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For nearly five years the present Ministers have harassed every trade, worried every profession, and assailed or menaced every class, institution, and species of property in the country. Occasionally they have varied this state of civil warfare by perpetrating some job which outraged public opinion, or by stumbling into mistakes which have been always discreditable, and sometimes ruinous. All this they call a policy, and seem quite proud of it; but the country has, I think, made up its mind to close this career of plundering and blundering.

Benjamin Disraeli#53

PoliticsLeadershipPolicyCriticism

About this quote

What does it mean?
Criticism of government officials who mishandle affairs and lose public trust.
In plain terms
Bad leaders harm everyone and fail at their jobs.
What can you take from it?
Ineffective leadership damages society and loses public support.

Where it applies

  • political debates
  • voting decisions
  • public discourse

Putting it to work

  • evaluate leaders by results
  • demand transparency

Questions to consider

  • How do you judge a leader?
  • What makes policy bad?

Another view

Political criticism can sometimes be overly partisan.

More from Benjamin Disraeli

  1. You have despoiled churches. You have threatened every corporation and endowment in the country. You have examined into everybody's affairs. You have criticise…

    Permalink to quote #52
  2. An author who speaks about his own books is almost as bad as a mother who talks about her own children.

    Permalink to quote #54
  3. A university should be a place of light, of liberty, and of learning.

    Permalink to quote #51

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