--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Radical activists can't ignore the fact…" description: "\"Radical activists can't ignore the fact that we live in this world, like it or not, and have to make difficult decisions about which paths are the best..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f4/noam-chomsky-42_abstract_radical-activists-can-t-ignore-the-fact_2557493.jpg" --- # Radical activists can't ignore the fact that we live in… ![“Radical activists can't ignore the fact that we live in this world, like it or not, and have to make difficult decisions about which paths are the best - or sometimes, the least harmful. There are no abstract formulas. Have to think through each case on its own.” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f4/noam-chomsky-42_abstract_radical-activists-can-t-ignore-the-fact_2557493.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f4/noam-chomsky-42_abstract_radical-activists-can-t-ignore-the-fact_2557493.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f4/noam-chomsky-42_abstract_radical-activists-can-t-ignore-the-fact_2557493.jpg) > “Radical activists can't ignore the fact that we live in this world, like it or not, and have to make difficult decisions about which paths are the best - or sometimes, the least harmful. There are no abstract formulas. Have to think through each case on its own.” [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. Activists must evaluate each situation individually, avoiding one‑size‑fits‑all formulas, to choose the most ethical and effective actions. **In simple terms:** Each case needs its own judgment. Key Takeaway Assess each situation uniquely. Themes ethics activism decision‑making Mood thoughtful critical engaged Type analytical activist When to use this quote - policy advocacy - community organizing - environmental campaigns - human rights work Key Concepts political theory philosophy social justice Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance principle with practicality? - When is compromise acceptable? A Different Perspective Complex cases can cause analysis paralysis. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abstract](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract/) [Activism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/activism/) [Activist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/activist/) [Activists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/activists/) [Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) [Difficult decisions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult-decisions/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Path](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/path/) [Radical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radical/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“The role of smart, radical activists is to encourage, protract, organize, and multiply the chipping away not only at the mythology of presumed supremacy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-carter/the-role-of-smart-radical-activists-is-to-encourage-protract-organize/) Michael Carter > [Women are in positions of power the most radical of activists could only dream of in 1960.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathleen-schine/women-are-in-positions-of-power-the-most-radical-of-activists-could/) [Cathleen Schine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathleen-schine/) > [Two radical activists in an organizing group sometime despise each other and disagree with each other as much as a Republican and Democratic politician…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-dunham/two-radical-activists-in-an-organizing-group-sometime-despise-each/) [Grace Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-dunham/) > [Part of the reason I had such a drive to be an activist, and support other activists, is because I was raised Quaker and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-raitt/part-of-the-reason-i-had-such-a-drive-to-be-an-activist-and-support/) [Bonnie Raitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-raitt/) > [It's just impossible to ignore the activists in your party. These are the people who stuff the envelopes, and walk the precincts, and make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-robertson/it-s-just-impossible-to-ignore-the-activists-in-your-party-these-are/) [Pat Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-robertson/) > [The activists will not stop in trying to impose their extreme views on the rest of us, and they have now plotted out a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-bunning/the-activists-will-not-stop-in-trying-to-impose-their-extreme-views/) [Jim Bunning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-bunning/) > [My hope for America and the activists is that they never, ever go back to sleep, and they keep fighting for social justice, equality,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-turner/my-hope-for-america-and-the-activists-is-that-they-never-ever-go-back/) [Nina Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-turner/) > [Activists are cultural artists. They envision a world that does not yet exist, and then take action to create that world.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn/activists-are-cultural-artists-they-envision-a-world-that-does-not/) [Robyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn/) > [I love being part of a project that imparts a positive message, is somehow educational or enlightening, helps to bridge differences, or inspires viewers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nazanin-boniadi/i-love-being-part-of-a-project-that-imparts-a-positive-message-is/) [Nazanin Boniadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nazanin-boniadi/) > [There was a time when women activists asked men to stand up for their rights. But this time we will do it by ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/there-was-a-time-when-women-activists-asked-men-to-stand-up-for-their/) [Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/) > [I know the activists I deal with, we sort of try and check each other to make sure that we haven't gone native, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-norquist/i-know-the-activists-i-deal-with-we-sort-of-try-and-check-each-other/) [Grover Norquist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-norquist/) > [My parents were civil rights activists, and my mother was active in the feminist movement. Issues concerning marginalized people and especially women of color…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-holmes/my-parents-were-civil-rights-activists-and-my-mother-was-active-in/) [Anna Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-holmes/) > [Some kinds of activists are more willing to try stuff out, see if works and think on their feet, but some of the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-green/some-kinds-of-activists-are-more-willing-to-try-stuff-out-see-if/) [Duncan Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-green/) > [I think that compared to other politicians who have been put in jail in the past, compared to the human-rights activists in history who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-wong/i-think-that-compared-to-other-politicians-who-have-been-put-in-jail/) [Joshua Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-wong/) > [We must always refill and ensure there is a critical mass of leaders and activists committed to nonviolence and racial and economic justice who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/we-must-always-refill-and-ensure-there-is-a-critical-mass-of-leaders/) [Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/) ## 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. Who should corporations be responsive to, the management of a corporation? Theoretically they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-are-questions-as-to-whether-it-should-even-exist-who-should/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Governments regard their own citizens as their main enemy, and they have to be - protect themselves. That's why you have state secret laws.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/governments-regard-their-own-citizens-as-their-main-enemy-and-they/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I don't join the New Atheists. So, for example, I wouldn't have the arrogance to lecture some mother who hopes to see her dying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-don-t-join-the-new-atheists-so-for-example-i-wouldn-t-have-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The first thing you ought to do is verify what I present. 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 Abstract quotes > [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Wisdom is the abstract of the past, but beauty is the promise of the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wisdom-is-the-abstract-of-the-past-but-beauty-is-the-promise-of-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Where human eyes have never seen, where human beings have never been, I build a world of abstract dreams, and I wait for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-ra/where-human-eyes-have-never-seen-where-human-beings-have-never-been-i/) [Sun Ra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-ra/) > [A little too abstract, a little too wise, It is time for us to kiss the earth again, It is time to let the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robinson-jeffers/a-little-too-abstract-a-little-too-wise-it-is-time-for-us-to-kiss-the/) [Robinson Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robinson-jeffers/) > [“Happy is very abstract, you can't touch it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-veal/happy-is-very-abstract-you-can-t-touch-it/) [Julius Veal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-veal/) > [Abstract Expressionism was invented by New York drunks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/abstract-expressionism-was-invented-by-new-york-drunks/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [The more horrible this world (as today, for instance), the more abstract our art, whereas a happy world brings forth an art of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-klee/the-more-horrible-this-world-as-today-for-instance-the-more-abstract/) [Paul Klee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-klee/) > [Describing comic sensibility is near impossible. It's sort of an abstract silliness, that sometimes the joke isn't the star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-carvey/describing-comic-sensibility-is-near-impossible-it-s-sort-of-an/) [Dana Carvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-carvey/) > [For people of color - especially African Americans - the idea that racist cops might frame members of their community is no abstract notion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/for-people-of-color-especially-african-americans-the-idea-that-racist/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [The word of the Lord never comes to us as an opinion, no attempt is made to support it by argument, it comes as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-w-ivins/the-word-of-the-lord-never-comes-to-us-as-an-opinion-no-attempt-is/) Anthony W. Ivins > [A mobile is an abstract sculpture made chiefly out of sheet metal, steel rods, wire and wood. Some or all of these elements move,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-calder/a-mobile-is-an-abstract-sculpture-made-chiefly-out-of-sheet-metal/) [Alexander Calder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-calder/) > [I'm this superphilosophical kind of person. Stuck in a prison of abstract ideas and overpowering emotions, I have this personality that makes it really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natsuo-kirino/i-m-this-superphilosophical-kind-of-person-stuck-in-a-prison-of/) [Natsuo Kirino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natsuo-kirino/) > [Future lawyers should be more aware that law is not a system of abstract logic, but the web of arrangements, rooted in history but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-frankfurter/future-lawyers-should-be-more-aware-that-law-is-not-a-system-of/) [Felix Frankfurter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-frankfurter/) > [The trouble is that when you read criticisms about the other films that I've made you get the impression that they're all about themes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-haneke/the-trouble-is-that-when-you-read-criticisms-about-the-other-films/) [Michael Haneke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-haneke/) > [Painting is... a richer language than words... Painting operates through signs which are not abstract and incorporeal like words. The signs of painting are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-dubuffet/painting-is-a-richer-language-than-words-painting-operates-through/) [Jean Dubuffet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-dubuffet/) [Browse all 1,403 Abstract quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Radical activists can't ignore the fact that we live in this world, like it or not, and have to make difficult decisions about which paths are the best - or sometimes, the least harmful. There are no abstract formulas. Have to think through each case on its own.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Noam Chomsky" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/radical-activists-can-t-ignore-the-fact-that-we-live-in-this-world/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Abstract" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/radical-activists-can-t-ignore-the-fact-that-we-live-in-this-world/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f4/noam-chomsky-42_abstract_radical-activists-can-t-ignore-the-fact_2557493.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f4/noam-chomsky-42_abstract_radical-activists-can-t-ignore-the-fact_2557493.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f4/noam-chomsky-42_abstract_radical-activists-can-t-ignore-the-fact_2557493.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Radical activists can't ignore the fact that we live in this world, like it or not, and have to make…” — Noam Chomsky", "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": "Noam Chomsky", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Radical activists can't ignore the fact...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/radical-activists-can-t-ignore-the-fact-that-we-live-in-this-world/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/radical-activists-can-t-ignore-the-fact-that-we-live-in-this-world/#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 } } ] } ```