I believe that the pursuit of truth and right ideas through honest debate and rigorous argument is a noble undertaking.
Charles KrauthammerRead
If you get a call to go to a certain place in the middle of the night to pick up stolen goods, and it turns out the stolen goods don't show up but the cops show up, I think you're going to have a very weak story saying, 'Well, I got swindled here.'
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the consequences of poor decisions and being involved in dishonest activities.
Charles Krauthammer emphasizes that when one engages in questionable actions, like picking up stolen goods, there is little credibility in claiming victimhood if things go wrong. It suggests that accountability is crucial, especially when one willingly participates in illegal or unethical behavior, as the outcomes are inherently risky and difficult to justify.
Themes
AccountabilityDecisionsConsequencesDishonestyVictimhood
In practice
Example use cases
During a seminar on ethics, this quote can be used to illustrate the importance of personal accountability.
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History has blessed us with all the freedom and advantages of multiculturalism. But it has also blessed us, because of the accident of our origins, with the linguistic unity that brings a critically needed cohesion to a nation as diverse, multiracial and multiethnic as America. Why gratuitously throw away that priceless asset? How mindless to call the desire to retain it 'racist.
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When a party is in opposition, it opposes. That's its job. But when it comes to power, it must govern. Easy rhetoric is over, the press of reality becomes irresistible. By necessity, it adopts some of the policies it had once denounced. And a new national consensus is born.
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Sometimes it's easy to go where the wind blows, but those that stand firmly planted are forces to be reckoned with.
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