--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: An honest politician is one who when he…" description: "\"An honest politician is one who when he is bought will stay bought.\" — Simon Cameron" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e3/simon-cameron-69831_honest_an-honest-politician-is-one-who-when-he_2131858.jpg" --- # An honest politician is one who when he is bought will… ![“An honest politician is one who when he is bought will stay bought.” quote by Simon Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e3/simon-cameron-69831_honest_an-honest-politician-is-one-who-when-he_2131858.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e3/simon-cameron-69831_honest_an-honest-politician-is-one-who-when-he_2131858.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e3/simon-cameron-69831_honest_an-honest-politician-is-one-who-when-he_2131858.jpg) > “An honest politician is one who when he is bought will stay bought.” Simon Cameron ## 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 who accepts bribes will continue to be corrupt, showing that buying a public official secures their loyalty. **In simple terms:** Corrupt officials stay corrupt when bought. Key Takeaway Beware of bribery in politics. Themes corruption politics ethics Mood cautious critical Type political ethical When to use this quote - campaign finance reform - government oversight - voter education - anti‑bribery laws Key Concepts public trust moral hazard Questions to Reflect On - How can societies deter bribery? - What safeguards protect public integrity? A Different Perspective Even if bought, a politician may still act against the briber’s interests under pressure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) [Politician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politician/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) ## Related quotes > [“An honest politician is one who, when bought, will stay bought.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-cameron-pa/an-honest-politician-is-one-who-when-bought-will-stay-bought/) Simon Cameron PA > [It never fails to astonish me how cheaply a politician can be bought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-noah/it-never-fails-to-astonish-me-how-cheaply-a-politician-can-be-bought/) [Timothy Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-noah/) > [“I studied history in college, and I've always enjoyed reading, especially political biographies, and I can state that in all my studies and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-hartmann/i-studied-history-in-college-and-i-ve-always-enjoyed-reading/) John W. Hartmann > [“An honest politician is one that stays bought.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/an-honest-politician-is-one-that-stays-bought/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Looking for an honest politician is like looking for an ethical burglar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/looking-for-an-honest-politician-is-like-looking-for-an-ethical/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [He's an honest politician--he stays bought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/he-s-an-honest-politician-he-stays-bought/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [An honest politician has no goodies to toss around. This limits his effectiveness profoundly, because political power in India is dispersed throughout a multi-tiered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aravind-adiga/an-honest-politician-has-no-goodies-to-toss-around-this-limits-his/) [Aravind Adiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aravind-adiga/) > [It is hard for any one to be an honest politician who is not born and bred a Dissenter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/it-is-hard-for-any-one-to-be-an-honest-politician-who-is-not-born-and/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [“The idea of a vegetarian butcher is absurd; but there is something more absurd than this: The idea of an honest politician!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/the-idea-of-a-vegetarian-butcher-is-absurd-but-there-is-something/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [You show me a politician with his heels ten feet in the air, and by Judas priest, Ill show you an honest politician.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalton-trumbo/you-show-me-a-politician-with-his-heels-ten-feet-in-the-air-and-by/) [Dalton Trumbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalton-trumbo/) > [An honest politician is either a hypocrite - or he is doomed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-caldwell/an-honest-politician-is-either-a-hypocrite-or-he-is-doomed/) [Taylor Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-caldwell/) > [An Honest politician will not be tolerated by a democracy unless he is very stupid ... because only a very stupid man can honestly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/an-honest-politician-will-not-be-tolerated-by-a-democracy-unless-he/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [There are two impossibilities in life: "just one drink" and "an honest politician."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/there-are-two-impossibilities-in-life-just-one-drink-and-an-honest/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [An honest politician is an oxymoron.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/an-honest-politician-is-an-oxymoron/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [I'm a very honest politician.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-zuma/i-m-a-very-honest-politician/) [Jacob Zuma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-zuma/) ## More by Simon Cameron > [I am tired of all this thing called science here. We have spent millions in that sort of thing for the last few years,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-cameron/i-am-tired-of-all-this-thing-called-science-here-we-have-spent/) Simon Cameron > [Pakistan could be uneasy on the position of Indian military. But both the countries should take a bold decision, breaking from their past, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-cameron/pakistan-could-be-uneasy-on-the-position-of-indian-military-but-both/) Simon Cameron > [A man who makes no enemies is never a positive force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-cameron/a-man-who-makes-no-enemies-is-never-a-positive-force/) Simon Cameron Explore all 4 Simon Cameron quotes ## More Honest quotes > [How strong is a faith that can't stand up to a few honest questions?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-c-davis/how-strong-is-a-faith-that-can-t-stand-up-to-a-few-honest-questions/) [Kenneth C. Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-c-davis/) > [What we shall need is not geniuses, or cynics, or misanthropes, or clever tacticians, but plain, honest, straghtforward men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/what-we-shall-need-is-not-geniuses-or-cynics-or-misanthropes-or/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. Experiencing the innermost core of our existence is very embarrassing to a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-have-a-fear-of-facing-ourselves-that-is-the-obstacle-experiencing/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [Tobacco is the passion of honest men and he who lives without tobacco is not worthy of living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/tobacco-is-the-passion-of-honest-men-and-he-who-lives-without-tobacco/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [It is worthwhile for anyone to have behind him a few generations of honest, hard-working ancestry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-worthwhile-for-anyone-to-have-behind-him-a-few-generations-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“RIGHT Do you do what feels right or what is seen right?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kitty-downer/right-do-you-do-what-feels-right-or-what-is-seen-right/) [Kitty Downer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kitty-downer/) > [One of the most basic principles for making and keeping peace within and between nations. . . is that in political, military, moral, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/one-of-the-most-basic-principles-for-making-and-keeping-peace-within/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [I don't know - to be honest, I don't really model myself after anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-klattenhoff/i-don-t-know-to-be-honest-i-don-t-really-model-myself-after-anybody/) [Diego Klattenhoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-klattenhoff/) > [There's a certain edge about cruelty. If you're honest about it, most people wince, but say it had to be said.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-waterman/there-s-a-certain-edge-about-cruelty-if-you-re-honest-about-it-most/) [Pete Waterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-waterman/) > [I have often spoken of integrity as the most important of these values, realizing that integrity – and personal integrity, at that – is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/verghese-kurien/i-have-often-spoken-of-integrity-as-the-most-important-of-these/) [Verghese Kurien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/verghese-kurien/) > [Honest people don't hide their deeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-bronte/honest-people-don-t-hide-their-deeds/) [Emily Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-bronte/) > [I used to not be really honest with girls and then I dropped a song called Starry Room and then I started turning over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaden-smith/i-used-to-not-be-really-honest-with-girls-and-then-i-dropped-a-song/) [Jaden Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaden-smith/) > [Fuck perfect, I want honest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/djsovviet/fuck-perfect-i-want-honest/) Djsovviet > [If I'm honest, I think everything is funny. You've just got to find the right way in. When I'm at my happiest and when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mcintyre/if-i-m-honest-i-think-everything-is-funny-you-ve-just-got-to-find-the/) [Michael McIntyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mcintyre/) > [I think managers see that I am honest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-lallana/i-think-managers-see-that-i-am-honest/) [Adam Lallana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-lallana/) [Browse all 7,016 Honest quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "An honest politician is one who when he is bought will stay bought.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Simon Cameron" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-cameron/an-honest-politician-is-one-who-when-he-is-bought-will-stay-bought/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Honest" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-cameron/an-honest-politician-is-one-who-when-he-is-bought-will-stay-bought/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e3/simon-cameron-69831_honest_an-honest-politician-is-one-who-when-he_2131858.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e3/simon-cameron-69831_honest_an-honest-politician-is-one-who-when-he_2131858.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e3/simon-cameron-69831_honest_an-honest-politician-is-one-who-when-he_2131858.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“An honest politician is one who when he is bought will stay bought.” — Simon Cameron", "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": "Simon Cameron", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-cameron/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "An honest politician is one who...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-cameron/an-honest-politician-is-one-who-when-he-is-bought-will-stay-bought/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-cameron/an-honest-politician-is-one-who-when-he-is-bought-will-stay-bought/#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 } } ] } ```