Give me hunger, pain and want, Shut me out with shame and failure From your doors of gold and fame, Give me your shabbiest, weariest hunger! But leave me a little love.
Carl SandburgRead
A politician should have three hats. One for throwing into the ring, one for talking through, and one for pulling rabbits out of if elected.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote humorously suggests that politicians have different roles or strategies they employ in their careers.
Carl Sandburg's quote highlights the multifaceted nature of politicians, using the metaphor of three hats to convey that they engage in different actions: they throw their hat into the electoral ring to signify their candidacy, they communicate and persuade through speech, and they perform tricks—like pulling rabbits out of a hat—to win votes and deliver on promises once elected. This humorous characterization underscores the performative aspects of politics and the skills required to navigate the political landscape.
Themes
PoliticsHumorStrategyCandidacyElection
In practice
Example use cases
During a political debate, one could reference this quote to emphasize the different strategies politicians use.
More from Carl Sandburg
All quotes →Nothing happens... but first a dream.
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Read the dictionary from A to Izzard today. Get a vocabulary. Brush up on your diction. See whether wisdom is just a lot of language.
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My name is Truth and I am the most elusive captive in the universe.
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There is an eagle in me that wants to soar, and there is a hippopotamus in me that wants to wallow in the mud.
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A liar goes in fine clothes, a liar goes in rags, a liar is a liar, clothes or no clothes.
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