--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Whether or not Big Brother is watching…" description: "\"Whether or not Big Brother is watching us, we certainly have to watch him, which may be even worse.\" — Wilfrid Sheed" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed6/wilfrid-sheed-18089_bigs_whether-or-not-big-brother-is-watching-u_1398367.jpg" --- # Whether or not Big Brother is watching us, we certainly… ![“Whether or not Big Brother is watching us, we certainly have to watch him, which may be even worse.” quote by Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed6/wilfrid-sheed-18089_bigs_whether-or-not-big-brother-is-watching-u_1398367.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed6/wilfrid-sheed-18089_bigs_whether-or-not-big-brother-is-watching-u_1398367.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed6/wilfrid-sheed-18089_bigs_whether-or-not-big-brother-is-watching-u_1398367.jpg) > “Whether or not Big Brother is watching us, we certainly have to watch him, which may be even worse.” [Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We must monitor those in power, because unchecked surveillance can become more oppressive than being watched. **In simple terms:** Watch the watchers to prevent abuse. Key Takeaway Never assume authority is benign. Themes power surveillance responsibility freedom Mood cautious critical reflective Type political ethical philosophical When to use this quote - political activism - journalism - privacy advocacy - community oversight - whistleblowing Key Concepts authoritarianism ethical vigilance social contract Questions to Reflect On - How do we ensure accountability without creating paranoia? - What safeguards can prevent misuse of surveillance? A Different Perspective Power can be abused even without overt surveillance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brother/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) ## Related quotes > [Big Brother is watching you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/big-brother-is-watching-you/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Big Brother is watching... look busy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-boyd/big-brother-is-watching-look-busy/) [Brandon Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-boyd/) > [I had always thought of Chris as my kid brother and watching how this kid, as I still thought of him, had affected so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-kidder/i-had-always-thought-of-chris-as-my-kid-brother-and-watching-how-this-2/) [Margot Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-kidder/) > [“BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU, the”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/big-brother-is-watching-you-the/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [I had always thought of Chris as my kid brother and watching how this kid, as I still thought of him, had affected so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-kidder/i-had-always-thought-of-chris-as-my-kid-brother-and-watching-how-this/) [Margot Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-kidder/) > [LeBron's been like a big brother to me, watching me play and giving me pointers on just little things. I really look up to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-simmons/lebron-s-been-like-a-big-brother-to-me-watching-me-play-and-giving-me/) [Ben Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-simmons/) > [“Do you think, maybe, we could continue this someplace more private? Because I can see your brother watching us from behind that palm tree--and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-croft/do-you-think-maybe-we-could-continue-this-someplace-more-private/) [Sydney Croft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-croft/) > [If watching is all you're going to do, then you're going to watch your life go by without you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/if-watching-is-all-you-re-going-to-do-then-you-re-going-to-watch-your/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [What happens: events interiors, snatch them from the cradle, from the source. I want to watch watching arrive. I want to watch arrivances. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-ne-cixous/what-happens-events-interiors-snatch-them-from-the-cradle-from-the/) [Helene Cixous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-ne-cixous/) > [At home, I watch fights and documentaries - that's it. If it's not about the birth and death of stars, 'Frozen Planet,' or someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronda-rousey/at-home-i-watch-fights-and-documentaries-that-s-it-if-it-s-not-about/) [Ronda Rousey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronda-rousey/) > [Watch what you say and do because little eyes are watching you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/watch-what-you-say-and-do-because-little-eyes-are-watching-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'd noticed him watching me for a year or so, especially when we'd play games where there was running or jumping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/i-d-noticed-him-watching-me-for-a-year-or-so-especially-when-we-d/) [Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/) > [My first Olympics memory was watching Haile Gebrselassie in Sydney 2000. His sprint finish to defend his title really moved me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-farah/my-first-olympics-memory-was-watching-haile-gebrselassie-in-sydney/) [Mo Farah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-farah/) > [I'm not the sort of person who would want to just lie on the sofa watching TV.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petra-kvitova/i-m-not-the-sort-of-person-who-would-want-to-just-lie-on-the-sofa/) [Petra Kvitova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petra-kvitova/) > [I hate watching myself speak German, it's painful!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-marsch/i-hate-watching-myself-speak-german-it-s-painful/) [Jesse Marsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-marsch/) ## More by Wilfrid Sheed > [For now, I'm supposing that all movements are equal, which they're not, except in this respect: that none of them gives a damn about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/for-now-i-m-supposing-that-all-movements-are-equal-which-they-re-not/) [Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/) > [I myself have not met a self-confessed liberal since the late fifties (and even then it was a tacky thing to admit, like coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/i-myself-have-not-met-a-self-confessed-liberal-since-the-late-fifties/) [Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/) > [For Catholics before Vatican II, the land of the free was pre-eminently the land of Sister Says-except, of course, for Sister, for whom it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/for-catholics-before-vatican-ii-the-land-of-the-free-was-pre/) [Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/) > [I picked up the writing on the very day he died. It was the only consolation I could find.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/i-picked-up-the-writing-on-the-very-day-he-died-it-was-the-only/) [Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/) > [It is possible that the malice of writers has been overrated (by myself among others). Reading their ruminations on their craft, one sees why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/it-is-possible-that-the-malice-of-writers-has-been-overrated-by/) [Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/) > [As things now stand, the office is a slightly meaner battleground than the home. Male bosses seem to dominate their women underlings as they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/as-things-now-stand-the-office-is-a-slightly-meaner-battleground-than/) [Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/) > [Mankind has always made too much of its saints and heroes, and how the latter handle the fuss might be called their final test.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/mankind-has-always-made-too-much-of-its-saints-and-heroes-and-how-the/) [Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/) > [Mushy reviews are a breach of faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/mushy-reviews-are-a-breach-of-faith/) [Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/) > [The actual Irish weather report is really a recording made in 1922, which no one has had occasion to change. "Scattered showers, periods of sunshine."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/the-actual-irish-weather-report-is-really-a-recording-made-in-1922/) [Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/) > [The town is as full as ever of 'characters,' all created by each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/the-town-is-as-full-as-ever-of-characters-all-created-by-each-other/) [Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/) > [You noodle around with tempo and sound until you get the perfect fit for that particular song, and then, so long as you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/you-noodle-around-with-tempo-and-sound-until-you-get-the-perfect-fit/) [Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/) > [Every writer is a writer of the generation before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/every-writer-is-a-writer-of-the-generation-before/) [Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/) > [Mr Michener, as timeless as a stack of National Geographics, is the ultimate Summer Writer. Just as one goes back to the cottage in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/mr-michener-as-timeless-as-a-stack-of-national-geographics-is-the/) [Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/) > [Of course, history is only a muddle of facts and a fuddle of professors, and anyone who thinks it is one clear voice saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/of-course-history-is-only-a-muddle-of-facts-and-a-fuddle-of/) [Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/) > [How does one make a movie about decadence these days? Now that we're allowed to do it, it's too late.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/how-does-one-make-a-movie-about-decadence-these-days-now-that-we-re/) [Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/) [Explore all 35 Wilfrid Sheed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/) ## More Bigs quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [I'm a true believer in prayer, a big believer in prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/i-m-a-true-believer-in-prayer-a-big-believer-in-prayer/) [Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [The only regret I have in my career, is my managers wanted a big payday, and I wanted four or five more fights before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-cooney/the-only-regret-i-have-in-my-career-is-my-managers-wanted-a-big/) [Gerry Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-cooney/) > [It goes to show you how we in the press so often miss the big stories that are right under our noses. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [Okay, so I'll admit I'm curious. Big deal. We both know what that leads to. Dead cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/okay-so-i-ll-admit-i-m-curious-big-deal-we-both-know-what-that-leads/) [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/) > [I don't want this to be a distraction. This has been distracting enough. I'm not going to rehash this going forward. I'm sure other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayson-werth/i-don-t-want-this-to-be-a-distraction-this-has-been-distracting/) [Jayson Werth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayson-werth/) > [I didn't get how big it was until I went home, turned on the television and saw it on all the news, and later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-didn-t-get-how-big-it-was-until-i-went-home-turned-on-the/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/it-s-a-small-thing-to-help-one-animal-but-to-that-one-animal-it-s-a/) [Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/) > [Since I was a little child, my nose - I think it's too big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-dion/since-i-was-a-little-child-my-nose-i-think-it-s-too-big/) [Celine Dion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-dion/) > [People forget that there is a big difference between coercion and persuasion. The idea that evangelism is coercive is nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/people-forget-that-there-is-a-big-difference-between-coercion-and/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I turn a lot of stuff down - big, big movies, the kind I wouldn't want to go to the cinema to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-fox/i-turn-a-lot-of-stuff-down-big-big-movies-the-kind-i-wouldn-t-want-to/) [Matthew Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-fox/) > [I got in trouble my whole life for having a big mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/i-got-in-trouble-my-whole-life-for-having-a-big-mouth/) [Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/) Browse all 15,539 Bigs quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Whether or not Big Brother is watching us, we certainly have to watch him, which may be even worse.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Wilfrid Sheed" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/whether-or-not-big-brother-is-watching-us-we-certainly-have-to-watch/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bigs" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/whether-or-not-big-brother-is-watching-us-we-certainly-have-to-watch/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed6/wilfrid-sheed-18089_bigs_whether-or-not-big-brother-is-watching-u_1398367.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed6/wilfrid-sheed-18089_bigs_whether-or-not-big-brother-is-watching-u_1398367.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed6/wilfrid-sheed-18089_bigs_whether-or-not-big-brother-is-watching-u_1398367.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Whether or not Big Brother is watching us, we certainly have to watch him, which may be even worse.” — Wilfrid Sheed", "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": "Wilfrid Sheed", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Whether or not Big Brother is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/whether-or-not-big-brother-is-watching-us-we-certainly-have-to-watch/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/whether-or-not-big-brother-is-watching-us-we-certainly-have-to-watch/#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 } } ] } ```