[lit-ideas] Re: "Honesty Is The Best Policy"
- From: Paul Stone <pas@xxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 13 Oct 2004 20:33:22 -0400
>
>J.L. wrote:
>I have not been able to find the couplet, but it was apparently Richard
>Whately -- the Oxford Dict. of Quotations says -- "1787-1863,
>English philosopher
>and theologian, Archbishop of Dublin from 1831", who wrote:
>
>"Honesty is the beste policy; but he who is governed by that maxim is not an
>honest man."
>
>
>A.A. This doesn't compute. Why is someone who practices honesty not an
>honest man?
Because if you do it BECAUSE, then you aren't doing it for the right
reasons. Most of us don't arbitrarily kill others, not because it's against
the law, but because we think it's not right. In other words, "those who
need to be governed to be honest, aren't honest... they are doing as they
are told"
expanding,
p
------------------------------------------------------------------
To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off,
digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html
Other related posts:
