--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One of the truths about the world is that…" description: "\"One of the truths about the world is that there are two superpowers, one a huge power which happens to have its boot on your neck; another, a smaller p..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe5/noam-chomsky-42_boots_one-of-the-truths-about-the-world-is-tha_1416011.jpg" --- # One of the truths about the world is that there are two… ![“One of the truths about the world is that there are two superpowers, one a huge power which happens to have its boot on your neck; another, a smaller power which happens to have its boot on other people's necks. I think that anyone in the Third World would be making a grave error if they succumbed…” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe5/noam-chomsky-42_boots_one-of-the-truths-about-the-world-is-tha_1416011.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe5/noam-chomsky-42_boots_one-of-the-truths-about-the-world-is-tha_1416011.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe5/noam-chomsky-42_boots_one-of-the-truths-about-the-world-is-tha_1416011.jpg) > “One of the truths about the world is that there are two superpowers, one a huge power which happens to have its boot on your neck; another, a smaller power which happens to have its boot on other people's necks. I think that anyone in the Third World would be making a grave error if they succumbed to illusions about these matters” [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The world is dominated by two powers: a dominant superpower oppressing others, and a lesser power oppressing its own people; both create oppression. **In simple terms:** Two powers oppress: one globally, one locally. Key Takeaway Recognize and resist both forms of oppression. Themes power oppression global politics colonialism Mood critical reflective Type political philosophical When to use this quote - activism - policy analysis - human rights advocacy Key Concepts hegemony imperialism social justice Questions to Reflect On - How do we identify subtle forms of oppression? - What strategies can empower the oppressed? A Different Perspective Power structures can be complex and interwoven, making resistance challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Boots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boots/) [Errors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/errors/) [Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graves/) [Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens/) [Huge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/huge/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Illusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illusion/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Necks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/necks/) [Necks Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/necks-think-2697954/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Power Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power-happens-2518751/) [Superpower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superpower/) [Superpowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superpowers/) [Superpowers Huge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superpowers-huge-5003159/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Third world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/third-world/) [Thirds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thirds/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World Superpowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-superpowers-5003158/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) ## Related quotes > [If you think you have no power over what happens in the outside world, this is a belief and an agreement you have made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-marciniak/if-you-think-you-have-no-power-over-what-happens-in-the-outside-world/) [Barbara Marciniak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-marciniak/) > [“Wilber, the only people that I think are nuts are the ones who don’t put their necks out once in a while. 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Solitude is the key to being able to make effective decisions and then having the courage of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/solitude-is-one-of-our-great-superpowers-solitude-is-the-key-to-being/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“The best part of having superpowers is that most of the time other people do not even know that you have them— like when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenna-twohy/the-best-part-of-having-superpowers-is-that-most-of-the-time-other/) [Brenna Twohy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenna-twohy/) > [Ever since I've been a little kid I've always wanted superpowers, which is the coolest thing in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-ludwig/ever-since-i-ve-been-a-little-kid-i-ve-always-wanted-superpowers/) [Alexander Ludwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-ludwig/) > [It has always struck me as the world's great fortune that the two great superpowers were the United States and the Soviet Union, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-friedman/it-has-always-struck-me-as-the-world-s-great-fortune-that-the-two/) [George Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-friedman/) > [You have superpowers. I don't have supernerves so don't get on them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-viehl/you-have-superpowers-i-don-t-have-supernerves-so-don-t-get-on-them/) [Lynn Viehl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-viehl/) > [I'm a normal person and I don't have superpowers! I do normal things, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larisa-oleynik/i-m-a-normal-person-and-i-don-t-have-superpowers-i-do-normal-things/) [Larisa Oleynik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larisa-oleynik/) > [I believe technology should give us superpowers. Everyone should have the opportunity to learn to think, analyze, and create with technology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mason/i-believe-technology-should-give-us-superpowers-everyone-should-have/) [Hilary Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mason/) > [I discovered that my insecurities and my flaws were things that I actually need to embrace, and I let them become my superpowers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/skylar-grey/i-discovered-that-my-insecurities-and-my-flaws-were-things-that-i/) [Skylar Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/skylar-grey/) > [I have superpowers when I have a glass of wine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-zolciak/i-have-superpowers-when-i-have-a-glass-of-wine/) [Kim Zolciak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-zolciak/) > [Humans have real superpowers and when I see my dad, and saw my dad, work with communities and help people change viewpoints, and lead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-e-brown/humans-have-real-superpowers-and-when-i-see-my-dad-and-saw-my-dad/) [Guillermo E. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-e-brown/) > [The superpowers often behave like two heavily armed blind men feeling their way around a room, each believing himself in mortal peril from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-superpowers-often-behave-like-two-heavily-armed-blind-men-feeling/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Noam Chomsky > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [If you believe in democracy, why shouldn't you know what the government is doing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/if-you-believe-in-democracy-why-shouldn-t-you-know-what-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [It’s a shameful moment for U.S. media when it insists on being subservient to the grotesque propaganda agencies of a violent, aggressive state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/it-s-a-shameful-moment-for-u-s-media-when-it-insists-on-being/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There are questions as to whether it should even exist. 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Just because I say it doesn't make it true. So check it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-first-thing-you-ought-to-do-is-verify-what-i-present-just-because/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [ I wrote an article about the marine landing \[in Haiti\] right away, but barely mentioned the oil, because my article would come out two… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-wrote-an-article-about-the-marine-landing-in-haiti-right-away-but/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [American society is now remarkably atomized. Political organizations have collapsed. In fact, it seems like even bowling leagues are collapsing. The left has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/american-society-is-now-remarkably-atomized-political-organizations/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Discovery is the ability to be puzzled by simple things. Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/discovery-is-the-ability-to-be-puzzled-by-simple-things-noam-chomsky/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There's an interesting book about that called The Third Reich and the Ivory Tower, written by Stephen H. Norwood. It has a long discussion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-s-an-interesting-book-about-that-called-the-third-reich-and-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [This is class war on an international scale, and power is in the hands of those who control the international economic system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/this-is-class-war-on-an-international-scale-and-power-is-in-the-hands/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There are big, extremely irrational parts of the society, and they have now been mobilized politically by the Republican establishment, hoping that these people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-are-big-extremely-irrational-parts-of-the-society-and-they-have/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There's plenty to criticize about the mass media, but they are the source of regular information about a wide range of topics. You can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-s-plenty-to-criticize-about-the-mass-media-but-they-are-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The 50,000 Korean mercenaries we had in Vietnam were professional killers and just massacred people outright. And the American army did plenty of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-50-000-korean-mercenaries-we-had-in-vietnam-were-professional/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) [Explore all 2,129 Noam Chomsky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) ## More Boots quotes > [“I hate the way you talk to me And the way you cut your hair I hate the way you drive my car I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-hate-the-way-you-talk-to-me-and-the-way-you-cut-your-hair-i-hate/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [Personally, I don't really have a set style or look. It's pretty much what I feel like wearing that day, from a floral-print dress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shay-mitchell/personally-i-don-t-really-have-a-set-style-or-look-it-s-pretty-much/) [Shay Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shay-mitchell/) > [“The hiking boots the outdoor adventure magazine sent me to buy - large, ungainly potato like things that I have been trying to break…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rakoff/the-hiking-boots-the-outdoor-adventure-magazine-sent-me-to-buy-large/) [david rakoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rakoff/) > [Stop trying to treat music like it's a tennis shoe, something to be branded. If the music industry wants to save money, they should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-tweedy/stop-trying-to-treat-music-like-it-s-a-tennis-shoe-something-to-be/) [Jeff Tweedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-tweedy/) > [We did rent some houses in different hub cities which made it that we weren't in hotels all the time. But we're on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-fisher/we-did-rent-some-houses-in-different-hub-cities-which-made-it-that-we/) [Mike Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-fisher/) > [He won't, won't he? Then bring me my boots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-harris-barham/he-won-t-won-t-he-then-bring-me-my-boots/) [Richard Harris Barham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-harris-barham/) > [I've always got such high expectations for myself. I'm aware of them, but I can't relax them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-decker/i-ve-always-got-such-high-expectations-for-myself-i-m-aware-of-them/) [Mary Decker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-decker/) > [“You can't judge a book by its steel-toed combat boots.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/you-can-t-judge-a-book-by-its-steel-toed-combat-boots/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [“He felt more human with his boots on. A man can face the world with something on his feet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/he-felt-more-human-with-his-boots-on-a-man-can-face-the-world-with/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [Iron and coal dominated everywhere, from grey to black: the black boots, the black stove-pipe hat, the black coach or carriage, the black iron…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-mumford/iron-and-coal-dominated-everywhere-from-grey-to-black-the-black-boots/) [Lewis Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-mumford/) > [I have crooked toes from wearing boots that didn't fit me because that's all I could afford as a kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lomu/i-have-crooked-toes-from-wearing-boots-that-didn-t-fit-me-because/) [Jonah Lomu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lomu/) > [I always felt so much more comfortable in the Western. 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Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [I wore hot pants and cowboy boots and I thought, 'What have I gotten myself into?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alek-wek/i-wore-hot-pants-and-cowboy-boots-and-i-thought-what-have-i-gotten/) [Alek Wek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alek-wek/) [Browse all 1,025 Boots quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boots/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "One of the truths about the world is that there are two superpowers, one a huge power which happens to have its boot on your neck; another, a smaller power which happens to have its boot on other people's necks. 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