--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The people we call the prophets I think…" description: "\"The people we call the prophets I think are the earliest dissident intellectuals, and they're treated like most dissident intellectuals - very badly. T..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87d/noam-chomsky-42_ahab_the-people-we-call-the-prophets-i-think_2254422.jpg" --- # The people we call the prophets I think are the earliest… ![“The people we call the prophets I think are the earliest dissident intellectuals, and they're treated like most dissident intellectuals - very badly. They're imprisoned, driven into the desert. King Ahab, the epitome of evil in the Bible, condemned Elijah as a "hater of Israel." This is the first…” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87d/noam-chomsky-42_ahab_the-people-we-call-the-prophets-i-think_2254422.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87d/noam-chomsky-42_ahab_the-people-we-call-the-prophets-i-think_2254422.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87d/noam-chomsky-42_ahab_the-people-we-call-the-prophets-i-think_2254422.jpg) > “The people we call the prophets I think are the earliest dissident intellectuals, and they're treated like most dissident intellectuals - very badly. They're imprisoned, driven into the desert. King Ahab, the epitome of evil in the Bible, condemned Elijah as a "hater of Israel." This is the first self-hating Jew, the origin of the term. It goes right up to the present. That's the history of intellectuals.” [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. Prophets are early dissenters, often punished; history repeats with modern intellectuals facing oppression. **In simple terms:** Dissenting thinkers are historically persecuted. Key Takeaway Support and protect free thinkers. Themes freedom of speech political oppression history Mood critical serious Type political philosophical When to use this quote - academia - activism - human rights Key Concepts intellectual autonomy state power Questions to Reflect On - How can societies safeguard dissent? - What role do intellectuals play today? A Different Perspective Oppression can silence valuable critique. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ahab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ahab/) [Desert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desert/) [Dissident](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dissident/) [Dissident Intellectuals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dissident-intellectuals-3490853/) [Dissidents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dissidents/) [Driven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/driven/) [Earliest Dissident](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earliest-dissident-5162747/) [Elijah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elijah/) [Elijah Hater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elijah-hater-5162748/) [Epitome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/epitome/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Evil In The Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil-in-the-bible-228026/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Jew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jew/) [Kings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kings/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Prophet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prophet/) [Prophets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prophets/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Term](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/term/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Treated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treated/) ## Related quotes > [Dissident intellectuals aren't all beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/dissident-intellectuals-aren-t-all-beautiful/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The "prophets" were what we would call dissident intellectuals. They provided critical geopolitical analysis, condemned the crimes of the powerful, called for justice and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-prophets-were-what-we-would-call-dissident-intellectuals-they/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Prophet just means intellectual. They were people giving geopolitical analysis, moral lessons, that sort of thing. We call them intellectuals today. There were the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/prophet-just-means-intellectual-they-were-people-giving-geopolitical/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I know of only one country, at least to my knowledge, which has a dissident culture where leading figures, I mean, the most famous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-know-of-only-one-country-at-least-to-my-knowledge-which-has-a/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“one captain, seizing the line-knife from his broken prow, had dashed at the whale, as an Arkansas duelist at his foe, blindly seeking with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/one-captain-seizing-the-line-knife-from-his-broken-prow-had-dashed-at/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [Captain Ahab: I do not sleep, I die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby-dick/captain-ahab-i-do-not-sleep-i-die/) [Moby Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby-dick/) > [Satan turned Eve's eye to the apple, Achan's eye to the wedge of gold, Ahab's eye to Naboth's vineyard, and then what work did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-alleine/satan-turned-eve-s-eye-to-the-apple-achan-s-eye-to-the-wedge-of-gold/) [Joseph Alleine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-alleine/) > [Those whom God calls to such a ministry - and a call is essential - must be prepared for a pathway of unpopularity and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-wallis/those-whom-god-calls-to-such-a-ministry-and-a-call-is-essential-must/) [Arthur Wallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-wallis/) > [ His \[Elijah\] heart was beginning to give signs of alarm; he was enjoying being at this woman's side. Love could be a more frightening… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/his-elijah-heart-was-beginning-to-give-signs-of-alarm-he-was-enjoying/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bible/so-ahab-went-up-to-eat-and-to-drink-and-elijah-went-up-to-the-top-of/) [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bible/) > [Captain Ahab drowned, he reminded himself; it was the trimmer, Ishmael, who survived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/captain-ahab-drowned-he-reminded-himself-it-was-the-trimmer-ishmael/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Captain Ahab was neither my first husband nor my last.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sena-jeter-naslund/captain-ahab-was-neither-my-first-husband-nor-my-last/) [Sena Jeter Naslund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sena-jeter-naslund/) > [I see 'Ahab's Wife' as offering an alternative vision to](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/i-see-ahab-s-wife-as-offering-an-alternative-vision-to/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [“It was a black and hooded head; and hanging there in the midst of so intense a calm, it seemed the Sphynx’s in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/it-was-a-black-and-hooded-head-and-hanging-there-in-the-midst-of-so/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [“To accomplish his object Ahab must use tools; and of all tools used in the shadow of the moon, men are most apt to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/to-accomplish-his-object-ahab-must-use-tools-and-of-all-tools-used-in/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) ## 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 Ahab quotes > [So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bible/so-ahab-went-up-to-eat-and-to-drink-and-elijah-went-up-to-the-top-of/) [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bible/) > [“It was a black and hooded head; and hanging there in the midst of so intense a calm, it seemed the Sphynx’s in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/it-was-a-black-and-hooded-head-and-hanging-there-in-the-midst-of-so/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [I see 'Ahab's Wife' as offering an alternative vision to](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/i-see-ahab-s-wife-as-offering-an-alternative-vision-to/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [“Captain Ahab was neither my first husband nor my last.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sena-jeter-naslund/captain-ahab-was-neither-my-first-husband-nor-my-last/) [Sena Jeter Naslund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sena-jeter-naslund/) > [Prophet just means intellectual. They were people giving geopolitical analysis, moral lessons, that sort of thing. We call them intellectuals today. There were the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/prophet-just-means-intellectual-they-were-people-giving-geopolitical/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Captain Ahab drowned, he reminded himself; it was the trimmer, Ishmael, who survived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/captain-ahab-drowned-he-reminded-himself-it-was-the-trimmer-ishmael/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [ His \[Elijah\] heart was beginning to give signs of alarm; he was enjoying being at this woman's side. Love could be a more frightening… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/his-elijah-heart-was-beginning-to-give-signs-of-alarm-he-was-enjoying/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Those whom God calls to such a ministry - and a call is essential - must be prepared for a pathway of unpopularity and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-wallis/those-whom-god-calls-to-such-a-ministry-and-a-call-is-essential-must/) [Arthur Wallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-wallis/) > [Satan turned Eve's eye to the apple, Achan's eye to the wedge of gold, Ahab's eye to Naboth's vineyard, and then what work did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-alleine/satan-turned-eve-s-eye-to-the-apple-achan-s-eye-to-the-wedge-of-gold/) [Joseph Alleine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-alleine/) > [Captain Ahab: I do not sleep, I die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby-dick/captain-ahab-i-do-not-sleep-i-die/) [Moby Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby-dick/) > [“one captain, seizing the line-knife from his broken prow, had dashed at the whale, as an Arkansas duelist at his foe, blindly seeking with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/one-captain-seizing-the-line-knife-from-his-broken-prow-had-dashed-at/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [“To accomplish his object Ahab must use tools; and of all tools used in the shadow of the moon, men are most apt to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/to-accomplish-his-object-ahab-must-use-tools-and-of-all-tools-used-in/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [Is Ahab, Ahab? Is it I, God, or who, that lifts this arm? But if the great sun move not of himself; but is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/is-ahab-ahab-is-it-i-god-or-who-that-lifts-this-arm-but-if-the-great/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [“I leave a white and turbid wake; pale waters, paler cheeks, where'er I sail. The envious billows sidelong swell to whelm my track; let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/i-leave-a-white-and-turbid-wake-pale-waters-paler-cheeks-where-er-i-2/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [“She felt like Captain Ahab, for the first time sighting his great white whale.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/she-felt-like-captain-ahab-for-the-first-time-sighting-his-great/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) [Browse all 26 Ahab quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ahab/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The people we call the prophets I think are the earliest dissident intellectuals, and they're treated like most dissident intellectuals - very badly. They're imprisoned, driven into the desert. 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