Timothy D. Snyder quotes - page 2

Timothy D. Snyder is an American historian and author, recognized for his work on Eastern European history and totalitarianism. His books, such as "Bloodlands" and "On Tyranny," have influenced public and academic discussions on war, genocide, and democracy. He is a professor at Yale University and a prominent commentator on modern political issues. Here are 37 of his quotes:

Americans are no wiser than the Europeans who saw democracy yield to fascism, Nazism, or communism. Our one advantage is that we might learn from their experience.

Timothy D. Snyder

Think up your own way of speaking. When we repeat the same words and phrases that appear in the daily media, we accept the absence of a larger framework.

Timothy D. Snyder

Courage does not mean not fearing or not grieving. It does mean recognizing and resisting terror management right away, from the moment of the attack, precisely when it seems most difficult to do so.

Timothy D. Snyder

Mr. Trump is primarily a television personality. As such, he is judged by that standard. This means that a scandal does not call forth a response; it calls forth the desire for a bigger scandal.

Timothy D. Snyder

Very often, when leaders repeat things over and over, they are preparing you for when that meme actually emerges in reality.

Timothy D. Snyder

If we can't have exchanges with our friends and family, with loved ones that won't at some point be made public, then we can't have private lives. And if we can't have private lives, then we're not really free people.

Timothy D. Snyder

Maybe I am naive, but I don't think talking about the Holocaust with total and complete cynicism is possible for Israeli politicians. It's inevitable that the Holocaust is part of Israeli politics.

Timothy D. Snyder

If it turns out that there are emotions and values that are more numerous and more vibrant than indifference and hatred, things are going to be okay. That depends on us.

Timothy D. Snyder

People in the West tend to identify with western victims. So even when they think about the Holocaust, they really think about the German or French victims; they're not thinking about the Polish, Hungarian, or Soviet victims.

Timothy D. Snyder

The minor choices we make are themselves a kind of vote. Our words and gestures, or their absence, count very much.

Timothy D. Snyder