---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A cantankerous press, an obstinate press…"
description: "\"A cantankerous press, an obstinate press, a ubiquitous press must be suffered by those in authority in order to preserve the even greater values of fre..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d1/murray-gurfein-81963_authority_a-cantankerous-press-an-obstinate-press_1477712.jpg"
---

#  A cantankerous press, an obstinate press, a ubiquitous…

![“A cantankerous press, an obstinate press, a ubiquitous press must be suffered by those in authority in order to preserve the even greater values of freedom of expression and the right of the people to know.” quote by Murray Gurfein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d1/murray-gurfein-81963_authority_a-cantankerous-press-an-obstinate-press_1477712.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d1/murray-gurfein-81963_authority_a-cantankerous-press-an-obstinate-press_1477712.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d1/murray-gurfein-81963_authority_a-cantankerous-press-an-obstinate-press_1477712.jpg)

> “A cantankerous press, an obstinate press, a ubiquitous press must be suffered by those in authority in order to preserve the even greater values of freedom of expression and the right of the people to know.”

Murray Gurfein

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Press scrutiny is inevitable for leaders; it protects broader freedoms and the public’s right to know.

**In simple terms:** Authority must endure press pressure to safeguard freedom.

Key Takeaway

Accept criticism as a duty to democracy.

Themes

freedom of speech accountability media rights

Mood

serious informed

Type

political philosophical

When to use this quote

- Political leadership
- journalistic investigations
- public hearings
- policy debates

Key Concepts

democracy public oversight civil liberties

Questions to Reflect On

- How can leaders balance transparency with personal privacy?
- What limits, if any, should press scrutiny have?

A Different Perspective

Press can be biased or sensationalist.

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[Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Freedom of expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-of-expression/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/)

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> [A powerful portfolio of physiological and behavioural evidence now exists to support the case that fish feel pain and that this feeling matters. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-webster/a-powerful-portfolio-of-physiological-and-behavioural-evidence-now/)

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> [Avarice, the spur of industry, is so obstinate a passion, and works its way through so many real dangers and difficulties, that it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/avarice-the-spur-of-industry-is-so-obstinate-a-passion-and-works-its/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [Few men are so obstinate in their atheism, that a pressing danger will not compel them to acknowledgment of a divine power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/few-men-are-so-obstinate-in-their-atheism-that-a-pressing-danger-will/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [Those obstinate questionings Of sense and outward things, Fallings from us, vanishings; Blank misgivings of a Creature Moving about in worlds not realised, High…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/those-obstinate-questionings-of-sense-and-outward-things-fallings/)

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

> [Presumption will be easily corrected; but timidity is a disease of the mind more obstinate and fatal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/presumption-will-be-easily-corrected-but-timidity-is-a-disease-of-the/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [I remain convinced that obstinate addiction to ordinary language in our private thoughts is one of the main obstacles to progress in philosophy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/i-remain-convinced-that-obstinate-addiction-to-ordinary-language-in/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [Charlotte slammed the paper down onto her desk with an exclamation of rage. “Aloysius Starkweather is the most stubborn, hypocritical, obstinate, degenerate—” She broke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/charlotte-slammed-the-paper-down-onto-her-desk-with-an-exclamation-of/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [Many are obstinate with regard to the pathway once they have set upon it, few with regard to the goal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/many-are-obstinate-with-regard-to-the-pathway-once-they-have-set-upon/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [Obstinate people can be divided into the opinionated, the ignorant, and the boorish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/obstinate-people-can-be-divided-into-the-opinionated-the-ignorant-and/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

## More by Murray Gurfein

> [The security of the Nation is not at the ramparts alone. Security also lies in the value of our free institutions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-gurfein/the-security-of-the-nation-is-not-at-the-ramparts-alone-security-also/)

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Explore all 3 Murray Gurfein quotes

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