--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We must pose the familiar question about…" description: "\"“We must pose the familiar question about how far our civil liberties have been eroded by the national security state… Somehow it is always a choice be..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21b/niall-ferguson-3627_civil-liberties_we-must-pose-the-familiar-question-about_2161279.png" --- # We must pose the familiar question about how far our civil… ![“We must pose the familiar question about how far our civil liberties have been eroded by the national security state… Somehow it is always a choice between habeas corpus and hundreds of corpses.” quote by Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21b/niall-ferguson-3627_civil-liberties_we-must-pose-the-familiar-question-about_2161279.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21b/niall-ferguson-3627_civil-liberties_we-must-pose-the-familiar-question-about_2161279.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21b/niall-ferguson-3627_civil-liberties_we-must-pose-the-familiar-question-about_2161279.png) > ““We must pose the familiar question about how far our civil liberties have been eroded by the national security state… Somehow it is always a choice between habeas corpus and hundreds of corpses.”” [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote warns that security measures can erode freedoms, forcing a stark choice between legal rights and loss of life. **In simple terms:** Security can sacrifice liberty for safety. Key Takeaway Balance security with civil rights. Themes civil liberties national security human rights Mood cautious critical Type political ethical When to use this quote - policy debates - legal reforms - public protests - journalistic investigations Key Concepts state power ethical trade‑offs Questions to Reflect On - How do we protect safety without sacrificing liberty? - What safeguards can prevent abuse? A Different Perspective Security measures may be overreaching and ineffective. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Civil liberties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-liberties/) [Cybersecurity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cybersecurity/) [Habeas corpus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habeas-corpus/) [Liberties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberties/) [National security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/national-security/) ## Related quotes > [Eisenhower was less deferential to the military than he seemed likely to be, Kennedy was not at all beholden to the pope, George W.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-k-shipler/eisenhower-was-less-deferential-to-the-military-than-he-seemed-likely/) [David K. Shipler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-k-shipler/) > [The way I think liberties get eroded is not that all of a sudden you become an Orwellian state, but gradually it becomes harder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/the-way-i-think-liberties-get-eroded-is-not-that-all-of-a-sudden-you/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [The national security state has many unfair and cruel weapons in its arsenal, but that of junk science is one which can be fought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldrich-ames/the-national-security-state-has-many-unfair-and-cruel-weapons-in-its/) [Aldrich Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldrich-ames/) > [Accountability is the essence of democracy. If people do not know what their government is doing, they cannot be truly self-governing. The national security…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-wills/accountability-is-the-essence-of-democracy-if-people-do-not-know-what/) [Garry Wills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-wills/) > [To make the world safe for those who own it, politically active elements of the owning class have created a national security state that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/to-make-the-world-safe-for-those-who-own-it-politically-active/) [Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/) > [I first met Mr Tarkunde in 1976 during the Emergency, when Civil Liberties had been extinguished and the Habeas Corpus case was being heard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prashant-bhushan/i-first-met-mr-tarkunde-in-1976-during-the-emergency-when-civil/) [Prashant Bhushan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prashant-bhushan/) > [One thing that does seem to me to be fairly consistent is that presidents who restrict civil liberties, even in wartime, are usually judged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-greenberg/one-thing-that-does-seem-to-me-to-be-fairly-consistent-is-that/) [David Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-greenberg/) > [The history of America is to expand civil liberties in a responsible and civil manner. We need to remember that our wonderful Democracy with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcgreevey/the-history-of-america-is-to-expand-civil-liberties-in-a-responsible/) [James McGreevey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcgreevey/) > [The American Civil Liberties Union, has helped neutralize the Judeo-Christian underpinnings of our legal system by seeking new legal precedents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bright/the-american-civil-liberties-union-has-helped-neutralize-the-judeo/) [Bill Bright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bright/) > [Since 9/11 the United States has been followed by countries with bad records, such as the former Soviet Union countries, into erosions of human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-robinson/since-9-11-the-united-states-has-been-followed-by-countries-with-bad/) [Mary Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-robinson/) > [It is no response to assert that the Patriot Act has been useful; what you need to explain is how any particular safeguard would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-sanchez/it-is-no-response-to-assert-that-the-patriot-act-has-been-useful-what/) [Julian Sanchez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-sanchez/) > [I think when people talk about civil liberties, they sometimes forget that action taken to protect the citizen against physical violence and physical attack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-howard/i-think-when-people-talk-about-civil-liberties-they-sometimes-forget/) [John Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-howard/) > [I was on the state board of directors of the American Civil Liberties Union.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-hill/i-was-on-the-state-board-of-directors-of-the-american-civil-liberties/) [Betty Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-hill/) > [It is aspiring tyrants who say that 'civil liberties end when an attack on our safety begins.' Conversely, leaders who wish to preserve the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-d-snyder/it-is-aspiring-tyrants-who-say-that-civil-liberties-end-when-an/) [Timothy D. Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-d-snyder/) > [Using a broad brushstroke, I think Libertarian - most of America are socially accepting and fiscally responsible. I'm in that category. I think, broadly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-johnson/using-a-broad-brushstroke-i-think-libertarian-most-of-america-are/) [Gary Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-johnson/) ## More by Niall Ferguson > [“I wrote this book because I had formed a strong impression that the people currently living were paying insufficient attention to the dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/i-wrote-this-book-because-i-had-formed-a-strong-impression-that-the/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“Consider this: the US economy created 2.4 million jobs in the three years beginning in June 2009. In the same period, 3.3 million Americans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/consider-this-the-us-economy-created-2-4-million-jobs-in-the-three/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [I think the rise of quantitative econometrics and a highly mathematical approach to risk management was the obverse of a decline in interest in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/i-think-the-rise-of-quantitative-econometrics-and-a-highly/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“Is it better today to be in a network, which gives you influence, than in a hierarchy, which gives you power?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/is-it-better-today-to-be-in-a-network-which-gives-you-influence-than/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [As a teacher, my strategy is to encourage questioning. I'm the least authoritarian professor you'll ever meet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/as-a-teacher-my-strategy-is-to-encourage-questioning-i-m-the-least/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [Ask me not, 'Are you rightwing,' but ask me 'Are you a committed believer in individual freedom, the values of the enlightenment?' Then, yeah,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/ask-me-not-are-you-rightwing-but-ask-me-are-you-a-committed-believer/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“Many historians still tend to assume that the spread of an idea or an ideology is a function of its inherent content in relation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/many-historians-still-tend-to-assume-that-the-spread-of-an-idea-or-an/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“the twentieth century ran a series of experiments, imposing quite different institutions on two sets of Germans (in West and East), two sets of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/the-twentieth-century-ran-a-series-of-experiments-imposing-quite/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“Historians are not scientists. They cannot (and should not even trying to) establish universal laws of social or political "physics" with reliable predictive powers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/historians-are-not-scientists-they-cannot-and-should-not-even-trying/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [You really struggle to be a successful empire if you are also the world's biggest debtor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/you-really-struggle-to-be-a-successful-empire-if-you-are-also-the/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“One difficulty is that we cannot always reconstruct the past thoughts of these non-Western peoples, for not all of them existed in civilizations with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/one-difficulty-is-that-we-cannot-always-reconstruct-the-past-thoughts/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [If young men have jobs - or the prospects of jobs - they are less likely to take up arms, they are less likely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/if-young-men-have-jobs-or-the-prospects-of-jobs-they-are-less-likely/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [I think that it is important to be gregarious, and that friendships are not just a leisure pursuit, that they are an integral part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/i-think-that-it-is-important-to-be-gregarious-and-that-friendships/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“The question was simply this: Would the world be French or British?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/the-question-was-simply-this-would-the-world-be-french-or-british/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“it is not ‘Eurocentrism’ or (anti-)‘Orientalism’ to say that the rise of Western civilization is the single most important historical phenomenon of the second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/it-is-not-eurocentrism-or-anti-orientalism-to-say-that-the-rise-of/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) [Explore all 124 Niall Ferguson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) ## More Civil liberties quotes > [I can say across Europe that many principles that have been taken for granted here around free speech, and around civil liberties and an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-can-say-across-europe-that-many-principles-that-have-been-taken-for/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Using a broad brushstroke, I think Libertarian - most of America are socially accepting and fiscally responsible. I'm in that category. I think, broadly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-johnson/using-a-broad-brushstroke-i-think-libertarian-most-of-america-are/) [Gary Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-johnson/) > [As long as I have any choice in the matter, I shall live only in a country where civil liberty, tolerance and equality of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/as-long-as-i-have-any-choice-in-the-matter-i-shall-live-only-in-a/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [It is aspiring tyrants who say that 'civil liberties end when an attack on our safety begins.' Conversely, leaders who wish to preserve the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-d-snyder/it-is-aspiring-tyrants-who-say-that-civil-liberties-end-when-an/) [Timothy D. Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-d-snyder/) > [Since I became chairman, I've tried to turn EFF into civil liberties and responsibilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-dyson/since-i-became-chairman-i-ve-tried-to-turn-eff-into-civil-liberties/) [Esther Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-dyson/) > [For the hundreds of thousands of Californians in gay and lesbian households who are managing their day-to-day lives, this decision affirms the full legal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-schwarzenegger/for-the-hundreds-of-thousands-of-californians-in-gay-and-lesbian/) [Arnold Schwarzenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-schwarzenegger/) > [“It's almost hard to imagine anything more undemocratic than the view that political officials should not debate American wars in public, but only express…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/it-s-almost-hard-to-imagine-anything-more-undemocratic-than-the-view/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [Critics have stepped up their attacks on the President for authorizing the National Security Agency to listen to international communications of known al Qaeda…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-mcclellan/critics-have-stepped-up-their-attacks-on-the-president-for/) [Scott McClellan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-mcclellan/) > [I was on the state board of directors of the American Civil Liberties Union.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-hill/i-was-on-the-state-board-of-directors-of-the-american-civil-liberties/) [Betty Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-hill/) > [George W. Bush and his administration embarked on a full-scale assault on civil liberties, human rights and the rule of law, walking away from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bianca-jagger/george-w-bush-and-his-administration-embarked-on-a-full-scale-assault/) [Bianca Jagger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bianca-jagger/) > [I have very real concerns about the civil liberties implications of ultimately requiring every resident to submit themselves for compulsory fingerprinting or some other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-hewitt/i-have-very-real-concerns-about-the-civil-liberties-implications-of/) [Patricia Hewitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-hewitt/) > [I think when people talk about civil liberties, they sometimes forget that action taken to protect the citizen against physical violence and physical attack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-howard/i-think-when-people-talk-about-civil-liberties-they-sometimes-forget/) [John Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-howard/) > [“Fugitive Peace (Sonnet 2219) In the opera of war, peace is fugitive - thinking soldiers are no good to state, either you kill without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/fugitive-peace-sonnet-2219-in-the-opera-of-war-peace-is-fugitive/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [It is no response to assert that the Patriot Act has been useful; what you need to explain is how any particular safeguard would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-sanchez/it-is-no-response-to-assert-that-the-patriot-act-has-been-useful-what/) [Julian Sanchez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-sanchez/) > [Funny, for all surveillance, Osama bin Laden is still free—and we're not. Guess who's winning the "war on terror?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/funny-for-all-surveillance-osama-bin-laden-is-still-free-and-we-re/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) [Browse all 325 Civil liberties quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-liberties/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We must pose the familiar question about how far our civil liberties have been eroded by the national security state… Somehow it is always a choice between habeas corpus and hundreds of corpses.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Niall Ferguson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/we-must-pose-the-familiar-question-about-how-far-our-civil-liberties/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Civil liberties" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/we-must-pose-the-familiar-question-about-how-far-our-civil-liberties/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21b/niall-ferguson-3627_civil-liberties_we-must-pose-the-familiar-question-about_2161279.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21b/niall-ferguson-3627_civil-liberties_we-must-pose-the-familiar-question-about_2161279.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21b/niall-ferguson-3627_civil-liberties_we-must-pose-the-familiar-question-about_2161279.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We must pose the familiar question about how far our civil liberties have been eroded by the national…” — Niall Ferguson", "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": "Niall Ferguson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“We must pose the familiar question...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/we-must-pose-the-familiar-question-about-how-far-our-civil-liberties/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/we-must-pose-the-familiar-question-about-how-far-our-civil-liberties/#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 } } ] } ```