Many who think they are workers in politics are really merely tools.
If you believe the doctors, nothing is wholesome; if you believe the theologians, nothing is innocent; if you believe the military, nothing is safe.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the skepticism towards various authorities and their perspectives on life.
Lord Salisbury's quote expresses a critical view of how different societal authorities—healthcare professionals, religious leaders, and military figures—often depict the world in a negative light. Each group seems to cast doubt on the wholesomeness, innocence, or safety of experiences and beliefs, suggesting that to fully embrace life, one must question or move beyond the limiting perspectives imposed by these authorities. This can be seen as a commentary on the nature of authority and the importance of personal belief in determining one's understanding of the world.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a debate about the influence of authority on public perception.
More from Lord Salisbury
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Karma, when properly understood, is just the mechanics through which consciousness manifests.
Science fiction is very well suited to asking philosophical questions; questions about the nature of reality, what it means to be human, how do we know the things that we think we know.
You have to help another person. But it's not right to play God with masses of people. To be God you have to know what you're doing. And to do any good at all, just believing you're right and your motives are good isn't enough.
I think slavery is wrong, morally, and politically. I desire that it should be no further spread in these United States, and I should not object if it should gradually terminate in the whole Union.
In real life as in grand opera, arias only make hopeless situations worse.
Never believe fate is more than the condensation of childhood.