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The effort to calculate exactly what the voters want at each particular moment leaves out of account the fact that when they are troubled the thing the voters most want is to be told what to want.
Walter Lippmann
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Voters often seek guidance on their desires, especially in times of uncertainty.

Walter Lippmann suggests that in times of confusion or trouble, voters do not just seek information about their immediate wants, but rather they desire leadership that can help them articulate those wants. He highlights the paradox in political communication where the need for clarity and direction often overshadows the data-driven analysis of public opinion.

Themes

VotersPoliticsLeadershipGuidanceDesiresCommunication

In practice

Example use cases

In a political speech when discussing the challenges faced by the electorate.

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The private citizen, beset by partisan appeals for the loan of his Public Opinion, will soon see, perhaps, that these appeals are not a compliment to his intelligence, but an imposition on his good nature and an insult to his sense of evidence.
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