May the sun never set on American baseball.
Harry S. TrumanRead
A politician is a man who understands government, and it takes a politician to run a government. A statesman is a politician who's been dead 10 or 15 years.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote distinguishes between politicians and statesmen, suggesting that true statesmanship is recognized long after a politician's death.
Harry S. Truman's quote highlights the difference between politicians, who actively engage in the politics of governance, and statesmen, whose legacy and wisdom are often appreciated more significantly after they are no longer alive. It implies that while politicians may be focused on the immediacy of power and governance, statesmen are remembered for their enduring impact and moral leadership in the political realm.
Themes
PoliticsStatesmanshipLeadershipGovernmentLegacy
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a political discussion about the qualities that define effective leadership.
More from Harry S. Truman
All quotes βHaving found the bomb we have used it. We have used it against those who attacked us without warning at Pearl Harbor, against those who have starved and beaten and executed American prisoners of war, against those who have abandoned all pretense of obeying international laws of warfare. We have used it in order to shorten the agony of war, in order to save the lives of thousands and thousands of young Americans.
Harry S. TrumanRead
Herbert Hoover once ran on the slogan, 'Two cars in every garage'. Apparently, the Republican candidate this year is running on the slogan, 'Two families in every garage'.
Harry S. TrumanRead
The only things worth learning are the things you learn after you know it all.
Harry S. TrumanRead
I never would have agreed to the formulation of the Central Intelligence Agency back in forty-seven, if I had known it would become the American Gestapo.
Harry S. TrumanRead
I would rather have peace in the world than be President.
Harry S. TrumanRead
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