Edward Snowden

"You can't have a functioning democracy without an informed citizenry."

"Surveillance is about power, and power without accountability is tyranny."

"I believe that transparency is the first step toward accountability."

"When you realize you're living in a system of pervasive surveillance, you have to act."

"The conversation about privacy isn't new, but the technology is new."

"I acted according to my conscience, not according to my interests."

"Fear is the tool of those who want to control you without your knowledge."

"History shows us that rights are never given freely; they must be fought for."

"The proper response to a government that violates its own laws is civil disobedience."

"You can't have freedom without privacy; they're interconnected."

"Whistleblowing is sometimes the last resort of conscience."

"The question isn't whether you have something to hide, but whether you have something to protect."

"Information wants to be free, but so do the people."

"I never wanted to change the world; I wanted to inform people so they could change it."

"The Constitution doesn't change based on technological convenience."

"When systems become too large, accountability becomes impossible."

"I chose truth over comfort."

"The measure of a society is not its technology but its values."

"Surveillance creates a chilling effect on free speech and free thought."

"Morality is situational for most people, but it should be absolute for matters of principle."

"We've normalized the abnormal through incremental changes."

"The public has a right to know what is being done in their name."

"Technology is only as ethical as the people who control it."

"The battle for privacy is the battle for the soul of democracy."

"I believe in the power of individuals to change systems."

"The greatest deception is the one you don't know is happening."

"Laws should serve the people, not corporations and governments."

"Courage is acting despite the consequences."

"The internet was supposed to democratize information, not centralize surveillance."

"When you speak truth to power, power often responds with punishment."