I have no doubt that the nation has suffered more from undue secrecy than from undue disclosure. The government takes good care of itself.
Daniel SchorrRead
Power corrupts, and there is nothing more corrupting than power exercised in secret.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Power has a tendency to corrupt those who possess it, especially when it is wielded in secrecy.
This quote emphasizes the inherent dangers of power, suggesting that it can lead to moral decay and unethical behavior, particularly when actions are taken without transparency. The secrecy associated with power enhances its corrupting influence, as it allows individuals to act without accountability, which can ultimately lead to the erosion of ethical standards and trust.
Themes
PowerCorruptionSecrecyEthicsMorality
In practice
Example use cases
During a political debate, one might quote this to highlight the dangers of unchecked political power.
More from Daniel Schorr
All quotes βSimilar quotes
When death comes, he respects neither age nor merit. He sweeps from the earthly existence the sick and the strong, the rich and the poor, and should teach us to live to be prepared for death.
Andrew JacksonRead
All paths are the same: they lead nowhere. However, a path without a heart is never enjoyable. On the other hand, a path with heart is easy - it does not make a warrior work at liking it; it makes for a joyful journey; as long as a man follows it, he is one with it.
Carlos CastanedaRead
The only attitude (the only politics--judicial, medical, pedagogical and so forth) I would absolutely condemn is one which, directly or indirectly, cuts off the possibility of an essentially interminable questioning, that is, an effective and thus transforming questioning.
Jacques DerridaRead
The body can't distinguish between cleansing and punishing for the body is ignorant, and mute besides.
Joyce Carol OatesRead
Here rests his head upon the lap of earth, A youth to fortune and to fame unknown: Fair Science frown'd not on his humble birth, And Melancholy mark'd him for her own.
Thomas GrayRead
Homicide, /n./ The slaying of one human by another. There are four kinds of homicide: felonious, excusable, justifiable, and praiseworthy, but it makes no great difference to the person slain whether he died by one kind or another - the classification is for the advantage of the lawyers.
Ambrose BierceRead