QuoteProject
Genuine politics -- even politics worthy of the name -- the only politics I am willing to devote myself to -- is simply a matter of serving those around us: serving the community and serving those who will come after us. Its deepest roots are moral because it is a responsibility expressed through action, to and for the whole.
Vaclav Havel
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Genuine politics is about selflessly serving the community and future generations.

This quote by Vaclav Havel emphasizes that true politics is fundamentally about serving others and fulfilling moral responsibilities. It suggests that politics should not be driven by personal ambition or power, but rather by a commitment to the well-being of the community and a sense of duty towards future generations, reflecting the deeper ethical roots that should guide political action.

Themes

PoliticsServiceCommunityResponsibilityMorality

In practice

Example use cases

In a political discussion about community initiatives, this quote can illustrate the importance of serving others.

More from Vaclav Havel

Without a global revolution in the sphere of human consciousness a more humane society will not emerge.
Vaclav HavelRead
Ownership is not a vice, not something to be ashamed of, but rather a commitment, and an instrument by which the general good can be served.
Vaclav HavelRead
In my opinion, theater shouldn't give advice to citizens.
Vaclav HavelRead
Sometimes I wonder if suicides aren't in fact sad guardians of the meaning of life.
Vaclav HavelRead
The exercise of power is determined by thousands of interactions between the world of the powerful and that of the powerless, all the more so because these worlds are never divided by a sharp line: everyone has a small part of himself in both.
Vaclav HavelRead
Human rights, human freedoms... and human dignity have their deepest roots somewhere outside the perceptible world... while the state is a human creation, human beings are the creation of God.
Vaclav HavelRead

Similar quotes

If you do politics the right way, I believe, you can actually make people's lives better. And integrity is the minimum ante to get into the game.
Joe BidenRead
We used to play marbles for keeps. If you lost, you lost. It is the same way with politics, but not everybody knows this.
Daniel Patrick MoynihanRead
It is an unquestionable truth, that the body of the people in every country desire sincerely its prosperity. But it is equally unquestionable that they do not possess the discernment and stability necessary for systematic government. To deny that they are frequently led into the grossest of errors, by misinformation and passion, would be a flattery which their own good sense must despise.
Alexander HamiltonRead
I tried to contribute to the defeat of the Soviets. If I contributed 1%, it is 1% of something enormous.
Edward TellerRead
All anyone needs to enjoy the state legislature is a strong stomach and a complete insensitivity to the needs of the people. As long as you don't think about what that peculiar body should be doing and what it actually is doing to the quality of life in Texas, then it's all marvelous fun.
Molly IvinsRead
Hezbollah-controlled Lebanon now presides over the UN Security Council. This means, in effect, that a terror organization presides over the body entrusted with guaranteeing the world's security. You couldn't make this thing up.
Benjamin NetanyahuRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.