Teddy Roosevelt: “We need absolute honesty in public life; and we shall not get it until…”

On the recordJanuary 1, 1900

We need absolute honesty in public life; and we shall not get it until we remember that truth-telling must go hand in hand with it, and that it is quite as important not to tell an untruth about a decent man as it is to tell the truth about one who is not decent.

Said by

Teddy Roosevelt

Republican · New York

Source

gutenberg.org

Editor's note · Context

This statement, from an essay on public ethics, argues that true honesty in public life requires not only exposing the dishonest but also refraining from false accusations against the upright.

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Teddy Roosevelt: “We need absolute honesty in public life; and we shall not get it until we remember that truth-telling must go hand in…”

Editor's note · Context