Football strategy does not originate in a scrimmage: it is useless to expect solutions in a political campaign.
Walter LippmannRead
The private citizen, beset by partisan appeals for the loan of his Public Opinion, will soon see, perhaps, that these appeals are not a compliment to his intelligence, but an imposition on his good nature and an insult to his sense of evidence.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote criticizes how public opinion is often manipulated for partisan interests, undermining individual intelligence.
Walter Lippmann's quote emphasizes the manipulation of public opinion by partisan groups, suggesting that when individuals are urged to lend their opinions, it reflects more on the exploitative tactics of these groups rather than the individuals' capacity for independent thought. The suggestion is that such appeals disrespect a person's intelligence and integrity by not acknowledging their ability to think critically and rely on evidence.
Themes
Public OpinionManipulationIntelligencePartisanEvidence
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about the importance of critical thinking in today's media landscape.
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The tendency of the casual mind is to pick out or stumble upon a sample which supports or defies its prejudices, and then to make it the representative of a whole class.
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To create a minimum standard of life below which no human being can fall is the most elementary duty of the democratic state.
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