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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.
William Butler Yeats
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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.

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If a poet interprets a poem of his own he limits its suggestibility.
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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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