“In the long run, people have more to fear from governments than from terrorists. Terrorists come and go, but power-hungry politicians will always be with us.”

—  James Bovard

From Terrorism & Tyranny: Trampling Freedom, Justice and Peace to Rid the World of Evil (Palgrave, 2003) http://www.jimbovard.com/Epigrams%20page%20Terrorism%20&%20Tyranny.htm

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "In the long run, people have more to fear from governments than from terrorists. Terrorists come and go, but power-hung…" by James Bovard?
James Bovard photo
James Bovard 40
American journalist 1956

Related quotes

Virginia Foxx photo

“I believe we have more to fear from the potential of that bill passing than we do from any terrorist right now in any country.”

Virginia Foxx (1943) American politician

Referring to HR 3962: To provide affordable, quality health care for all Americans and reduce the growth in health care spending, and for other purposes.
Quoted in GOP Rep: Health reform scarier than terrorism, Associated Press, November 2, 2009, 2009-11-14 http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gjEcKdAawSOAEpDDToijQAgFGKmwD9BNL24G0,
Health Care Reform

“Because when you look at data going; you can't know "oh, that's a terrorist" and "that's not a terrorist", you probably have to look at more people to find who is a potential terrorist.”

Freedom of expression online: Interplay of human rights and ICT (a Greens-EFa public hearing), the European Parliament, May 05 2011 [rtmpt://82.197.155.68:80/vod/20110505_feo_part2.f4v]
Context: I think if you look at the general public, if you can catch - I mean, yes, there's always risk to privacy. Because when you look at data going; you can't know "oh, that's a terrorist" and "that's not a terrorist", you probably have to look at more people to find who is a potential terrorist. But I think that you cannot belittle the need to use all possible means to avoid if only one terrorist attack.

Rosie O'Donnell photo

“Get away from the fear. Don't fear the terrorists. They're mothers and fathers.”

Rosie O'Donnell (1962) American comedienne, television personality and actress

The View, Nov. 9, 2006 (quoted by ABC http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3003155)

Gary Johnson photo

“The root of all evil, if you want to point at it, is politicians that are going to save you and I from terrorists, from illegal immigrants, from drugs. "Elect me, and I'll save you."”

Gary Johnson (1953) American politician, businessman, and 29th Governor of New Mexico

Statement to an Occupy Wall Street protester
YouTube
2011-10-20
http://youtu.be/CmW4uBYyFns
2012-02-24
2011

Paul Wolfowitz photo

“The terrorists in Iraq believe their attacks on innocent people will weaken our resolve. They believe we will run from a challenge. They are mistaken. Americans are not the running kind.”

Paul Wolfowitz (1943) American politician, diplomat, and technocrat

Yahoo News article October 10, 2003 http://in.news.yahoo.com/031010/137/28diu.html This statement is identical to one made by President George W. Bush on October 9, 2003 and is likely to have been a mis-reporting of Wolfowitz quoting Bush's statement.
Misattributed

Cindy Sheehan photo

“Iraq was not involved in 9-11, Iraq was not a terrorist state. But now that we have decimated the country, the borders are open, freedom fighters from other countries are going in, and they [the U. S. government] have created more terrorism by going to an Islamic country…”

Cindy Sheehan (1957) American antiwar activist

Interview http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=45938 http://images.indymedia.org/imc/washingtondc/media/video/2/cindyonbus.mov with CBS News' Mark Knoller, upon her arrival in Crawford, Texas on August 6, 2005
Sourced - August 6, 2005 to present

Maajid Nawaz photo

“There is a disproportionate number of convicted terrorists who've come from a conversion background”

Maajid Nawaz (1977) British activist

Woolwich murder sparks anti-Muslim backlash https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22664835 BBC News (25 May 2013)
2013

Fred Thompson photo

“We are always just one successful terrorist attack away from a nuclear disaster”

Fred Thompson (1942–2015) American politician and actor

[Iowa Campaign Speech "Hands Down", Thompson, Fred, 2007-12-18, Days Inn - Manchester, Iowa]

Asif Ali Zardari photo

“Journalists are bigger terrorists than terrorists themselves.”

Asif Ali Zardari (1955) politician in Pakistan

Zardari's frustration on Pakistani media during an address to businessmen from NWFP, Islamabad (2009-01-20).

George W. Bush photo

“We're fighting on many fronts, and Iraq is now the central front. Saddam holdouts and foreign terrorists are trying desperately to undermine Iraq's progress and to throw that country into chaos. The terrorists in Iraq believe their attacks on innocent people will weaken our resolve. That's what they believe. They believe that America will run from a challenge. They're mistaken. Americans are not the running kind.”

George W. Bush (1946) 43rd President of the United States

Speech in Portsmouth, NH http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2003/10/20031009-7.html (October 9, 2003) These lines have sometimes been attributed to Paul Wolfowitz, who was reported to have said them the next day, perhaps quoting the President's speech.
2000s, 2003

Related topics