All governments lie, but disaster lies in wait for countries whose officials smoke the same hashish they give out.
I. F. StoneRead
All governments are run by liars and nothing they say should be believed.
Interpretation
This quote suggests that governments are often dishonest and untrustworthy.
I. F. Stone's assertion highlights a deep skepticism towards government officials, implying that the information they provide may not be reliable. This perspective challenges citizens to critically evaluate governmental statements and recognize potential manipulation, promoting an informed and questioning attitude in the public discourse.
In practice
During a political debate, to emphasize the need for transparency in governance.
All governments lie, but disaster lies in wait for countries whose officials smoke the same hashish they give out.
The only kinds of fights worth fighting are those youβre going to lose, because somebody has to fight them and lose and lose and lose until someday, somebody who believes as you do wins.
There does not have to be trade-off between growth and social protection. A democracy does not mean much if it doesn't respond to the needs and will of its people.
I hope I'm wrong, but I am afraid that Iraq is going to turn out to be the greatest disaster in American foreign policy - worse than Vietnam, not in the number who died, but in terms of its unintended consequences and its reverberation throughout the region.
While democracy must have its organizations and controls, its vital breath is individual liberty.
Only votes talk, everything else walks.
In our political system, money is power. And that means a few can have a lot more power than the rest. That's bad news for everyone else - and for our democracy itself.
It's not normal that, when you close your eyes and listen to the news, too often the political back-and-forth in America sounds too much like it does in the kinds of countries that the State Department warns Americans not to travel to.
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