1001Philosophers

Noam Chomsky Quotes

Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, political philosopher, and one of the most cited intellectuals alive. His Syntactic Structures and the theory of generative grammar transformed twentieth-century linguistics by arguing that the capacity for language is innate to the human mind, organized around a universal grammar shared across languages. The quotes below are attributed to Noam Chomsky, organized by topic.

Noam Chomsky on Freedom

  • “If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all.”

    Noam Chomsky in interview by John Pilger on The Late Show BBC Television, November 25, 1992 .

Noam Chomsky on Knowledge

  • Attributed to Noam Chomsky:

    “Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.”

  • Attributed to Noam Chomsky:

    “How is it we have so much information, but know so little?”

  • “A Review of B. F. Skinner’s Verbal Behavior , Language 35, no. 1 (January–March 1959)”

    Suppose that we manage to construct grammars having the properties outlined above. We can then attempt to describe and study the achievement of the speaker, listener, and learner. The speaker and the listener, we must assume, have already acquired the capacities characterized abstractly by the grammar. The speaker’s task is to select a particular compatible set of optional rules. If we know, from

  • “Syntactic investigation of a given language has as its goal the construction of a grammar that can be viewed as a device of some sort for producing the sentences of the language under analysis.”

    Chap. 1 : Introduction

  • “Chap. 1 : Introduction”

    Syntactic investigation of a given language has as its goal the construction of a grammar that can be viewed as a device of some sort for producing the sentences of the language under analysis.

  • “Chap. 1 : Introduction”

    We can determine the adequacy of a linguistic theory by developing rigorously and precisely the form of grammar corresponding to the set of levels contained within this theory, and then investigating the possibility of constructing simple and revealing grammars of this form for natural languages.

  • “Despite the undeniable interest and importance of semantic and statistical studies of language, they appear to have no direct relevance to the problem of determining or characterizing the set of grammatical utterances. I think that we are forced to conclude that grammar is autonomous and independent of meaning, and that probabilistic models give no particular insight into some of the basic problems of syntactic structure.”

    Chap. 2 : The Independence of Grammar

  • “Chap. 2 : The Independence of Grammar”

    Despite the undeniable interest and importance of semantic and statistical studies of language, they appear to have no direct relevance to the problem of determining or characterizing the set of grammatical utterances. I think that we are forced to conclude that grammar is autonomous and independent of meaning, and that probabilistic models give no particular insight into some of the basic problem

  • “Chap. 6 : On the Goals of Linguistic Theory”

    The grammar of a language is a complex system with many and varied interconnections between its parts. In order to develop one part of grammar thoroughly, it is often useful, or even necessary, to have some picture of the character of a completed system. Once again, I think that the notion that syntactic theory must await the solution of problems of phonology and morphology is completely untenable

  • “There are many facts about language and linguistic behavior that require explanation beyond the fact that such and such a string (which no one may ever have produced) is or is not a sentence. It is reasonable to expect grammars to provide explanations for some of these facts.”

    Chap. 8 : The Explanatory Power of Linguistic Theory

Read all Noam Chomsky quotes on Knowledge

Noam Chomsky on Mind

  • Attributed to Noam Chomsky:

    “Language is a process of free creation; its laws and principles are fixed, but the manner in which the principles of generation are used is free and infinitely varied.”

Noam Chomsky on Nature

  • “We can determine the adequacy of a linguistic theory by developing rigorously and precisely the form of grammar corresponding to the set of levels contained within this theory, and then investigating the possibility of constructing simple and revealing grammars of this form for natural languages.”

    Chap. 1 : Introduction

Noam Chomsky on Politics

  • “The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum.”

    The Common Good

  • “Chap. 8 : The Explanatory Power of Linguistic Theory”

    There are many facts about language and linguistic behavior that require explanation beyond the fact that such and such a string (which no one may ever have produced) is or is not a sentence. It is reasonable to expect grammars to provide explanations for some of these facts.