All governments lie, but disaster lies in wait for countries whose officials smoke the same hashish they give out.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Stone claims all governments deceive, but the real danger is when officials believe their own lies and act on falsehoods.
- In plain terms
- Governments always lie, but it is dangerous when leaders believe their own propaganda.
- What can you take from it?
- Leaders believing their own lies leads to disaster.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Why do leaders believe their own lies?
- How does deception affect policy?
Another view
Not all government deception leads to disaster; some lies may be benign.
More from I. F. Stone
A certain moral imbecility marks all ethnocentric movements.
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