How is it possible to expect that mankind will take advice when they will not so much as take warning.
Jonathan SwiftRead
The two maxims of any great man at court are, always to keep his countenance, and never to keep his word.
Interpretation
What this quote means
A great man's behavior involves maintaining a facade while often not adhering to promises.
This quote by Jonathan Swift emphasizes the dual nature of behavior among influential people in power. It suggests that to navigate courtly or political environments successfully, one must often project a confident and composed image (keep his countenance) while potentially being untrustworthy or flexible with their commitments (never keep his word), reflecting the complexities and moral ambiguities of leadership and influence.
Themes
PowerPoliticsLeadershipTrustBetrayal
In practice
Example use cases
During a business meeting about leadership ethics, someone could share this quote to spark a discussion about integrity.
More from Jonathan Swift
All quotes βWhat vexes me most is, that my female friends, who could bear me very well a dozen years ago, have now forsaken me, although I am not so old in proportion to them as I formerly was: which I can prove by arithmetic, for then I was double their age, which now I am not. Letter to Alexander Pope. 7 Feb. 1736.
Jonathan SwiftRead
This is every cook's opinion - _x000D_ no savory dish without an onion, _x000D_ but lest your kissing should be spoiled _x000D_ your onions must be fully boiled.
Jonathan SwiftRead
The bulk of mankind is as well equipped for flying as thinking.
Jonathan SwiftRead
This single Stick, which you now behold ingloriously lying in that neglected Corner, I once knew in a flourishing State in a Forest: It was full of Sap, full of Leaves, and full of Boughs: But now, in vain does the busy Art of Man pretend to vie with Nature, by tying that withered Bundle of Twigs to its sapless Trunk: It is at best but the Reverse of what it was; a Tree turned upside down, the Branches on the Earth, and the Root in the Air.
Jonathan SwiftRead
I'm as old as my tongue and a little older than my teeth.
Jonathan SwiftRead
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