--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When we take an active interest in…" description: "\"“When we take an active interest in matters of doubtful relevance at moments that are chosen by tyrants and spooks, we participate in the demolition of..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5c/timothy-snyder-882_collectively_when-we-take-an-active-interest-in-matte_3220504.jpg" --- # When we take an active interest in matters of doubtful… ![“When we take an active interest in matters of doubtful relevance at moments that are chosen by tyrants and spooks, we participate in the demolition of our own political order. To be sure, we might feel that we are doing nothing more than going along with everyone else. This is true - and it is…” quote by Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5c/timothy-snyder-882_collectively_when-we-take-an-active-interest-in-matte_3220504.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5c/timothy-snyder-882_collectively_when-we-take-an-active-interest-in-matte_3220504.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5c/timothy-snyder-882_collectively_when-we-take-an-active-interest-in-matte_3220504.jpg) > ““When we take an active interest in matters of doubtful relevance at moments that are chosen by tyrants and spooks, we participate in the demolition of our own political order. To be sure, we might feel that we are doing nothing more than going along with everyone else. This is true - and it is what Arendt described as the devolution of a society into a "mob." We can try to solve this problem individually, by securing our own computers; we can also try to solve it collectively, by supporting, for example, organisations that are concerned with human rights.”” [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Passive acceptance of manipulative narratives erodes democratic order; active vigilance is required. **In simple terms:** Ignoring false narratives harms democracy. Key Takeaway Stay informed and support human‑rights groups. Themes politics media citizenship Mood cautious urgent Type political educational When to use this quote - voting - activism - digital security - community organizing Key Concepts democracy propaganda human rights Questions to Reflect On - What steps can you take to verify information? - How can you encourage collective resistance? A Different Perspective Individual actions may seem small against systemic manipulation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arendt-923142/) [Arendt Described](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arendt-described-6052195/) [Collectively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collectively/) [Doubtful Relevance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubtful-relevance-6052196/) [Human rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-rights/) [Political Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-order-1525902/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“The Language of the Third Reich by Victor Klemperer (1947); The Origins of Totalitarianism by Hannah Arendt (1951); The Rebel by Albert Camus (1951);…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/the-language-of-the-third-reich-by-victor-klemperer-1947-the-origins/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“Armed groups first degrade a political order, and then transform it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/armed-groups-first-degrade-a-political-order-and-then-transform-it/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [Arendt did have a certain snobbishness, though in some of her writing she expressed more democratic attitudes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-sukowa/arendt-did-have-a-certain-snobbishness-though-in-some-of-her-writing/) [Barbara Sukowa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-sukowa/) > [“Bureaucracy, as Hannah Arendt defined it: the rule of nobody. Roll”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/bureaucracy-as-hannah-arendt-defined-it-the-rule-of-nobody-roll/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [“Arendt, as we have seen, is committed to understanding totalitarianism in its complete novelty, as an unprecedented phenomenon. It is unprecedented in the strict…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-buckler/arendt-as-we-have-seen-is-committed-to-understanding-totalitarianism/) [Steve Buckler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-buckler/) > [“The aim of totalitarian education has never been to instill convictions but to destroy the capacity to form any.” —Hannah Arendt I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milo-yiannopoulos/the-aim-of-totalitarian-education-has-never-been-to-instill/) [Milo Yiannopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milo-yiannopoulos/) > [“The Jewish historian Hannah Arendt, in her book about the trial of Nazi administrator Adolf Eichmann, observes that in many cases the Nazi camps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-finlay/the-jewish-historian-hannah-arendt-in-her-book-about-the-trial-of/) [Victoria Finlay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-finlay/) > [“as eminent political theorist Hannah Arendt saw back in 1951: “Would-be totalitarian rulers usually start their careers by boasting of their past crimes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-gladstone/as-eminent-political-theorist-hannah-arendt-saw-back-in-1951-would-be/) [Brooke Gladstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-gladstone/) > [“Blücher was wildly popular at Bard, earning commendations as a teacher and raises every year from 1952 until he taught his last class in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-heller/bl-cher-was-wildly-popular-at-bard-earning-commendations-as-a-teacher/) [Anne Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-heller/) > [“Well, as Hannah Arendt famously said, there can be a banal aspect to evil. In other words, it doesn't present always. I mean, often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/well-as-hannah-arendt-famously-said-there-can-be-a-banal-aspect-to/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“Storytelling reveals meaning without committing the error of defining it.” – Hannah Arendt”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-l-adams/storytelling-reveals-meaning-without-committing-the-error-of-defining-2/) [R.L. Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-l-adams/) > [Politics now is fractured. The rising tide of nationalism and populism threatens to consume our politics. Whether it is Trump or Putin abroad, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-swinson/politics-now-is-fractured-the-rising-tide-of-nationalism-and-populism/) [Jo Swinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-swinson/) > [“What is the Third Estate? Everything. What has it been hitherto in the political order? Nothing. What does it desire to be? Something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-joseph-siey-s/what-is-the-third-estate-everything-what-has-it-been-hitherto-in-the/) [Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-joseph-siey-s/) > [“The true state will be oriented against both capitalism and communism. At its center will stand a principle of authority and a transcendent symbol…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-evola/the-true-state-will-be-oriented-against-both-capitalism-and-communism/) [Julius Evola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-evola/) > [“Political order, in short, requires cultural unity, something that politics itself can never provide.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/political-order-in-short-requires-cultural-unity-something-that/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) ## More by Timothy Snyder > [“Nationalism is relativist, since the only truth is the resentment we feel when we contemplate others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/nationalism-is-relativist-since-the-only-truth-is-the-resentment-we/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“The time is out of joint. O cursed spite,/That ever I was born to set it right!” Thus Hamlet. Yet he concludes: “Nay, come,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/the-time-is-out-of-joint-o-cursed-spite-that-ever-i-was-born-to-set/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“the democracies that arose after the First World War (and the Second) often collapsed when a single party seized power in some combination of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/the-democracies-that-arose-after-the-first-world-war-and-the-second/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“salami tactics—slicing off layers of opposition one by one. Most people were distracted, some were imprisoned, and others were outmatched.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/salami-tactics-slicing-off-layers-of-opposition-one-by-one-most/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“We allowed ourselves to accept the politics of inevitability, the sense that history could move in only one direction: toward liberal democracy...We imbibed the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/we-allowed-ourselves-to-accept-the-politics-of-inevitability-the/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“The key to this translation of ideology to politics in both cases was an effective appeal to human experience at the crucial time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/the-key-to-this-translation-of-ideology-to-politics-in-both-cases-was/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“Both of these positions, inevitability and eternity, are antihistorical. The only thing that stands between them is history itself. History allows us to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/both-of-these-positions-inevitability-and-eternity-are-antihistorical/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“The whole notion of disruption is adolescent: It assumes that after the teenagers make a mess, the adults will come and clean it up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/the-whole-notion-of-disruption-is-adolescent-it-assumes-that-after/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“As she observed, “the first essential step on the road to total domination is to kill the juridical person in man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/as-she-observed-the-first-essential-step-on-the-road-to-total/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“The first mode is the open hostility to verifiable reality, which takes the form of presenting inventions and lies as if they were facts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/the-first-mode-is-the-open-hostility-to-verifiable-reality-which/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“Once we subliminally accept that we are watching a reality show rather than thinking about real life, no image can actually hurt the president…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/once-we-subliminally-accept-that-we-are-watching-a-reality-show/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“Confidence in duration is the antidote to panic and the tonic of demagogy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/confidence-in-duration-is-the-antidote-to-panic-and-the-tonic-of/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“Be calm when the unthinkable arrives. Modern tyranny is terror management. When the terrorist attack comes, remember that authoritarians exploit such events in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/be-calm-when-the-unthinkable-arrives-modern-tyranny-is-terror/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“Life is political, not because the world cares about how you feel, but because the world reacts to what you do. The minor choices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/life-is-political-not-because-the-world-cares-about-how-you-feel-but/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“Extremism' certainly sounds bad, and governments often try to make it sound worse by using the word 'terrorism' in the same sentence. But the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/extremism-certainly-sounds-bad-and-governments-often-try-to-make-it/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) [Explore all 339 Timothy Snyder quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) ## More Collectively quotes > [We need enlightenment, not just individually but collectively, to save the planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/we-need-enlightenment-not-just-individually-but-collectively-to-save/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [We know that we are not collectively guilty, so how can we accuse any other nation, no matter what some of its people have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-wiesenthal/we-know-that-we-are-not-collectively-guilty-so-how-can-we-accuse-any/) [Simon Wiesenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-wiesenthal/) > [The key thing about all the world's big problems is that they have to be dealt with collectively. If we don't get collectively smarter,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-engelbart/the-key-thing-about-all-the-world-s-big-problems-is-that-they-have-to/) [Douglas Engelbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-engelbart/) > [We talked about the Internet and Wikipedia and how facts and history are being collectively created online.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joichi-ito/we-talked-about-the-internet-and-wikipedia-and-how-facts-and-history/) [Joichi Ito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joichi-ito/) > [We were not fathers also to convey the promise, as Abraham was; nor although the promise, as collectively taken, had belonged to us, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-goodwin/we-were-not-fathers-also-to-convey-the-promise-as-abraham-was-nor/) [Thomas Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-goodwin/) > [Being on 'Whitney' is a job, but stand-up is my life. I could never stop. There's an art to it. I love having strangers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-d-elia/being-on-whitney-is-a-job-but-stand-up-is-my-life-i-could-never-stop/) [Chris D'Elia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-d-elia/) > [I think it's something that we said collectively, in terms of the fact that we was getting ready to face probably the biggest storms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-carlos/i-think-it-s-something-that-we-said-collectively-in-terms-of-the-fact/) [John Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-carlos/) > [Our free enterprise system of disseminating information is collectively referred to as The Media. But there is no collective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-savitch/our-free-enterprise-system-of-disseminating-information-is/) [Jessica Savitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-savitch/) > [“People on the web don’t settle for what’s given to them; they’re prepared to enquire and challenge and discover and then share that with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-on-the-web-don-t-settle-for-what-s-given-to-them-they-re/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > ['Stupidity' defines the mental state wherein we acknowledge that we've never been smarter as individuals and yet somehow we've never felt stupider. We now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/stupidity-defines-the-mental-state-wherein-we-acknowledge-that-we-ve/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [Motley Crue, collectively and individually, have done things on our own terms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-sixx/motley-crue-collectively-and-individually-have-done-things-on-our-own/) [Nikki Sixx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-sixx/) > [“A group of people get together and exist as an institution we call a company so they are able to accomplish something collectively that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-packard/a-group-of-people-get-together-and-exist-as-an-institution-we-call-a/) [David Packard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-packard/) > [To act collectively is according to the spirit of our institutions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/to-act-collectively-is-according-to-the-spirit-of-our-institutions/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“At present nothing is possible except to extend the area of sanity little by little. We cannot act collectively. We can only spread our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/at-present-nothing-is-possible-except-to-extend-the-area-of-sanity/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [I haven't seen one guy beat five people yet. It needs to be done collectively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-snow/i-haven-t-seen-one-guy-beat-five-people-yet-it-needs-to-be-done/) [Eric Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-snow/) [Browse all 90 Collectively quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collectively/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When we take an active interest in matters of doubtful relevance at moments that are chosen by tyrants and spooks, we participate in the demolition of our own political order. To be sure, we might feel that we are doing nothing more than going along with everyone else. This is true - and it is what Arendt described as the devolution of a society into a \"mob.\" We can try to solve this problem individually, by securing our own computers; we can also try to solve it collectively, by supporting, for example, organisations that are concerned with human rights.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Timothy Snyder" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/when-we-take-an-active-interest-in-matters-of-doubtful-relevance-at/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Collectively" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/when-we-take-an-active-interest-in-matters-of-doubtful-relevance-at/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5c/timothy-snyder-882_collectively_when-we-take-an-active-interest-in-matte_3220504.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5c/timothy-snyder-882_collectively_when-we-take-an-active-interest-in-matte_3220504.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5c/timothy-snyder-882_collectively_when-we-take-an-active-interest-in-matte_3220504.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When we take an active interest in matters of doubtful relevance at moments that are chosen by tyrants and…” — Timothy Snyder", "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": "Timothy Snyder", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“When we take an active interest...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/when-we-take-an-active-interest-in-matters-of-doubtful-relevance-at/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/when-we-take-an-active-interest-in-matters-of-doubtful-relevance-at/#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 } } ] } ```