--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If we insist that public life be reserved…" description: "\"If we insist that public life be reserved for those whose personal history is pristine, we are not going to get paragons of virtue running our affairs...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/860/charles-krauthammer-1232_affair_if-we-insist-that-public-life-be-reserve_988979.png" --- # If we insist that public life be reserved for those whose… ![“If we insist that public life be reserved for those whose personal history is pristine, we are not going to get paragons of virtue running our affairs. We will get the very rich, who contract out the messy things in life the very dull, who have nothing to hide and nothing to show and the very…” quote by Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/860/charles-krauthammer-1232_affair_if-we-insist-that-public-life-be-reserve_988979.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/860/charles-krauthammer-1232_affair_if-we-insist-that-public-life-be-reserve_988979.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/860/charles-krauthammer-1232_affair_if-we-insist-that-public-life-be-reserve_988979.png) > “If we insist that public life be reserved for those whose personal history is pristine, we are not going to get paragons of virtue running our affairs. We will get the very rich, who contract out the messy things in life the very dull, who have nothing to hide and nothing to show and the very devious, expert at covering their tracks and ambitious enough to risk their discovery.” [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Excluding imperfect people from public roles leads to elitist, potentially corrupt leadership. **In simple terms:** Rejecting imperfect leaders creates flawed governance. Key Takeaway Value integrity over perfection. Themes politics ethics leadership Mood critical thoughtful Type philosophical political When to use this quote - elections - policy making - government appointments Key Concepts public service moral standards Questions to Reflect On - Should personal history outweigh competence? - How can we balance transparency and expertise? A Different Perspective Perfect people are unrealistic and may hide flaws. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affair/) [Ambitious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambitious/) [Discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovery/) [Experts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experts/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Personal history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-history/) [Public life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-life/) [Risk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/risk/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Things in life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-in-life/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/) ## Related quotes > [You dont choose your life; it chooses you. Theres no point asking why life has reserved certain joys or griefs, you just accept them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-dont-choose-your-life-it-chooses-you-theres-no-point-asking-why/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [In this theater of man's life, it is reserved only for God and angels to be lookers-on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pythagoras/in-this-theater-of-man-s-life-it-is-reserved-only-for-god-and-angels/) [Pythagoras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pythagoras/) > [Then, accepting the help of God and of God's signs, he allows his personal legend to guide him toward the tasks that life has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/then-accepting-the-help-of-god-and-of-god-s-signs-he-allows-his/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“The intimate space of your personal life should be reserved for amazing, beautiful, radiant souls — good, wholesome and loving people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/the-intimate-space-of-your-personal-life-should-be-reserved-for/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [You don't choose your life; it chooses you. 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