It only serves to show what sort of person a man must be who can't even get testimonials. No, no; if a man brings references, it proves nothing; but if he can't, it proves a great deal.
Joseph PulitzerRead
There is not a crime, there is not a dodge, there is not a trick, there is not a swindle, there is not a vice which does not live by secrecy.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Secrecy is fundamental to the existence of dishonest and unethical behavior.
This quote emphasizes that all forms of wrongdoing, including crimes and deception, thrive in environments where secrecy prevails. It suggests that transparency and honesty are essential for a just society, and that hidden actions often lead to moral corruption.
Themes
SecrecyWrongdoingDishonestyJusticeTransparency
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about ethics in business, one might use this quote to highlight the importance of transparency.
More from Joseph Pulitzer
All quotes βWhat a newspaper needs in its news, in its headlines, and on its editorial page is terseness, humor, descriptive power, satire, originality, good literary style, clever condensation, and accuracy, accuracy, accuracy!
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Put it before them briefly so they will read it, clearly so they will appreciate it, picturesquely so they will remember it and, above all, accurately so they will be guided by its light.
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If you will give the matter a moment's thought, you'll see that memory is the highest faculty of the human mind.
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An able, disinterested, public-spirited press, with trained intelligence to know the right and courage to do it, can preserve that public virtue without which popular government is a sham and a mockery
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The American people want something terse, forcible, picturesque, striking - something that will arrest their attention, enlist their sympathy, arouse their indignation, stimulate their imagination, convince their reason, awaken their conscience.
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