And enough for me that when my hand touched your shoulder, you leaned on me; and when you felt me slip away, you called my name.
Orson Scott CardRead
The problem with elections is that anybody who wants an office badly enough to run for it probably shouldn’t have it. And anybody who does not want an office badly enough to run for it probably shouldn’t have it, either. Government office should be received like a child’s Christmas present, with surprise and delight. Instead it is usually received like a diploma, an anticlimax that never seems worth the struggle to earn it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Elections can often be a flawed process, as the desire to hold office may indicate unfitness for the role.
This quote by Orson Scott Card critiques the nature of political elections, suggesting that those who are overly eager to attain power may lack the necessary qualities to govern responsibly. It highlights a paradox where the ideal candidate should approach public service with humility and surprise rather than ambition, comparing the ideal acquisition of such office to the innocent joy of receiving a child's Christmas present, rather than the anticlimactic feeling of obtaining a diploma after much effort.
Themes
ElectionsGovernmentPowerHumilityPolitics
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during a political debate to highlight the qualifications of candidates.
More from Orson Scott Card
All quotes →The world is always a democracy in times of flux, and the man with the best voice will win.
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Never mind that the story had turned out to be lies and foolishness—there was always folks stupid enough to say, Where there's smoke there's fire, when the saying should have been, Where there's scandalous lies there's always malicious believers and spreaders-around, regardless of evidence.
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The lives of all people flow through time, and, regardless of how brutal one moment may be, how filled with grief or pain or fear, time flows through all lives equally.
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You take a step, then another. That's the journey. But to take a step with your eyes open is not a journey at all, it's a remaking of your own mind.
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I've had your tears with mine, and you've had mine with yours. I think that's more intimate even than a kiss.
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