The visionary or the self-seeking knave who promises the golden impossible, and the credulous dupe who is taken in by such a promise, and who in clutching at the impossible loses the chance of securing the real though lesser good, are as old as the political organizations of mankind.
Editor's note · Context
This quote describes a timeless political dynamic where unrealistic promises from demagogues exploit the credulity of the public, hindering practical progress.
Share
More from Teddy Roosevelt
Like all other good citizens, I accept the result with entire good humor and contentment.
I want every labor man, every labor leader, every organized union man, to take the lead in denouncing crime or violence.
Now, Therefore, I, Theodore Roosevelt, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the power in me vested by an Act of Congress, approved June fourth, eighteen hundred and ninety-seven, entitled, 'An Act Making appropriations…
Shame on the man of cultivated taste who permits refinement to develop into a fastidiousness that unfits him for doing the rough work of a workaday world.





