The party conference season has just ended in the UK, & the race for the Presidency is in full swing in the US. In this context, when we have seen & heard so many protestations by leaders & their would-be replacements, you may well imagine how forcibly I was struck by the following passage by Marcus Aurelius [Meditations , Bk.11.]:
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| Barack Obama |
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| Mitt Romney |
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| Joe Biden & Paul Ryan in debate. |
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| David Cameron |
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| Ed Miliband |
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| Nick Clegg |
"15. How hollow & insincere it sounds when someone says, 'I am determined to be perfectly straightforward with you.' Why, man, what is all this ? The thing needs no prologue; it will declare itself. It should be written on your forehead, it should echo in the tones of your voice, it should shine out in a moment from your eyes, just as a single glance from the beloved tells all to the lover. Sincerity & goodness ought to have their own unmistakable odour, so that one who encounters this becomes straightway aware of it despite himself. A candour affected is a dagger concealed. The feigned friendship of the wolf is the most contemptible of all, & to be shunned beyond everything. A man who is truly good & sincere & well-meaning will show it by his looks, & no one can fail to see it."
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