We need better government, no doubt about it. But we also need better minds, better friendships, better marriages, better communities.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Good governance requires not only better institutions but also healthier individuals and relationships in society.
- In plain terms
- We need better governments and better people.
- What can you take from it?
- Improve personal and community well‑being to support good governance.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How can individuals influence government quality?
- What role do personal relationships play in public life?
Another view
Better minds and friendships alone may not fix systemic political flaws.
More from Wendell Berry
Our model citizen is a sophisticate who before puberty understands how to produce a baby, but who at the age of thirty will not know how to produce a potato.
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Permalink to quote #10 Individualism is going around these days in uniform, handing out the party line on individualism.
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