Home / Quotes / Quote by Walter Lippmann

Quote by Walter Lippmann

“Happiness cannot be the reward of virtue; it must be the intelligible consequence of it.”

Quote by Walter Lippmann

Book:A Preface to Morals

Work

A Preface to Morals

This book delves into the foundational concepts of morality, examining various ethical theories and their implications in contemporary society. more

Author

Walter Lippmann

Walter Lippmann was a prominent American writer and political commentator, born on September 23, 1889, and died on December 14, 1974. He was known for his profound insights into political and social issues and was one of the most influential political analysts in the United States during the 20th century. more

You May Also Like

“Yet this corporate being, though so insubstantial to our senses, binds, in Burkes words, a man to his country with ties which though light as air, are as strong as links of iron. That is why young men die in battle for their countrys sake and why old men plant trees they will never sit under.”

Men Country Light Young Dies Strong Air Tree Battle Plant Sake Senses Corporate Ties Young Man Iron Old Man Links Plant A Tree

Book:The Essential Lippmann: A Political Philosophy for Liberal Democracy

Source: The Essential Lippmann: A Political Philosophy for Liberal Democracy

“For in the absence of debate unrestricted utterance leads to the degradation of opinion. By a kind of Greshams law the more rational is overcome by the less rational, and the opinions that will prevail will be those which are held most ardently by those with the most passionate will. For that reason the freedom to speak can never be maintained merely by objecting to interference with the liberty of the press, of printing, of broadcasting, of the screen. It can be maintained only by promoting debate.”

Source: The Essential Lippmann: A Political Philosophy for Liberal Democracy

“The central drama of our age is how the Western nations and the Asian peoples are to find a tolerable basis of co-existence.”

Age Nations Existence Drama Bases Western Asian Tolerable

Author:Walter Lippmann

“Franklin D. Roosevelt is no crusader. He is no tribune of the people. He is no enemy of entrenched privilege. He is a pleasant man who, without any important qualifications for the office, would very much like to be President.”

People Men Important President Enemy Office Privilege Pleasant Franklin Qualifications

Author:Walter Lippmann

“I generalized rashly: That is what kills political writing, this absurd pretence that you are delivering a great utterance. You never do. You are just a puzzled man making notes about what you think. You are not building the Pantheon, then why act like a graven image? You are drawing sketches in the sand which the sea will wash away.”

Thinking Men Writing Political Sea Building Notes Drawing Absurd Sand Delivering Utterance Puzzled Pretence Pantheon Political Writing

Book:Force and Ideas: The Early Writings

Source: Force and Ideas: The Early Writings

“Historically, when Americans don't know what to do next, they go to Paris. Benjamin Franklin is like: 'What am I going to do now? I'll go to Paris!'”

Knows Next Paris Franklin

Author:Craig Ferguson

“Unless democracy is to commit suicide by consenting to its own destruction, it will have to find some formidable answer to those who come to it saying: I demand from you in the name of your principles the rights which I shall deny to you later in the name of my principles.”

Names Answers Principles Democracy Rights Demand Destruction Suicide Deny Commit Formidable

Book:The Essential Lippmann: A Political Philosophy for Liberal Democracy

Source: The Essential Lippmann: A Political Philosophy for Liberal Democracy

“In really hard times the rules of the game are altered. The inchoate mass begins to stir. It becomes potent, and when it strikes, it strikes with incredible emphasis. Those are the rare occasions when a national will emerges from the scattered, specialized, or indifferent blocs of voters who ordinarily elect the politicians. Those are for good or evil the great occasions in a nation's history.”

Hard Evil Games Nations Politician Mass Difficulty Incredibles Strikes Occasions Hard Times Voters Indifferent Emphasis Altered Rules Of The Game Rare Occasion

Book:The Essential Lippmann: A Political Philosophy for Liberal Democracy

Source: The Essential Lippmann: A Political Philosophy for Liberal Democracy

“The opposition is indispensable. A good statesman, like any other sensible human being, always learns more from his opponents than from his fervent supporters. For his supporters will push him to disaster unless his opponents show him where the dangers are. So if he is wise he will often pray to be delivered from his friends, because they will ruin him. But though it hurts, he ought also to pray never to be left without opponents; for they keep him on the path of reason and good sense.”

“The man who will follow precedent, but never create one, is merely an obvious example of the routineer. You find him desperately numerous in the civil service, in the official bureaus. To him government is something given as unconditionally, as absolutely as ocean or hill. He goes on winding the tape that he finds. His imagination has rarely extricated itself from under the administrative machine to gain any sense of what a human, temporary contraption the whole affair is. What he thinks is the heavens above him is nothing but the roof.”

Source: The Essential Lippmann: A Political Philosophy for Liberal Democracy