--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What happened in the missile crisis in…" description: "\"What happened in the missile crisis in October 1962 has been prettified to make it look as if acts of courage and thoughtfulness abounded. The truth is..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aef/noam-chomsky-42_acts_what-happened-in-the-missile-crisis-in-o_821354.jpg" --- # What happened in the missile crisis in October 1962 has… ![“What happened in the missile crisis in October 1962 has been prettified to make it look as if acts of courage and thoughtfulness abounded. The truth is that the whole episode was almost insane.” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aef/noam-chomsky-42_acts_what-happened-in-the-missile-crisis-in-o_821354.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aef/noam-chomsky-42_acts_what-happened-in-the-missile-crisis-in-o_821354.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aef/noam-chomsky-42_acts_what-happened-in-the-missile-crisis-in-o_821354.jpg) > “What happened in the missile crisis in October 1962 has been prettified to make it look as if acts of courage and thoughtfulness abounded. The truth is that the whole episode was almost insane.” [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. Historical narratives often romanticize events, obscuring the chaotic and irrational nature of reality. **In simple terms:** History is sometimes prettified, hiding chaos. Key Takeaway Question sanitized versions of history. Themes history media critical thinking Mood critical skeptical Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - education - news consumption - political debate - public policy Key Concepts political science philosophy Questions to Reflect On - How does this narrative affect public perception? - What evidence reveals the true complexity? A Different Perspective Romanticizing can inspire but also mislead. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acts of courage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acts-of-courage/) [Courage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage/) [Crisis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crisis/) [Missile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/missile/) [October](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/october/) [Thoughtfulness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thoughtfulness/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [The most terrifying moment in my life was October 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis. I did not know all the facts - we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-rotblat/the-most-terrifying-moment-in-my-life-was-october-1962-during-the/) [Joseph Rotblat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-rotblat/) > [The events of October 1962 are widely hailed as Kennedy's finest hour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-events-of-october-1962-are-widely-hailed-as-kennedy-s-finest-hour/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [ Of course, nobody does \[want another Cuban Missile Crisis\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/of-course-nobody-does-want-another-cuban-missile-crisis/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [But the most important thing about that story, which is not often told, is that as a result after the Cuban missile crisis, immediate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kay/but-the-most-important-thing-about-that-story-which-is-not-often-told/) [David Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kay/) > [The lesson of the Cuban Missile Crisis is plain: Strength prevents war; weakness invites it. We need a commander-in-chief who understands that - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-l-herman/the-lesson-of-the-cuban-missile-crisis-is-plain-strength-prevents-war/) [Arthur L. Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-l-herman/) > [I remember very vividly, as a child growing up in England, living through the Cuban Missile Crisis. For a few days, the entire biosphere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-christian/i-remember-very-vividly-as-a-child-growing-up-in-england-living/) [David Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-christian/) > [“If you read British Foreign Office records from the 1940s, it’s clear they recognised that their day in the sun was over and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/if-you-read-british-foreign-office-records-from-the-1940s-it-s-clear/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“O love, how did you get here? --from "Nick and the Candlestick", written 29 October 1962”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/o-love-how-did-you-get-here-from-nick-and-the-candlestick-written-29/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [In November 2008, the day of the presidential election, Israeli military forces invaded Gaza and killed half a dozen Hamas militants. Well, that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/in-november-2008-the-day-of-the-presidential-election-israeli/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Millions of Millennials and Gen Zers were never exposed to the threats of the Soviet Union; they did not live through the fall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-lowrey/millions-of-millennials-and-gen-zers-were-never-exposed-to-the/) [Annie Lowrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-lowrey/) > [President Kennedy didn't negotiate out of the Cuban missile crisis simply because he and Khrushchev got along well. Khrushchev didn't have the cards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/president-kennedy-didn-t-negotiate-out-of-the-cuban-missile-crisis/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [Look at what President Kennedy managed to achieve during the Cuban missile crisis. If Bush had been president in 1962, do you think he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bianca-jagger/look-at-what-president-kennedy-managed-to-achieve-during-the-cuban/) [Bianca Jagger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bianca-jagger/) > [“By the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Eisenhower’s test ban had failed, and the United States and the Soviet Union had both returned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/by-the-time-of-the-cuban-missile-crisis-eisenhower-s-test-ban-had/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [Originally, John Kennedy was going to come speak, and then Lyndon Johnson. Because it was October of '62, neither made it because of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-maraniss/originally-john-kennedy-was-going-to-come-speak-and-then-lyndon/) [David Maraniss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-maraniss/) > [“The 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis came well before the current age of AI, yet computers were in use and technology played a critical role…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-rickards/the-1962-cuban-missile-crisis-came-well-before-the-current-age-of-ai/) [James Rickards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-rickards/) ## 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 Acts quotes > [Each of our acts makes a statement as to our purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-buscaglia/each-of-our-acts-makes-a-statement-as-to-our-purpose/) [Leo Buscaglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-buscaglia/) > [The Constitution is very clear on the - on the declaration of war or reacting to international crimes - crimes against nations. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-pitts/the-constitution-is-very-clear-on-the-on-the-declaration-of-war-or/) Joe Pitts > [God only acts and is, in existing beings or men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/god-only-acts-and-is-in-existing-beings-or-men/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [Poetry is a lousy form of activism; it doesn't really change much. And maybe we can point to one or two historical times when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-gottlieb/poetry-is-a-lousy-form-of-activism-it-doesn-t-really-change-much-and/) [Daphne Gottlieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-gottlieb/) > [We are surrounded every day by countless acts of immeasurable kindness and goodwill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bel-edwards/we-are-surrounded-every-day-by-countless-acts-of-immeasurable/) [John Bel Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bel-edwards/) > [Foreign journalists have to have an approved interpreter assigned them, which they have to pay for, who also acts as guide. As an Iranian,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hooman-majd/foreign-journalists-have-to-have-an-approved-interpreter-assigned/) [Hooman Majd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hooman-majd/) > [I believe that homosexual acts between individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts. I do not believe that the Armed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-pace/i-believe-that-homosexual-acts-between-individuals-are-immoral-and/) [Peter Pace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-pace/) > [“The book of Luke is the account of the Spirit-empowered ministry of Jesus on the earth, and Acts is the account of the Spirit-empowered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-driscoll/the-book-of-luke-is-the-account-of-the-spirit-empowered-ministry-of/) [Mark Driscoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-driscoll/) > [I don't meditate before I play or compose, but I see playing and composing as meditative acts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-swallow/i-don-t-meditate-before-i-play-or-compose-but-i-see-playing-and/) Steve Swallow > [“In Acts, every believer was living in a direct relationship with Him (Christ) and each one functioned normally as a member of His body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hon/in-acts-every-believer-was-living-in-a-direct-relationship-with-him/) [Henry Hon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hon/) > [Ladies seem very intrigued by a guy who is ultra confident and acts like he doesn't need you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorma-taccone/ladies-seem-very-intrigued-by-a-guy-who-is-ultra-confident-and-acts/) [Jorma Taccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorma-taccone/) > [In the name of noble purposes men have committed unspeakable acts of cruelty against one another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-william-fulbright/in-the-name-of-noble-purposes-men-have-committed-unspeakable-acts-of/) [J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/) > [How do you make the timelessness of inert, silent objects count for something? How to use the, in a way, dumbness of sculpture in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-gormley/how-do-you-make-the-timelessness-of-inert-silent-objects-count-for/) [Antony Gormley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-gormley/) > [Only free people have an incentive to be virtuous. Only people who bear the consequences of their own acts will care about those consequences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-browne/only-free-people-have-an-incentive-to-be-virtuous-only-people-who/) [Harry Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-browne/) > [The legitimacy of coercive acts in a democracy arises from the process by which they are justified and by the degree to which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/the-legitimacy-of-coercive-acts-in-a-democracy-arises-from-the/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) Browse all 251 Acts quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What happened in the missile crisis in October 1962 has been prettified to make it look as if acts of courage and thoughtfulness abounded. 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