--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It had long been established in the Civil…" description: "\"It had long been established in the Civil Worlds that public business was to be transparent, and personal business opaque; but it was as well recognise..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84d/ken-macleod-19320_business_it-had-long-been-established-in-the-civi_2061618.jpg" --- # It had long been established in the Civil Worlds that… ![“It had long been established in the Civil Worlds that public business was to be transparent, and personal business opaque; but it was as well recognised that the two would always have a turbulent interface, and that the clique, the caucus, and the conspiracy were as ineradicable features of…” quote by Ken MacLeod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84d/ken-macleod-19320_business_it-had-long-been-established-in-the-civi_2061618.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84d/ken-macleod-19320_business_it-had-long-been-established-in-the-civi_2061618.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84d/ken-macleod-19320_business_it-had-long-been-established-in-the-civi_2061618.jpg) > “It had long been established in the Civil Worlds that public business was to be transparent, and personal business opaque; but it was as well recognised that the two would always have a turbulent interface, and that the clique, the caucus, and the conspiracy were as ineradicable features of civility as the council or the committee.” [Ken MacLeod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-macleod/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Public affairs demand openness, yet private matters stay hidden; power structures inevitably create friction. **In simple terms:** Public is open, private stays hidden, power causes tension. Key Takeaway Accept that some opacity is inevitable. Themes politics privacy power conflict society Mood analytical critical Type philosophical political When to use this quote - government policy - corporate governance - personal privacy - media reporting Key Concepts Transparency institutional dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What information truly needs to be public? - How do power dynamics affect trust? A Different Perspective Complete transparency can be impractical. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Caucus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caucus/) [Civility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civility/) [Clique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clique/) [Conspiracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conspiracy/) [Interfaces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interfaces/) [Opaque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opaque/) [Personal business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-business/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Business is much less transparent than a win in a Grand Prix; in a race you drive over the finishing line first and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niki-lauda/business-is-much-less-transparent-than-a-win-in-a-grand-prix-in-a/) [Niki Lauda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niki-lauda/) > [Idgaf If You Just Finished eating With Obama, Stfu, About Your Personal Business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/idgaf-if-you-just-finished-eating-with-obama-stfu-about-your-personal/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For the longest time, I was just real nervous about privacy and people prying into my personal business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-earnhardt-jr/for-the-longest-time-i-was-just-real-nervous-about-privacy-and-people/) [Dale Earnhardt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-earnhardt-jr/) > [“You should devote at least 80% of your time to your personal business: talking to people, finding those who want to be your customers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romi-neustadt/you-should-devote-at-least-80-of-your-time-to-your-personal-business/) [Romi Neustadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romi-neustadt/) > [In America, we have equated personal business success with public virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrystia-freeland/in-america-we-have-equated-personal-business-success-with-public/) [Chrystia Freeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrystia-freeland/) > [The NBA is never just a business. 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