Carolina QuotesThere have been times throughout American history where what is right is not the same as what is legal. Sometimes to do the right thing you have to break the law.
Edward Snowden Carolinian
Source
Snowden's first U.S. television interview, to NBC's Brian Williams; Snowden: "Sometimes To Do The Right Thing You Have to Break a Law", Gawker (May 29, 2014)]
- form
- interview
- year
- 2014
Cite this record
“There have been times throughout American history where what…” Edward Snowden. Carolina Quotes, record CQ-FA20E495C3. https://carolinaquotes.com/quote/fa20e495c3
More from Edward Snowden
I grew up in the shadow of government. Both my parents worked for the government, and I expected that I would, as well. September 11th happened when I was 18 years old... And when everybody else was protesting the Iraq War, I was volunteering to join it. And that’s because I believed the things that the government was saying — not all of them, of course, but I believed that the government was mostly honest, because it seemed to me unreasonable that the government would be willing to risk sort of our long-term faith in the institution of government for short-term political advantage. As I said, I was a very young man. And I ended up going to work for the CIA undercover overseas out in the diplomatic platforms. Then I moved into contracting... because most people go into contracting still working for the government in these classified spaces because you make basically twice as much for the same work....
When we've got these people who have practically limitless powers within a society, if they get a pass without so much as a slap on the wrist, what example does that set for the next group of officials that come into power? To push the lines a little bit further, a little bit further, a little bit further, and we'll realize that we're no longer citizens - we're subjects.
Privacy is not about something to hide. Privacy is about something to protect.