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If we insist that public life be reserved for those whose personal history is pristine, we are not going to get paragons of virtue running our affairs. We will get the very rich, who contract out the messy things in life the very dull, who have nothing to hide and nothing to show and the very devious, expert at covering their tracks and ambitious enough to risk their discovery.
Charles Krauthammer
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote argues that if we demand perfection in personal history from public officials, we will attract the wrong type of individuals to leadership positions.

Charles Krauthammer's quote suggests that insisting on a flawless personal history for public office may lead to a selection of leaders who are not truly virtuous. Instead of ideal candidates, we might end up with wealthy individuals who avoid accountability, unremarkable people lacking experiences that could enrich their leadership, or cunning individuals adept at deception, thereby compromising the integrity of governance.

Themes

Public LifeVirtueLeadershipPoliticsAccountability

In practice

Example use cases

This quote can be shared during a political debate to highlight the flaws in how we select our leaders.

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