No one is innocent after the experience of governing. But not everyone is guilty.
Daniel Patrick MoynihanRead
Secrecy is for losers. . . . It is time to dismantle government secrecy, this most persuasive of Cold War-era regulations. It is time to begin building the supports for the era of openness that is already upon us.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Secrecy undermines democracy and transparency, calling for an era of openness.
This quote emphasizes the drawbacks of government secrecy, particularly in the context of democratic societies. Moynihan argues that maintaining secrecy is detrimental and outdated, suggesting that an era of openness should be embraced to foster transparency, accountability, and trust in governance.
Themes
SecrecyOpennessGovernmentTransparencyDemocracyTrust
In practice
Example use cases
During a political rally advocating for government reform.
More from Daniel Patrick Moynihan
All quotes →If the newspapers of a country are filled with good news, the jails of that country will be filled with good people.
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When a person goes to a country and finds their newspapers filled with nothing but good news, he can bet there are good men in jail.
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You are entitled to your opinion. But you are not entitled to your own facts.
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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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The richest inheritance any child can have is a stable, loving, disciplined family life.
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