What Rulers Believe

rulersPaul Rosenberg – I’ve been working on collections of quotes lately, and I have one more that I’d like to present… this one on the thoughts of rulers.

For a number of years I’ve been telling people that the incentives faced by productive people and the incentives facing rulers (of whatever stripe) are very, very different. This list, I believe, will make that point.

You’ll find quotes from ‘bad’ rulers on this list, of course, but also some from the ‘good’ rulers. And please note that the ‘bad’ ones are very often held in high regard in their times. Joseph Stalin, for example – the #2 most prolific killer in all of human history – was the ‘great ally’ of the US in World War II and was routinely presented to the American public as “Uncle Joe.”

So, beginning with Uncle Joe, here are the things that rulers believe:

Joseph Stalin

  • Education is a weapon whose effects depend on who holds it in his hands and at whom it is aimed.
  • Ideas are more powerful than guns. We would not let our enemies have guns, why should we let them have ideas?
  • Gratitude is a sickness suffered by dogs.

Mao Zedong

  • The cult of xenophobia is the cheapest and surest method of obtaining from the masses the ignorant and savage patriotism, which puts the blame for every political folly or social misfortune upon the foreigner. Continue reading