It is hard to believe that a man is telling the truth when you know that you would lie if you were in his place. – Henry Louis Mencken, A Little Book in C Major, 1916
The nature of oratory is such that there has always been a tendency among politicians and clergymen to oversimplify complex matters. From a pulpit or a platform even the most conscientious of speakers finds it very difficult to tell the whole truth. – Aldous Huxley
The United States are a political state, or organized society, whose end is government, for the security, welfare, and happiness of all who live under its protection. – William H. Seward