“What’s at stake in this debate goes far beyond a few months of headlines, or passing tensions in our foreign policy. When you cut through the noise, what’s really at stake is how we remain true to who we are in a world that is remaking itself at dizzying speed. Whether it’s the ability of individuals to communicate ideas; to access information that would have once filled every great library in every country in the world; or to forge bonds with people on other sides of the globe, technology is remaking what is possible for individuals, and for institutions, and for the international order. So while the reforms that I have announced will point us in a new direction, I am mindful that more work will be needed in the future. One thing I’m certain of: This debate will make us stronger. And I also know that in this time of change, the United States of America will have to lead. It may seem sometimes that America is being held to a different standard. And I'll admit the readiness of some to assume the worst motives by our government can be frustrating. No one expects China to have an open debate about their surveillance programs, or Russia to take privacy concerns of citizens in other places into account. But let’s remember: We are held to a different standard precisely because we have been at the forefront of defending personal privacy and human dignity.”

—  Barack Obama

2014, Review of Signals Intelligence Speech (June 2014)

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update Sept. 30, 2023. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "What’s at stake in this debate goes far beyond a few months of headlines, or passing tensions in our foreign policy. Wh…" by Barack Obama?
Barack Obama photo
Barack Obama 1158
44th President of the United States of America 1961

Related quotes

Al Gore photo

“We must also promote global access to the Internet. We need to bridge the digital divide not just within our country, but among countries. Only by giving people around the world access to this technology can they tap into the potential of the Information Age.”

Al Gore (1948) 45th Vice President of the United States

Quotes, IPI speech (2000)

David Lloyd George photo

“What are ten, twenty, or thirty millions when the British Empire is at stake? This is an artillery war. We must have every gun we can lay hands upon.”

David Lloyd George (1863–1945) Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Quoted in Lord Riddell's diary entry (13 October 1914), J. M. McEwen (ed.), The Riddell Diaries 1908-1923 (London: The Athlone Press, 1986), p. 92
Chancellor of the Exchequer

W.B. Yeats photo

“The friends that have it I do wrong
Whenever I remake a song
Should know what issue is at stake,
It is myself that I remake.”

W.B. Yeats (1865–1939) Irish poet and playwright

The Collected Works in Verse and Prose of William Butler Yeats, II, preliminary poem (1908)

““So what is this Final Secret? Any Ideas?” Spider asked, trying to sound reasonable.
“We don’t know. We just don’t know. All we know is what the Vores have communicated to us so far.”
“Right,” Spider said, nodding, hating every moment of this nonsense. “And when you say ‘we’ and ‘us’, what you really mean is ‘you’, yes?”
“They communicate through a living channel, yes, and that is, of course, me.””

K. A. Bedford book Time Machines Repaired While-U-Wait

Source: Time Machines Repaired While-U-Wait (2008), Chapter 18 (p. 219)

Katharine Hepburn photo

“What in the world would we do without our libraries?”

Katharine Hepburn (1907–2003) film, stage, and television actress
Barack Obama photo

“I believe in the free flow of information. Unfortunately, our sanctions on Cuba have denied Cubans access to technology that has empowered individuals around the globe. So I’ve authorized increased telecommunications connections between the United States and Cuba. Businesses will be able to sell goods that enable Cubans to communicate with the United States and other countries.”

Barack Obama (1961) 44th President of the United States of America

2014, Statement on Cuban policy (December 2014)

“Our freedom is hemmed in on every side. We must be grateful for what remains.”

Charles Rosen (1927–2012) American pianist and writer on music

"Freedom and Art", The New York Review of Books (May 10, 2012)

“Let us see what we have done for this world? Some people are busy chasing the world, some are dizzy interpreting the world. But very few focus on making and creating a better world.”

Titon Rahmawan

“We want the world to be filled with compassion; we want love to spread to all over the globe; we want countries to be well; we want the people to be well; we want every family to be well - this is Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door. Let every one of us be well; let every family be well; let our society be well; let our country be well - this is Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door.”

Jun Hong Lu (1959) Australian Buddhist leader

Introduction to Master Jun Hong Lu https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFb0VTidKtU&feature=youtu.be&list=PLU6NSq1Oq8pxTDav8m7__9IVbfqlTPB4C&t=91, YouTube, 2015
Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door

U.G. Krishnamurti photo

“To be an individual and to be yourself you don't have to do a thing. Culture demands that you should be something other than what you are. What a tremendous amount of energy — the will, the effort — we waste trying to become that! If that energy is released, what is it that we can't do? How simple it would be for every one of us to live in this world!”

U.G. Krishnamurti (1918–2007) Indian philosopher

Source: Thought is Your Enemy (1990), Chapter III: The Robot Is Dreaming

Related topics