If the newspapers of a country are filled with good news, the jails of that country will be filled with good people.
Daniel Patrick MoynihanRead
No one is innocent after the experience of governing. But not everyone is guilty.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Experience in governance brings complexities to morality, showing that while everyone may not be guilty, innocence can be lost.
This quote by Daniel Patrick Moynihan suggests that the act of governing inevitably alters one's perspective on morality and ethics. While governance is a challenging endeavor that exposes individuals to difficult decisions and situations, it does not mean that all who govern are morally compromised; instead, it highlights the nuance of human experience where innocence can fade in the face of responsibility, yet not all are culpable for choices made in that complex environment.
Themes
GoverningInnocenceGuiltMoralityLeadership
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the challenges of political leadership.
More from Daniel Patrick Moynihan
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The central conservative truth is that it is culture, not politics, that determines the success of a society. The central liberal truth is that politics can change a culture and save it from itself.
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We must not let ourselves be seen as rushing around the world looking for arguments... Nor should we let ourselves be seen as ignoring allies, disillusioning friends, thinking only of ourselves in the most narrow terms. That is not how we survived the 20th century. Nor will it serve in the 21st.
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