--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: From our first day alive on this planet…" description: "\"“From our first day alive on this planet, they began teaching society everything it knows and experiences. It was all brainwashing bullshit. Their trio..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/754/zoltan-istvan-21799_common-denominator_from-our-first-day-alive-on-this-planet_382131.jpg" --- # From our first day alive on this planet, they began… ![“From our first day alive on this planet, they began teaching society everything it knows and experiences. It was all brainwashing bullshit. Their trio of holy catechisms is: faith is more important than reason; inputs are more important than outcomes; hope is more important than reality. It was…” quote by Zoltan Istvan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/754/zoltan-istvan-21799_common-denominator_from-our-first-day-alive-on-this-planet_382131.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/754/zoltan-istvan-21799_common-denominator_from-our-first-day-alive-on-this-planet_382131.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/754/zoltan-istvan-21799_common-denominator_from-our-first-day-alive-on-this-planet_382131.jpg) > ““From our first day alive on this planet, they began teaching society everything it knows and experiences. It was all brainwashing bullshit. Their trio of holy catechisms is: faith is more important than reason; inputs are more important than outcomes; hope is more important than reality. It was designed to choke your independent thinking and acting—to bring out the lowest common denominator in people—so that vast amounts of the general public would literally buy into sponsorship and preservation of their hegemonic nation. Their greatest achievement was the creation of the two-party political system; it gave only the illusion of choice, but never offered any change; it promised freedom, but only delivered more limits. In the end, you got stuck with two leading loser parties and not just one. It completed their trap of underhanded domination, and it worked masterfully. Look anywhere you go. America is a nation of submissive, dumbed-down, codependent, faith-minded zombies obsessed with celebrity gossip, buying unnecessary goods, and socializing without purpose on their electronic gadgets. The crazy thing is that people don't even know it; they still think they're free. Everywhere, people have been made into silent accomplices in the government's twisted control game. In the end, there is no way out for anyone.”” [Zoltan Istvan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoltan-istvan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Denounces modern political and cultural systems as mechanisms that suppress independent thought and promote conformity. **In simple terms:** Modern systems suppress independent thought. Key Takeaway Resist conformity, seek truth. Themes politics media culture conformity independence Mood cynical analytical provocative Type critical philosophical When to use this quote - activism - education reform - media literacy - community organizing Key Concepts propaganda ideology social control critical theory Questions to Reflect On - How can individuals maintain autonomy? - What alternatives exist to two‑party systems? A Different Perspective May overlook positive aspects of institutions; broad generalizations can alienate allies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brainwashing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brainwashing/) [Brainwashing Bullshit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brainwashing-bullshit-3463753/) [Common denominator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-denominator/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [First Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-day/) [Free people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-people/) [Illusion of choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illusion-of-choice/) [Independent thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/independent-thinking/) [Modern society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-society/) [Political system](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-system/) [Promised Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promised-freedom-1520385/) [Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society/) [Think Free](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-free-242459/) ## Related quotes > [“Most people do not have a problem with you thinking for yourself, as long as your conclusions are the same as or at least…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/most-people-do-not-have-a-problem-with-you-thinking-for-yourself-as/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“George Washington had turned down the requests of blacks, seeking freedom, to fight in the Revolutionary army. 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It is the freedom to pursue these, not their realization, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-carnegie/the-republic-may-not-give-wealth-or-happiness-she-has-not-promised/) [Andrew Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-carnegie/) > [In general, it’s not too hard to corrupt an American, mostly a matter of supply to their demand. Supply should be variegated to encourage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-general-it-s-not-too-hard-to-corrupt-an-american-mostly-a-matter/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“We have the illusion of choice because no matter what we choose, the game never changes. The wheels always keep moving in the direction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurel-dewey/we-have-the-illusion-of-choice-because-no-matter-what-we-choose-the/) [Laurel Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurel-dewey/) > [“political parties representing rival bourgeois factions create the illusion of choice but unite to repress the working class.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-follett/political-parties-representing-rival-bourgeois-factions-create-the/) [Ken Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-follett/) > [“The illusion of choice is the greatest magic trick ever performed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-k-abdelnour/the-illusion-of-choice-is-the-greatest-magic-trick-ever-performed/) [Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/) > [Oh, the illusion of choice in the modern world - don't get me started. But don't you agree that the Internet has softened our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/oh-the-illusion-of-choice-in-the-modern-world-don-t-get-me-started/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [The things that matter in this country have been reduced in choice, there are two political parties, there are a handful insurance companies, there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/the-things-that-matter-in-this-country-have-been-reduced-in-choice/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [“I believe in love at first sight but I will always believe that the people we love we have loved before. Many, many, many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-knott-gregson/i-believe-in-love-at-first-sight-but-i-will-always-believe-that-the/) [Tyler Knott Gregson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-knott-gregson/) > [The reason the factions were evil is because there was no way out of them. They gave us the illusion of choice without actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/the-reason-the-factions-were-evil-is-because-there-was-no-way-out-of/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“It is an unquestioned part of everyday life. Kneeling before the cathode ray God, with our TV Guide concordance in hand, we maintain the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-an-unquestioned-part-of-everyday-life-kneeling-before-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Zoltan Istvan > [Transhumanism literally means "beyond human." It's using science and technology to radically change and improve the human species and experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoltan-istvan/transhumanism-literally-means-beyond-human-it-s-using-science-and/) [Zoltan Istvan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoltan-istvan/) > [“Their management and regulation of our lives spans the total spectrum of American experience, from their obtuse Imperial Measurement System, to their irregularity-strangled English…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoltan-istvan/their-management-and-regulation-of-our-lives-spans-the-total-spectrum/) [Zoltan Istvan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoltan-istvan/) > [In the future it's very possible you could have an artificial intelligence system that can run the country better than a human being. Because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoltan-istvan/in-the-future-it-s-very-possible-you-could-have-an-artificial/) [Zoltan Istvan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoltan-istvan/) > [Frederick Nietzsche was important to me, in teaching that it's okay to strive to improve the human being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoltan-istvan/frederick-nietzsche-was-important-to-me-in-teaching-that-it-s-okay-to/) [Zoltan Istvan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoltan-istvan/) > [I'm a fan of the simulation theory. I tend to think that most of our existence, if not all of it, is part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoltan-istvan/i-m-a-fan-of-the-simulation-theory-i-tend-to-think-that-most-of-our/) [Zoltan Istvan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoltan-istvan/) > [“What prompts alarm in me is how you and your government want to ruin not only the potential of this of this country, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoltan-istvan/what-prompts-alarm-in-me-is-how-you-and-your-government-want-to-ruin/) [Zoltan Istvan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoltan-istvan/) > [Whoever creates an artificial intelligence first has such a distinct military advantage over every other nation on the planet that they will forever, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoltan-istvan/whoever-creates-an-artificial-intelligence-first-has-such-a-distinct/) [Zoltan Istvan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoltan-istvan/) > [The American Dream has become a death sentence of drudgery, consumerism, and fatalism: a garage sale where the best of the human spirit is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoltan-istvan/the-american-dream-has-become-a-death-sentence-of-drudgery/) [Zoltan Istvan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoltan-istvan/) > [What I advocate for is that, as soon as we get to the point when artificial intelligence can take off and be as smart,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoltan-istvan/what-i-advocate-for-is-that-as-soon-as-we-get-to-the-point-when/) [Zoltan Istvan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoltan-istvan/) > [We didn't evolve through billions of years to remain animals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoltan-istvan/we-didn-t-evolve-through-billions-of-years-to-remain-animals/) [Zoltan Istvan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoltan-istvan/) > [Once you've created an intelligence so smart, the real job of that intelligence is to protect itself from other intelligences becoming more intelligent than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoltan-istvan/once-you-ve-created-an-intelligence-so-smart-the-real-job-of-that/) [Zoltan Istvan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoltan-istvan/) > [It amazes me that we spend 20% of the US budget on defense and far-off wars, and not on fighting cancer, disease, and aging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoltan-istvan/it-amazes-me-that-we-spend-20-of-the-us-budget-on-defense-and-far-off/) [Zoltan Istvan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoltan-istvan/) > [I think we're already getting to a stage where the basic artificial intelligences are discovering moral systems. I think, in many ways, moral systems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoltan-istvan/i-think-we-re-already-getting-to-a-stage-where-the-basic-artificial/) [Zoltan Istvan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoltan-istvan/) > [“What seems worst of all, though, is that even the leaders don't recognize this. The greatest danger of the whole mess is that all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoltan-istvan/what-seems-worst-of-all-though-is-that-even-the-leaders-don-t/) [Zoltan Istvan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoltan-istvan/) > [My goal is to try to tell the public that America could use more science and technology in all aspects of its life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoltan-istvan/my-goal-is-to-try-to-tell-the-public-that-america-could-use-more/) [Zoltan Istvan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoltan-istvan/) [Explore all 28 Zoltan Istvan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoltan-istvan/) ## More Brainwashing quotes > [Sometimes I think I'm a nihilist because it doesn't matter, none of this matters. We're all following the will of some unknowable higher power,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/sometimes-i-think-i-m-a-nihilist-because-it-doesn-t-matter-none-of/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [“But there was nothing beautiful about the word "brainwash". To clean the brain. To strip it bare.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gemma-malley/but-there-was-nothing-beautiful-about-the-word-brainwash-to-clean-the/) [Gemma Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gemma-malley/) > [American acculturation is a very powerful form of brainwashing. I know more about it now, but it's very difficult to move away from a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-burt/american-acculturation-is-a-very-powerful-form-of-brainwashing-i-know/) [Dan Burt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-burt/) > [“I don’t care what your excuse is, I don’t care what you think God told you to do, if you are in the business…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-grant/i-don-t-care-what-your-excuse-is-i-don-t-care-what-you-think-god-told/) [Michael Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-grant/) > [We need to be aware of all different forms of brainwashing and radicalization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarissa-ward/we-need-to-be-aware-of-all-different-forms-of-brainwashing-and/) [Clarissa Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarissa-ward/) > [Maybe primitive people have less bullshit to let go of, to give up. A person has to be willing to give up everything—not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/maybe-primitive-people-have-less-bullshit-to-let-go-of-to-give-up-a/) [Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/) > [My family brainwashed me, like I'm brainwashing my children. They brainwashed me with good taste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madlib/my-family-brainwashed-me-like-i-m-brainwashing-my-children-they/) [Madlib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madlib/) > [“A cult is a group of people who share an obsessive devotion to a person or idea. The cults described in this book use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-smith/a-cult-is-a-group-of-people-who-share-an-obsessive-devotion-to-a/) [Margaret Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-smith/) > [During my training I was trained in Psycho-politics. This was the art of capturing the minds of a nation through brainwashing and fake mental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-goff/during-my-training-i-was-trained-in-psycho-politics-this-was-the-art/) [Kenneth Goff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-goff/) > [If there is no word that means you don't have the concept. In North Korea they eliminate the words: depression, stress, dictatorship, human rights.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/park-yeon-mi/if-there-is-no-word-that-means-you-don-t-have-the-concept-in-north/) [Park Yeon-mi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/park-yeon-mi/) > [It is no coincidence that one cardinal rule in brainwashing is to remove from the victim all photographs of himself and people he has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-d-coleman/it-is-no-coincidence-that-one-cardinal-rule-in-brainwashing-is-to/) [A. D. Coleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-d-coleman/) > [Teachers may think they are stuffing minds, but all they are ever affecting is the memory. Nothing can ever be forced into anyone's mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-adler/teachers-may-think-they-are-stuffing-minds-but-all-they-are-ever/) [Mortimer Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-adler/) > [I teach people to be flexible, scientific and logical in their thinking and therefore to be less prone to brainwashing by the therapist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-ellis/i-teach-people-to-be-flexible-scientific-and-logical-in-their/) [Albert Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-ellis/) > [“Terrorism was like heroin – once a lonely, desperate soul was hooked on it, he or she became a fanatic – radicalized they call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-eade/terrorism-was-like-heroin-once-a-lonely-desperate-soul-was-hooked-on/) [Kenneth Eade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-eade/) > [The excrement bubbles, the century slime decays, and the brainwashing government lackeys would have us say it's under control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jethro-tull/the-excrement-bubbles-the-century-slime-decays-and-the-brainwashing/) [Jethro Tull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jethro-tull/) [Browse all 138 Brainwashing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brainwashing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“From our first day alive on this planet, they began teaching society everything it knows and experiences. It was all brainwashing bullshit. Their trio of holy catechisms is: faith is more important than reason; inputs are more important than outcomes; hope is more important than reality. It was designed to choke your independent thinking and acting—to bring out the lowest common denominator in people—so that vast amounts of the general public would literally buy into sponsorship and preservation of their hegemonic nation. Their greatest achievement was the creation of the two-party political system; it gave only the illusion of choice, but never offered any change; it promised freedom, but only delivered more limits. In the end, you got stuck with two leading loser parties and not just one. It completed their trap of underhanded domination, and it worked masterfully. Look anywhere you go. America is a nation of submissive, dumbed-down, codependent, faith-minded zombies obsessed with celebrity gossip, buying unnecessary goods, and socializing without purpose on their electronic gadgets. 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