The Lies They Tell Quotes

“Being pro-Israel, how strange, does not necessarily mean lack of anti-Semitism. You can love Israel and still think that there are a bunch of Jews out there who control world markets and world finance.”
― Tuvia Tenenbom, The Lies They Tell

“While the cowboys are disappearing, the Indians stick around.”
― Tuvia Tenenbom, The Lies They Tell

“The truth is that America is not the only country or culture on the planet that was founded on the fresh blood of those who came before. Every country, every nation, every culture was founded by butchers. Sorry, that’s life. Western people who today fly high the flag of human rights are the very children and grandchildren of yesterday’s rapists and murderers. I know. Most of my family was murdered by them in cold blood long before I was born.”
― Tuvia Tenenbom, The Lies They Tell

“This American habit of naming streets and cities for the people their ancestors murdered is something I don’t really get. Imagine Germany getting into this habit. Would be fun. Berlin would be called Abraham and Hamburg would be named Sarah.”
― Tuvia Tenenbom, The Lies They Tell

“I don’t have a gun, only a cigarette. And a cigarette is even less welcome than a gun. There are many more No Smoking signs in this city [Chicago] than No Gun signs.”
― Tuvia Tenenbom, The Lies They Tell

“In the Land of the Free, the Brave are quiet.”
― Tuvia Tenenbom, The Lies They Tell

“As strange as it may sound, Americans would sooner drop missiles on a foreign country than tell you who they voted for in the last election.”
― Tuvia Tenenbom, The Lies They Tell

“Now I’ll tell you. The locals who know everything about voting rights, King, Parks, and the rest of this country’s black-white history, the locals who tell me all about it, are the local Jews and their leaders. These Jews support the blacks and have dedicated their time to helping them. How many blacks are on the side of Jews in their struggles against anti-Semitism? I ask them. They can’t name one. Soon, “they” will be no more.”
― Tuvia Tenenbom, The Lies They Tell

“American society is a man-made society, like the ponds and lakes of Qatar. Somewhere deep inside, Americans must know this. Maybe, a thought comes to me, the real reason why so many Americans refuse to discuss politics and religion is because they are afraid that the artificial glue that binds them together will dissolve the moment they start talking and reveal what they really think. Who are they? Not one society, but many – many competing societies, each one afraid of the other.”
― Tuvia Tenenbom, The Lies They Tell

“Nancy and Bruce don’t know stories like that of Bill’s friend, which is only one of many happening here in this state [Oklahoma] and in this country. They love blacks, but from a distance. They don’t approach blacks, and they don’t talk to them…What they like is the idea of having blacks around, because this makes them feel “diverse.” They like to be served by blacks, for example. I don’t call myself “diverse,” and I befriend blacks the same way I do whites. I find the blacks warmer than the whites and I enjoy their company. Love of the other is not an idea; it’s life itself.”
― Tuvia Tenenbom, The Lies They Tell

“In a way, what I see here [a Christian rock concert] is the essence of American Christianity: fun and super-narcissism.”
― Tuvia Tenenbom, The Lies They Tell

“In a way, what I see here [a Christian rick concert] is the essence of American Christianity: fun and super-narcissism.”
― Tuvia Tenenbom, The Lies They Tell

“For whatever reason, “Israel” is deep on the mind of many Americans, as is the case with too many Europeans. Why is this? Ask Dr. Sigmund Freud. And if you meet him, if he’s resurrected like Jesus Christ and Elvis Presley, I have another question that I would like you to ask him: Why is it that almost all of those who say that they believe in climate change are also pro-Palestine? I keep hearing this from people, this bizarre relationship between the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and climate change, and am amazed every time anew.”
― Tuvia Tenenbom, The Lies They Tell

“The Europeans, following the long tradition of inter-European hatred, trust the Iranians much more than they trust the Greeks and happily do their best to make the Iranians richer and the Greeks poorer.”
― Tuvia Tenenbom, The Lies They Tell

“As I stand here I understand why the Quakers advised me not to come here. They love the image they have created of themselves, that of a caring people. But do they care? They won’t lift a finger to help their poor, dying neighbors. But they deeply care, of course, about “Palestinians.” English has a word for this: it’s called hypocrisy.”
― Tuvia Tenenbom, The Lies They Tell

“As we walk, our guide speaks of the bravery of those who signed the Declaration of Independence. At that time, he says, what they did was an “act of treason.” What made those people so brave? I ask him. “They didn’t want to pay taxes [to the British].”
― Tuvia Tenenbom, The Lies They Tell

“I don't call myself "diverse," and I befriend blacks the same way I do whites. I find the blacks warmer than the whites and I enjoy their company. Love of the other is not an idea; it's life itself.”
― Tuvia Tenenbom, The Lies They Tell

“In America we build prisons based on third-grade test scores. So, if the test scores in the area are bad we know we need more prisons.”
― Tuvia Tenenbom, The Lies They Tell

“The Obama administration, from the perspective of people like me, a government employee, is one of the worst. The people of this administration came in without any background or experience in governing and they didn’t know what they were doing. They had ideas, big ideas, but they lacked the knowledge to execute them. We,”
― Tuvia Tenenbom, The Lies They Tell