---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's the one thing no nation can ever…"
description: "\"There's the one thing no nation can ever accuse us of and that is secret diplomacy. Our foreign are an open book, generally a check book.\" — Will Rogers"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e64/will-rogers-272_america_there-s-the-one-thing-no-nation-can-ever_3117526.jpg"
---

#  There's the one thing no nation can ever accuse us of and…

![“There's the one thing no nation can ever accuse us of and that is secret diplomacy. Our foreign are an open book, generally a check book.” quote by Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e64/will-rogers-272_america_there-s-the-one-thing-no-nation-can-ever_3117526.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e64/will-rogers-272_america_there-s-the-one-thing-no-nation-can-ever_3117526.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e64/will-rogers-272_america_there-s-the-one-thing-no-nation-can-ever_3117526.jpg)

> “There's the one thing no nation can ever accuse us of and that is secret diplomacy. Our foreign are an open book, generally a check book.”

[Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/)

## About This Quote

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

He claims transparency in foreign policy, contrasting secret diplomacy with open financial dealings.

**In simple terms:** Open foreign policy vs secret diplomacy.

Key Takeaway

Advocate transparency in international affairs.

Themes

politics transparency foreign policy

Mood

cautious optimistic

Type

political ethical

When to use this quote

- government communications
- budget reporting
- international negotiations
- public accountability

Key Concepts

democracy accountability public trust

Questions to Reflect On

- How can governments balance openness with security?
- What are the risks of full financial disclosure?

A Different Perspective

Transparency may be limited by security concerns.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Accuse Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accuse-secret-5461892/) [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Checks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/checks/) [Diplomacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diplomacy/) [Diplomacy Foreign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diplomacy-foreign-2994534/) [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [One thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/one-thing/) [Open book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/open-book/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) [Secret Diplomacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret-diplomacy-2399035/)

## Related quotes

> [Create the impression of endless willingness to compromise and you almost invite deadlines. That's the challenge we now have in North Korea and have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/create-the-impression-of-endless-willingness-to-compromise-and-you/)

[Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/)

> [“It is a the belief of many brooding minds that almost as great as the direct guilt of the German war lords was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-gibbs/it-is-a-the-belief-of-many-brooding-minds-that-almost-as-great-as-the/)

[Philip Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-gibbs/)

> [“This is the paradox of public space: even if everyone knows an unpleasant fact, saying it in public changes everything. One of the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavoj-i-ek/this-is-the-paradox-of-public-space-even-if-everyone-knows-an-2/)

[Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/)

> [Foreign relations is an open book-- generally a checkbook.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/foreign-relations-is-an-open-book-generally-a-checkbook/)

[Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/)

> [Take the diplomacy out of war and the thing would fall flat in a week.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/take-the-diplomacy-out-of-war-and-the-thing-would-fall-flat-in-a-week/)

[Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/)

> [Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/diplomacy-is-the-art-of-saying-nice-doggie-until-you-can-find-a-rock/)

[Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/)

> [Diplomats are just as essential to starting a war as soldiers are for finishing it... You take diplomacy out of war, and the thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/diplomats-are-just-as-essential-to-starting-a-war-as-soldiers-are-for/)

[Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/)

> [I doubt if a charging elephant, or a rhino, is as determined or hard to check as a socially ambitious mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/i-doubt-if-a-charging-elephant-or-a-rhino-is-as-determined-or-hard-to/)

[Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/)

> [“Consider me an open book" dev said. "Mi casa es su casa." Dev crinkled his nose and smelled the air. "Err, mi nose es…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lynn-barnes/consider-me-an-open-book-dev-said-mi-casa-es-su-casa-dev-crinkled-his/)

[Jennifer Lynn Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lynn-barnes/)

> [“I prop my guitar up against the nightstand. Then I turn toward the bed and fall into it face first. The mattress is soft…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-chase/i-prop-my-guitar-up-against-the-nightstand-then-i-turn-toward-the-bed/)

[Emma Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-chase/)

> [“When you open a book, you open the mind of the author. Someone needs to tell all womens to stop looking for what doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teni-a/when-you-open-a-book-you-open-the-mind-of-the-author-someone-needs-to/)

[Teni. A](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teni-a/)

> [My story's been an open book for a long time, no pun intended.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-williams/my-story-s-been-an-open-book-for-a-long-time-no-pun-intended/)

[Jay Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-williams/)

> [A breeze discovered my open book And began to flutter the leaves to look](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-breeze-discovered-my-open-book-and-began-to-flutter-the-leaves-to/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I'm pretty much an open book. I am a fanatic golfer and golf nut. If I have three free hours any day, my first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/i-m-pretty-much-an-open-book-i-am-a-fanatic-golfer-and-golf-nut-if-i/)

[Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/)

> [My life is an open book. With illustrations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-hefner/my-life-is-an-open-book-with-illustrations/)

[Hugh Hefner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-hefner/)

## More by Will Rogers

> [She was so ugly she could make a mule back away from an oat bin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/she-was-so-ugly-she-could-make-a-mule-back-away-from-an-oat-bin/)

[Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/)

> [We are always saying: Let the Law take its Course but what we really mean is: Let the Law take OUR Course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/we-are-always-saying-let-the-law-take-its-course-but-what-we-really/)

[Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/)

> [The Democrats and the Republicans are equally corrupt where money is concerned. It's only in the amount where the Republicans excel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/the-democrats-and-the-republicans-are-equally-corrupt-where-money-is/)

[Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/)

> [Farmers, get out your sense of humor. Congress meets to relieve you again next week.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/farmers-get-out-your-sense-of-humor-congress-meets-to-relieve-you/)

[Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/)

> [Politicians, after all, are not over a year behind public opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/politicians-after-all-are-not-over-a-year-behind-public-opinion/)

[Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/)

> [American invents everything, but the trouble is we get tired of it the minute the new is wore off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/american-invents-everything-but-the-trouble-is-we-get-tired-of-it-the/)

[Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/)

> [I don't know what humor is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/i-don-t-know-what-humor-is/)

[Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/)

> [There are two things I don't care how smart you are, you will never understand. One is an alienist's testimony, and the other is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/there-are-two-things-i-don-t-care-how-smart-you-are-you-will-never/)

[Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/)

> [The more you observe politics, the more you've got to admit that each party is worse than the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/the-more-you-observe-politics-the-more-you-ve-got-to-admit-that-each/)

[Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/)

> [I don't think you can make a lawyer honest by an act of legislature. You've got to work on his conscience. And his lack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/i-don-t-think-you-can-make-a-lawyer-honest-by-an-act-of-legislature/)

[Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/)

> [There are two theories to arguing with a woman. Neither works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/there-are-two-theories-to-arguing-with-a-woman-neither-works/)

[Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/)

> [America is a great country, but you can't live in it for nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/america-is-a-great-country-but-you-can-t-live-in-it-for-nothing/)

[Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/)

> [There ought to be one day - just one - when there is open season on senators.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/there-ought-to-be-one-day-just-one-when-there-is-open-season-on/)

[Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/)

> [Every Gag I tell must be based on truth. No matter how much I may exaggerate it, it must have a certain amount of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/every-gag-i-tell-must-be-based-on-truth-no-matter-how-much-i-may/)

[Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/)

> [So live that you would not mind selling your pet parrot to the town gossip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/so-live-that-you-would-not-mind-selling-your-pet-parrot-to-the-town/)

[Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/)

[Explore all 776 Will Rogers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/)

## More America quotes

> [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/)

[Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/)

> [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

> [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/)

[Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/)

> [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/)

[Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/)

> [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/)

[Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/)

> [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/)

[Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/)

> [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/)

[Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/)

[Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "There's the one thing no nation can ever accuse us of and that is secret diplomacy. Our foreign are an open book, generally a check book.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Will Rogers"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/there-s-the-one-thing-no-nation-can-ever-accuse-us-of-and-that-is/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "America"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/there-s-the-one-thing-no-nation-can-ever-accuse-us-of-and-that-is/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e64/will-rogers-272_america_there-s-the-one-thing-no-nation-can-ever_3117526.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e64/will-rogers-272_america_there-s-the-one-thing-no-nation-can-ever_3117526.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e64/will-rogers-272_america_there-s-the-one-thing-no-nation-can-ever_3117526.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There's the one thing no nation can ever accuse us of and that is secret diplomacy. Our foreign are an open…” — Will Rogers",
                "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": "Will Rogers",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "There's the one thing no nation...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/there-s-the-one-thing-no-nation-can-ever-accuse-us-of-and-that-is/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/there-s-the-one-thing-no-nation-can-ever-accuse-us-of-and-that-is/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
