--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Trailblazer was the NSA's attempt to…" description: "\"Trailblazer was the NSA's attempt to catch up with the digital age. The problem is, Trailblazer didn't do anything. As far as I know, it didn't produce..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a86/william-binney-28257_age_trailblazer-was-the-nsa-s-attempt-to-cat_806335.jpg" --- # Trailblazer was the NSA's attempt to catch up with the… ![“Trailblazer was the NSA's attempt to catch up with the digital age. The problem is, Trailblazer didn't do anything. As far as I know, it didn't produce anything for roughly a little over $4 billion.” quote by William Binney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a86/william-binney-28257_age_trailblazer-was-the-nsa-s-attempt-to-cat_806335.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a86/william-binney-28257_age_trailblazer-was-the-nsa-s-attempt-to-cat_806335.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a86/william-binney-28257_age_trailblazer-was-the-nsa-s-attempt-to-cat_806335.jpg) > “Trailblazer was the NSA's attempt to catch up with the digital age. The problem is, Trailblazer didn't do anything. As far as I know, it didn't produce anything for roughly a little over $4 billion.” [William Binney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-binney/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Trailblazer was a costly NSA program that failed to deliver any tangible results despite massive spending. **In simple terms:** Expensive project, no output. Key Takeaway Question massive spending without results. Themes government technology accountability Mood critical skeptical Type analytical political When to use this quote - policy review - budget oversight - technology procurement Key Concepts budget overruns project failure Questions to Reflect On - What metrics should assess such programs? - How can oversight improve? A Different Perspective Complex projects may have hidden benefits not immediately visible. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Digital](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/digital/) [Digital age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/digital-age/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) ## Related quotes > [I don't know if I would use that word, 'trailblazer.' That implies that this huge crowd followed me, and that certainly is not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bastian/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-use-that-word-trailblazer-that-implies-that/) [Michael Bastian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bastian/) > [“The first trailblazer was Ivy Lee. He is often considered the founder of modern public relations and the originator of corporate crisis communications.\* In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-first-trailblazer-was-ivy-lee-he-is-often-considered-the-founder/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't follow in my footsteps. Be original, and create your own path. Be a trailblazer! Do you! Be better than me. Do you! Be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-morgan/don-t-follow-in-my-footsteps-be-original-and-create-your-own-path-be/) [Tracy Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-morgan/) > [People have asked me, 'Do you consider yourself a trailblazer?' Absolutely not. And the reason I say this is, I am aware of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-burke/people-have-asked-me-do-you-consider-yourself-a-trailblazer/) [Doris Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-burke/) > [“Dare to become the trailblazer of your own life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-trimm/dare-to-become-the-trailblazer-of-your-own-life/) [Cindy Trimm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-trimm/) > [Let me just say this - sometimes being a trailblazer is highly overrated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-lowe/let-me-just-say-this-sometimes-being-a-trailblazer-is-highly-overrated/) [Rob Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-lowe/) > [If you make great music, you can become a mold breaker or a trailblazer. It's a little scary to do that because you can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-evans/if-you-make-great-music-you-can-become-a-mold-breaker-or-a/) [Anthony Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-evans/) > [When I was younger, 'Trailblazer' was granted to me, so I ran with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-holland/when-i-was-younger-trailblazer-was-granted-to-me-so-i-ran-with-it/) [Kevin Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-holland/) > [“We believe that information is an enlightening agent, but I can assure you it is not. We consume information, but we can’t read. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-f-georgy/we-believe-that-information-is-an-enlightening-agent-but-i-can-assure/) [R.F. Georgy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-f-georgy/) > [“The late-afternoon light was thick and orange and she passed four different couples taking photos of themselves on the same cobblestoned block, all their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/the-late-afternoon-light-was-thick-and-orange-and-she-passed-four/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [“We live in the most ‘connected’ time ever… yet loneliness is everywhere.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roche-uccello/we-live-in-the-most-connected-time-ever-yet-loneliness-is-everywhere/) [Roche Uccello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roche-uccello/) > [There are no boundaries or borders in the digital age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karim-rashid/there-are-no-boundaries-or-borders-in-the-digital-age/) [Karim Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karim-rashid/) > [I do think there's something about the digital age that is increasingly dehumanising us. We're in this very weird place where we're being pulled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-j-abrams/i-do-think-there-s-something-about-the-digital-age-that-is/) [J. J. Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-j-abrams/) > [“Humans are the biological bootloader for AI.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/utpal-nandi/humans-are-the-biological-bootloader-for-ai/) Utpal Nandi > [To bring the benefits of the digital age to all Americans, the FCC needs to make it easier for companies to build and expand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajit-pai/to-bring-the-benefits-of-the-digital-age-to-all-americans-the-fcc/) [Ajit Pai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajit-pai/) ## More by William Binney > [No NSA director did as much damage to the agency as Gen. Michael V. Hayden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-binney/no-nsa-director-did-as-much-damage-to-the-agency-as-gen-michael-v/) [William Binney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-binney/) > [I call people who are covering up NSA crimes traitors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-binney/i-call-people-who-are-covering-up-nsa-crimes-traitors/) [William Binney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-binney/) > [FBI wants to know everything about you, and you're not supposed to know anything about them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-binney/fbi-wants-to-know-everything-about-you-and-you-re-not-supposed-to/) [William Binney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-binney/) > [When I left NSA, it was with an understanding that you can never underestimate the power of large numbers of stupid people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-binney/when-i-left-nsa-it-was-with-an-understanding-that-you-can-never/) [William Binney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-binney/) > [The problem with a group is, the more people you add, the lower the average IQ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-binney/the-problem-with-a-group-is-the-more-people-you-add-the-lower-the/) [William Binney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-binney/) > [You don't hear anybody talking about what FBI is doing with the NSA collected data. That's because they're doing it in secret. I mean,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-binney/you-don-t-hear-anybody-talking-about-what-fbi-is-doing-with-the-nsa/) [William Binney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-binney/) > [I think the FISA court's basically totally irrelevant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-binney/i-think-the-fisa-court-s-basically-totally-irrelevant/) [William Binney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-binney/) > [The spooks are all cowards. Sunlight is the solution to these things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-binney/the-spooks-are-all-cowards-sunlight-is-the-solution-to-these-things/) [William Binney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-binney/) > [At least 80% of fibre-optic cables globally go via the U.S. This is no accident and allows the U.S. to view all communication coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-binney/at-least-80-of-fibre-optic-cables-globally-go-via-the-u-s-this-is-no/) [William Binney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-binney/) > [Reagan used to say that 'we're a country with a government.' Well, now we're a government with a country, and we're making everybody else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-binney/reagan-used-to-say-that-we-re-a-country-with-a-government-well-now-we/) [William Binney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-binney/) > [The ultimate goal of the NSA is total population control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-binney/the-ultimate-goal-of-the-nsa-is-total-population-control/) [William Binney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-binney/) > [We're not getting a good return on investment on all that money we're pumping into the intelligence community. One of the first things I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-binney/we-re-not-getting-a-good-return-on-investment-on-all-that-money-we-re/) [William Binney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-binney/) > [Data is not intelligence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-binney/data-is-not-intelligence/) [William Binney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-binney/) > [You've got the NSA doing all this collecting of material on all of its citizens - that's what the SS, the Gestapo, the Stasi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-binney/you-ve-got-the-nsa-doing-all-this-collecting-of-material-on-all-of/) [William Binney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-binney/) > [The NSA's vision statement is: keep the problem going so the money keeps flowing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-binney/the-nsa-s-vision-statement-is-keep-the-problem-going-so-the-money/) [William Binney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-binney/) [Explore all 19 William Binney quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-binney/) ## More Age quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/) [Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/) [Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/) [Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Trailblazer was the NSA's attempt to catch up with the digital age. The problem is, Trailblazer didn't do anything. 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