Howard Zinn Quotes about Responsibility

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We all have an enormous responsibility to bring to the attention of others information they do not have, which has the potential of causing them to rethink long-held ideas.

We all have an enormous responsibility to bring to the attention of others information they do not have, which has the potential of causing them to rethink long-held ideas.

Howard Zinn

Responsibility, Ideas, Long

Howard Zinn (2011). “The Zinn Reader: Writings on Disobedience and Democracy”, p.684, Seven Stories Press

We were not born critical of existing society. There was a moment in our lives (or a month, or a year) when certain facts appeared before us, startled us, and then caused us to question beliefs that were strongly fixed in our consciousness-embedded there by years of family prejudices, orthodox schooling, imbibing of newspapers, radio, and television. This would seem to lead to a simple conclusion: that we all have an enormous responsibility to bring to the attention of others information they do not have, which has the potential of causing them to rethink long-held ideas.

Howard Zinn

Responsibility, Simple, Years

"Changing Minds, One at a Time" by Howard Zinn, progressive.org. May 10, 2005.

Not only did waging war against Hitler fail to save the Jews, it may be that the war itself brought on the Final Solution of genocide. This is not to remove the responsibility from Hitler and the Nazis, but there is much evidence that Germany's anti-Semitic actions, cruel as they were, would not have turned to mass murder were it not for the psychic distortions of war, acting on already distorted minds. Hitler's early aim was forced emigration, not extermination, but the frenzy of it created an atmosphere in which the policy turned to genocide.

Howard Zinn

War, Responsibility, Psychics

Howard Zinn (2011). “The Zinn Reader: Writings on Disobedience and Democracy”, p.248, Seven Stories Press