On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder

(New York: Penguin, 2018), 126

  1. Do not obey in advance
  2. Defend institutions
  3. Beware the one-party state
  4. Take responsibility for the face of the world
  5. Remember professional ethics
  6. Be wary of paramilitaries
  7. Be reflective if you must be armed
  8. Stand out
    • on standy by the truth: "It is those who were considered exceptional, eccentric, or even insane in their own time—those who did not change when the world around them did—whom we remember and admire today." (52)
  9. Be kind to our language
  10. Believe in truth
  11. Investigate
    • "If the main pillar of the system is living a lie the nit is not surprising that the fundamental threat to it is living in truth." —Václav Havel, "The Power of the Powerless" (78)
  12. Make eye contact and small talk
  13. Practice corporeal politics
  14. Establish a private life
  15. Contribute to good causes
  16. Learn from peers in other countries
  17. Listen for dangerous words
  18. Be calm when the unthinkable arrives
  19. Be a patriot
  20. Be as courageous as you can

Created: 2018-11-18
Updated: 2021-11-21-Sun