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About this quote

What does it mean?
Hoover distinguishes the negative reputation of politicians from the nobility of serving the public.
In plain terms
Politics is a bad job but serving the public is good.
What can you take from it?
Intentions matter more than political titles.

Where it applies

  • public service
  • career choices
  • civic engagement

Putting it to work

  • seeking public office
  • voting

Questions to consider

  • What defines a noble career?
  • Can politics be noble?

Another view

It ignores that politics is often necessary for service.

More from Herbert Hoover

  1. The thing I enjoyed most were visits from children. They did not want public office.

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  2. Honor is not the exclusive property of any political party.

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  3. What this country needs is a great poem. John Brown's Body was a step in the right direction. I've read it once, and I'm reading it again. But it's too long to…

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