If a poet interprets a poem of his own he limits its suggestibility.
William Butler YeatsRead
A statesman is an easy man, he tells his lies by rote._x000D_ _x000D_ A journalist invents his lies, and rams them down your throat._x000D_ _x000D_ So stay at home and drink your beer and let the neighbors vote.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote critiques the ease with which politicians and journalists manipulate the truth.
William Butler Yeats highlights the contrasting roles of a statesman and a journalist in the realm of truth and persuasion. The statesman is portrayed as someone who has learned to recite falsehoods comfortably, while the journalist is depicted as one who fabricates stories and forcefully presents them to the public. In essence, Yeats suggests that the complexities of politics and media can be overwhelming, leading to a cynical recommendation to retreat from participation and seek solace in simple pleasures.
Themes
PoliticsTruthLiesMediaCynicism
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used during a political discussion to emphasize skepticism towards politicians.
More from William Butler Yeats
All quotes →It was my first meeting with a philosophy that confirmed my vague speculations and seemed at once logical and boundless.
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But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
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How far away the stars seem, and how far is our first kiss, and ah, how old my heart.
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For he would be thinking of love Till the stars had run away And the shadows eaten the moon.
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Love is created and preserved by intellectual analysis, for we love only that which is unique, and it belongs to contemplation, not to action, for we would not change that which we love.
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