--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No man can be a politician, except he be…" description: "\"No man can be a politician, except he be first a historian or a traveller; for except he can see what must be, or what may be, he is no politician.\" — ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97b/james-harrington-47852_historian_no-man-can-be-a-politician-except-he-be_1353688.png" --- # No man can be a politician, except he be first a historian… ![“No man can be a politician, except he be first a historian or a traveller; for except he can see what must be, or what may be, he is no politician.” quote by James Harrington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97b/james-harrington-47852_historian_no-man-can-be-a-politician-except-he-be_1353688.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97b/james-harrington-47852_historian_no-man-can-be-a-politician-except-he-be_1353688.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97b/james-harrington-47852_historian_no-man-can-be-a-politician-except-he-be_1353688.png) > “No man can be a politician, except he be first a historian or a traveller; for except he can see what must be, or what may be, he is no politician.” [James Harrington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-harrington/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A politician must first be a historian or traveler to understand possibilities; without that insight, they cannot lead effectively. **In simple terms:** Politicians need knowledge of past and future. Key Takeaway Study history and travel to become a better leader. Themes politics history travel leadership Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - policy making - campaign planning - public speaking - legislative debates Key Concepts epistemology strategic foresight civic responsibility Questions to Reflect On - Can a leader succeed without extensive travel? - How does historical knowledge shape policy decisions? A Different Perspective Not all politicians have access to travel or historical study; practical constraints limit knowledge. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Historian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historian/) [Historian Traveller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historian-traveller-4612030/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Man Politician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-politician-2294621/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Politician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politician/) [Politician Historian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politician-historian-4597513/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Traveller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/traveller/) [Traveller Politician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/traveller-politician-4612029/) ## Related quotes > [I'm no politician. 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The former…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/the-more-civilized-a-nation-the-more-conformed-its-population-until/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) ## More by James Harrington > [La wis but paper without hands of a swords of men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-harrington/la-wis-but-paper-without-hands-of-a-swords-of-men/) [James Harrington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-harrington/) > [A whole army, though they can neither write nor read, are not afraid of a platform, which they know is but earth or stone;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-harrington/a-whole-army-though-they-can-neither-write-nor-read-are-not-afraid-of/) [James Harrington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-harrington/) > [And government (to define it de facto, or according to modern prudence) is an art whereby some man, or some few men, subject a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-harrington/and-government-to-define-it-de-facto-or-according-to-modern-prudence/) [James Harrington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-harrington/) > [The blushing cheek speaks modest mind,The lips befitting words most kind,The eye does tempt to love's desire,And seems to, say 'tis "Cupid's fire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-harrington/the-blushing-cheek-speaks-modest-mind-the-lips-befitting-words-most/) [James Harrington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-harrington/) > [A whole army, though they can neither write nor read, are not afraid of a platform... therefore a whole army is afraid of one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-harrington/a-whole-army-though-they-can-neither-write-nor-read-are-not-afraid-of-2/) [James Harrington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-harrington/) > [The Law is but words and paper without the hands of swords of men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-harrington/the-law-is-but-words-and-paper-without-the-hands-of-swords-of-men/) [James Harrington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-harrington/) > [Vice: Whatever was passion in the contemplation of man, being brought forth by his will into action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-harrington/vice-whatever-was-passion-in-the-contemplation-of-man-being-brought/) [James Harrington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-harrington/) [Explore all 8 James Harrington quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-harrington/) ## More Historian quotes > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [The world's history is a divine poem, of which the history of every nation is a canto, and every man a word. 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Trevelyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-m-trevelyan/) [Browse all 920 Historian quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historian/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "No man can be a politician, except he be first a historian or a traveller; for except he can see what must be, or what may be, he is no politician.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Harrington" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-harrington/no-man-can-be-a-politician-except-he-be-first-a-historian-or-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Historian" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-harrington/no-man-can-be-a-politician-except-he-be-first-a-historian-or-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97b/james-harrington-47852_historian_no-man-can-be-a-politician-except-he-be_1353688.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97b/james-harrington-47852_historian_no-man-can-be-a-politician-except-he-be_1353688.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97b/james-harrington-47852_historian_no-man-can-be-a-politician-except-he-be_1353688.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“No man can be a politician, except he be first a historian or a traveller; for except he can see what must…” — James Harrington", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "James Harrington", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-harrington/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "No man can be a politician,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-harrington/no-man-can-be-a-politician-except-he-be-first-a-historian-or-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-harrington/no-man-can-be-a-politician-except-he-be-first-a-historian-or-a/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```