Affair Quote by Noam Chomsky
“There is a principle of human affairs that goes back millennia, which is that you don't look in the mirror. You can trace this principle back to the Bible. The designated intellectuals of that time are called prophets, which is a mistranslation of a Hebrew word, but they were basically intellectuals, giving geopolitical analysis, criticizing the moral practice of leadership, etc. Now, these people were not treated very nicely. There were other intellectuals who were treated nicely, namely those who centuries later came to be called false prophets. These were the flatterers of the court.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Lecture on Power and Prophecy, 1998
Societies often ignore self‑reflection, favoring flattering voices over critical truth‑tellers.
In simple terms: People avoid self‑scrutiny, preferring flattering advisors.
Key Takeaway
Seek honest critique, not just praise.
Themes
politics
truth
self‑reflection
Mood
critical
reflective
Type
philosophical
political
When to use this quote
- government advisory
- corporate leadership
- public discourse
Key Concepts
prophecy
intellectual honesty
media bias
Questions to Reflect On
- Are you listening to critics or compliments?
- How does self‑reflection improve leadership?
A Different Perspective
Flattering voices can dominate even when misinformed.
![“I wrote an article about the marine landing [in Haiti] right away, but barely mentioned the oil, because my article would come out two months later and I assumed by then, "of course, everybody knows." Nobody knew. There was a news report in the Wall Street Journal, in the petroleum journals, and…” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/dc5/noam-chomsky-42_articles_i-wrote-an-article-about-the-marine-land_13341.jpg)
