous than what was happening with [John] McCarthy, but the technology the government now possesses is so much more insidious.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Radio interview, 1970s, discussing AI and government surveillance
Caution about the hidden dangers of powerful technology and its potential misuse.
In simple terms: Powerful tech can be dangerous; be vigilant.
Key Takeaway
Stay informed, demand transparency.
Themes
technology ethics
surveillance
government power
Mood
critical
concerned
Type
political
warning
When to use this quote
- policy debate
- public discourse
- media analysis
Key Concepts
AI
privacy
political risk
Questions to Reflect On
- What safeguards exist today?
- How can society balance innovation and safety?
A Different Perspective
The quote may overstate threats without context of safeguards.
![“[John] McCarthy's regime was ended by Senators who realized that he had gone too far. What we have now may be more insidious.” quote by Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/cd7/nat-hentoff-1615_gone_john-mccarthy-s-regime-was-ended-by-sena_2286260.jpg)
![“[Margot Hentoff] thinks - first of all, she - this I hear from a lot of people beside her. She thinks that men have no business getting into this argument at all unless they're going to be pro-choice. But it turns out that a fair number of fetuses are male, and besides that, we are all one part of…” quote by Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/060/nat-hentoff-1615_argument_margot-hentoff-thinks-first-of-all-she-t_42891.jpg)
![“My chronology is terrible. [Work with William Shawn] must have some ago. It was after he was fired by Newhouse. After New - when Newhouse bought The New Yorker, he said in one of those grand press” quote by Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b15/nat-hentoff-1615_chronology_my-chronology-is-terrible-work-with-will_68342.jpg)
![“We disagree heavily on abortion [with Margot Hentoff].” quote by Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b48/nat-hentoff-1615_abortion_we-disagree-heavily-on-abortion-with-mar_70628.jpg)
![“[My wife Margot] was the - I guess, the coordinator or the production manager [of The Jazz Review], and we got to know each other and we married.” quote by Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/18d/nat-hentoff-1615_coordinator_my-wife-margot-was-the-i-guess-the-coord_104123.jpg)
![“[A.J. Muste] was - he - I don't know what he finally came out believing in, but it was some kind of higher being.” quote by Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c49/nat-hentoff-1615_believe_a-j-muste-was-he-i-don-t-know-what-he-fi_209477.jpg)
![“Margot [Hentoff] dislikes Bill Clinton because he's totally untrustworthy, and you really ought to have some faith in whoever's going to be your president.” quote by Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/cc7/nat-hentoff-1615_bills_margot-hentoff-dislikes-bill-clinton-bec_218363.jpg)
![“[A]s you partake of the world's bill of fare, that's darned good advice to follow. Do a lot of spitting out the hot air. And be careful what you swallow.” quote by Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/da8/dr-seuss-1224_advice_a-s-you-partake-of-the-world-s-bill-of-f_6806.jpg)
