"I think that most people, when faced with overwhelming facts, will come around. (I know I certainly have.) But it is definitely difficult to overcome people’s entrenched beliefs, so I feel that if I only convince people that the other side is a reasonable position to take, even if they themselves don’t take it, then I’ve been a success. It is sort of a quixotic task in that sense, but it’s also useful to me by helping clarify my ideas. When you say something particularly controversial on the Web, you’ll get all sorts of people coming at you with arguments. Considering those arguments and seeing if they’re right or, if they’re wrong, why they’re wrong, has been very valuable in clarifying my beliefs (and similarly, I hope my challenges have helped other people clarify their beliefs)."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Businesspeople from the United StatesJews from the United StatesComputer scientists from the United StatesProgrammers from the United StatesInternet activists
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Imported from EN Wikiquote
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Aaron_Swartz
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Aaron Swartz
Aaron H. Swartz (8 November 1986 – 11 January 2013) was an American computer programmer, writer, political organizer and Internet activist.
23 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Aaron Swartz →
Related Quotes
"After Singer's talk, I began thinking through the consequences of his morality. A question occurred to me: "Should we…"
"I’m a teenage kid who’s interested in improving the world (mostly through law, politics, and technology). This year, …"
"There’s a battle going on right now, a battle to define everything that happens on the Internet in terms of tradition…"
"Geeks seem a lot more willing to treat people based on what they can do rather than who they are. This isn’t unique t…"
"On the one hand, I want to be very open about everything, On the other, I heavily defend people’s right to privacy. O…"
"Think deeply about things. Don’t just go along because that’s the way things are or that’s what your friends say. Con…"
"The law about what is stealing is very clear. Stealing is taking something away from someone so they cannot use it. T…"
"The people rose up, and they caused a sea change in Washington — not the press, which refused to cover the story — ju…"
"We won this fight because everyone made themselves the hero of their own story. Everyone took it as their job to save…"
"There is no justice in following unjust laws. It’s time to come into the light and, in the grand tradition of civil d…"