He that goeth about to persuade a multitude that they are not so well governed as they ought to be shall never want attentive and favorable hearers.
Interpretation
This quote suggests that people are naturally inclined to listen to those who criticize their governance.
Richard Hooker's quote points to the idea that when someone attempts to convince a group that they are governed poorly, they will always find an audience willing to listen. This reflects human nature's tendency to be critical of authority and governance, where individuals often focus on perceived shortcomings rather than recognizing effective leadership.
In practice
In a political debate, one might quote this to highlight the susceptibility of the public to critiques of government.
Human history can be viewed as a slowly dawning awareness that we are members of a larger group Groups of people from divergent ethnic and cultural backgrounds working in some sense together [is] surely a humanizing and character building experience. If we are to survive, our loyalties must be broadened further, to include the whole human community, the entire planet Earth.
In these night recitations we create a space between things as we felt them at the time and as we speak them now. This is the space reserved for irony, sympathy and fond amusement, the means by which we rescue ourselves from the past.
The philosophy of waiting is sustained by all the oracles of the universe.
To be content with death may be better than to desire it.
Will holding a secret in your heart make it any less true? If you never tell, never speak of it, will it become only a dream, less than a dream, a nightmare half-remembered? Oh, if only the gods would be so good. (Catelyn)
The Way of a Warrior is based on humanity, love, and sincerity; the heart of martial valor is true bravery, wisdom, love, and friendship. Emphasis on the physical aspects of warriorship is futile, for the power of the body is always limited.
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