--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For when everything is classified, then…" description: "\"“For when everything is classified, then nothing is classified, and the system becomes one to be disregarded by the cynical or the careless, and to be ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e80/potter-stewart-22133_classified_for-when-everything-is-classified-then-n_1634570.jpg" --- # For when everything is classified, then nothing is… ![“For when everything is classified, then nothing is classified, and the system becomes one to be disregarded by the cynical or the careless, and to be manipulated by those intent on self-protection or self-promotion." [ New York Times Co. v. United States , 403 U.S. 713 (1971) (concurring)]” quote by Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e80/potter-stewart-22133_classified_for-when-everything-is-classified-then-n_1634570.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e80/potter-stewart-22133_classified_for-when-everything-is-classified-then-n_1634570.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e80/potter-stewart-22133_classified_for-when-everything-is-classified-then-n_1634570.jpg) > ““For when everything is classified, then nothing is classified, and the system becomes one to be disregarded by the cynical or the careless, and to be manipulated by those intent on self-protection or self-promotion." \[ New York Times Co. v. United States , 403 U.S. 713 (1971) (concurring)\]”” [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote warns that over‑classification erodes meaningful secrecy, making systems vulnerable to manipulation and disregard by those who are cynical or careless. **In simple terms:** Too much classification destroys its purpose and invites abuse. Key Takeaway Limit classification to truly necessary information. Themes information security government ethics transparency Mood cautious critical analytical Type legal philosophical political When to use this quote - legal analysis - policy drafting - journalistic practice - government oversight Key Concepts classification theory public trust power dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance transparency with legitimate secrecy? - What safeguards prevent misuse of classification? A Different Perspective Over‑classification can also hinder legitimate secrecy needed for national security. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [York Times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/york-times/) ## Related quotes > [Mr. Luskin also says that Rove did not knowingly disclose classified information and did not tell any reporters that Valerie Plame worked for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-isikoff/mr-luskin-also-says-that-rove-did-not-knowingly-disclose-classified/) [Michael Isikoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-isikoff/) > [While big business gain subsidies and political access, small businesses drown in red tape, and individuals now risk being classified as terrorists for complaining…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zac-goldsmith/while-big-business-gain-subsidies-and-political-access-small/) [Zac Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zac-goldsmith/) > [If California ever developed a vineyard rating system, Saxum's James Berry Vineyard would be classified as one of the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-parker-jr/if-california-ever-developed-a-vineyard-rating-system-saxum-s-james/) [Robert M. Parker, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-parker-jr/) > [Objects can be classified scientifically into three major categories: those that don't work, those that break down and those that get lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-baker/objects-can-be-classified-scientifically-into-three-major-categories/) [Russell Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-baker/) > [I have a condition that is included among the 200 or so classified as Dwarfism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-young/i-have-a-condition-that-is-included-among-the-200-or-so-classified-as/) [Stella Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-young/) > [Users socialize to figure out what they're going to do on the weekend. They use MySpace to discover new music and post events. Musicians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-dewolfe/users-socialize-to-figure-out-what-they-re-going-to-do-on-the-weekend/) [Chris DeWolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-dewolfe/) > [In 1973, the only cryptographic technology we could get our hands on was classified.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/in-1973-the-only-cryptographic-technology-we-could-get-our-hands-on/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [I hate how things must be classified. How this is applied to musicians implies that they somehow contrive their products and have studied the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-rabin/i-hate-how-things-must-be-classified-how-this-is-applied-to-musicians/) [Trevor Rabin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-rabin/) > [Hi, I'm a hero, but I can't tell you why. It's classified.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/hi-i-m-a-hero-but-i-can-t-tell-you-why-it-s-classified/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [Theology is Classified Superstition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/theology-is-classified-superstition/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [I take classified materials very seriously and always have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-take-classified-materials-very-seriously-and-always-have/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [I don't welcome leaks. There's a reason why these programs are classified.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-don-t-welcome-leaks-there-s-a-reason-why-these-programs-are/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [“TF-16 returned to Pearl Harbor on May 26 in good order, with one huge exception: Admiral Halsey, the sixty-year-old commander, arrived back completely exhausted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-a-jenkins/tf-16-returned-to-pearl-harbor-on-may-26-in-good-order-with-one-huge/) [Dale A. Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-a-jenkins/) > [I did not email any classified material to anyone on my email. There is no classified material. I’m certainly well aware of the classification…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-did-not-email-any-classified-material-to-anyone-on-my-email-there/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [The films of Gregg Araki may not be classified as horror, but they have been known to horrify viewers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oneohtrix-point-never/the-films-of-gregg-araki-may-not-be-classified-as-horror-but-they/) [Oneohtrix Point Never](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oneohtrix-point-never/) ## More by Potter Stewart > [May the state fence in the harmless mentally ill solely to save its citizens from exposure to those whose ways are different? One might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/may-the-state-fence-in-the-harmless-mentally-ill-solely-to-save-its/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [The Court today holds the Congress may say that some of the poor are too poor even to go bankrupt. I cannot agree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/the-court-today-holds-the-congress-may-say-that-some-of-the-poor-are/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [In fact, a fundamental interdependence exists between the personal right to liberty and the personal right to property.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/in-fact-a-fundamental-interdependence-exists-between-the-personal/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [To force a lawyer on a defendant can only lead him to believe that the law contrives against him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/to-force-a-lawyer-on-a-defendant-can-only-lead-him-to-believe-that/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [Fairness is what justice really is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/fairness-is-what-justice-really-is/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [These death sentences are cruel and unusual in the same way that being struck by lightning is cruel and unusual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/these-death-sentences-are-cruel-and-unusual-in-the-same-way-that/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [It must always be remembered that what the Constitution forbids is not all searches and seizures, but unreasonable searches and seizures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/it-must-always-be-remembered-that-what-the-constitution-forbids-is/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [We are concerned here only with the imposition of capital punishment for the crime of murder, and when a life has been taken deliberately…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/we-are-concerned-here-only-with-the-imposition-of-capital-punishment/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [The dichotomy between personal liberties and property rights is a false one. Property does not have rights. People have rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/the-dichotomy-between-personal-liberties-and-property-rights-is-a/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [The 4th Amendment and the personal rights it secures have a long history. At the very core stands the right of a man to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/the-4th-amendment-and-the-personal-rights-it-secures-have-a-long/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [Censorship reflects a society's lack of confidence in itself. It is a hallmark of an authoritarian regime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/censorship-reflects-a-society-s-lack-of-confidence-in-itself-it-is-a/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [ The equal protection standard of the constitution has one clear and central meaning - it absolutely prohibits invidious \[repugnant\] discrimination by government...Under our Constitution,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/the-equal-protection-standard-of-the-constitution-has-one-clear-and/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/ethics-is-knowing-the-difference-between-what-you-have-a-right-to-do/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [We dedicated ourselves to a powerful idea - organic law rather than naked power. There seems to be universal acceptance of that idea in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/we-dedicated-ourselves-to-a-powerful-idea-organic-law-rather-than/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [The First Amendment guarantees liberty of human expression in order to preserve in our Nation what Mr. Justice Holmes called a "free trade in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/the-first-amendment-guarantees-liberty-of-human-expression-in-order/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) [Explore all 28 Potter Stewart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) ## More Classified quotes > [Mr. Luskin also says that Rove did not knowingly disclose classified information and did not tell any reporters that Valerie Plame worked for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-isikoff/mr-luskin-also-says-that-rove-did-not-knowingly-disclose-classified/) [Michael Isikoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-isikoff/) > [I did not email any classified material to anyone on my email. There is no classified material. I’m certainly well aware of the classification…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-did-not-email-any-classified-material-to-anyone-on-my-email-there/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [“TF-16 returned to Pearl Harbor on May 26 in good order, with one huge exception: Admiral Halsey, the sixty-year-old commander, arrived back completely exhausted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-a-jenkins/tf-16-returned-to-pearl-harbor-on-may-26-in-good-order-with-one-huge/) [Dale A. Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-a-jenkins/) > [I don't welcome leaks. There's a reason why these programs are classified.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-don-t-welcome-leaks-there-s-a-reason-why-these-programs-are/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I take classified materials very seriously and always have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-take-classified-materials-very-seriously-and-always-have/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Theology is Classified Superstition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/theology-is-classified-superstition/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [Hi, I'm a hero, but I can't tell you why. It's classified.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/hi-i-m-a-hero-but-i-can-t-tell-you-why-it-s-classified/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [I hate how things must be classified. How this is applied to musicians implies that they somehow contrive their products and have studied the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-rabin/i-hate-how-things-must-be-classified-how-this-is-applied-to-musicians/) [Trevor Rabin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-rabin/) > [In 1973, the only cryptographic technology we could get our hands on was classified.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/in-1973-the-only-cryptographic-technology-we-could-get-our-hands-on/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [Users socialize to figure out what they're going to do on the weekend. They use MySpace to discover new music and post events. Musicians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-dewolfe/users-socialize-to-figure-out-what-they-re-going-to-do-on-the-weekend/) [Chris DeWolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-dewolfe/) > [I have a condition that is included among the 200 or so classified as Dwarfism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-young/i-have-a-condition-that-is-included-among-the-200-or-so-classified-as/) [Stella Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-young/) > [Objects can be classified scientifically into three major categories: those that don't work, those that break down and those that get lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-baker/objects-can-be-classified-scientifically-into-three-major-categories/) [Russell Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-baker/) > [If California ever developed a vineyard rating system, Saxum's James Berry Vineyard would be classified as one of the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-parker-jr/if-california-ever-developed-a-vineyard-rating-system-saxum-s-james/) [Robert M. Parker, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-parker-jr/) > [While big business gain subsidies and political access, small businesses drown in red tape, and individuals now risk being classified as terrorists for complaining…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zac-goldsmith/while-big-business-gain-subsidies-and-political-access-small/) [Zac Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zac-goldsmith/) > [The films of Gregg Araki may not be classified as horror, but they have been known to horrify viewers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oneohtrix-point-never/the-films-of-gregg-araki-may-not-be-classified-as-horror-but-they/) [Oneohtrix Point Never](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oneohtrix-point-never/) Browse all 58 Classified quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“For when everything is classified, then nothing is classified, and the system becomes one to be disregarded by the cynical or the careless, and to be manipulated by those intent on self-protection or self-promotion.\" [ New York Times Co. v. 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