Quotes Library

March 7, 2025

Men on white horses armed with simple solutions are the answer when people decide they’ve had enough of “politics as usual.”

Bob Rae (1948– ), Canadian politician and diplomat, From Protest to Power: Personal Reflections on a Life in Politics (1996), Colombo p.416

When were you last seen on your white horse? What was your last recorded simple solution?

Everyone rides a high horse (defined as being arrogantly unyielding) at least once in their lives; and all of us have proffered altogether-too-simple solutions from time to time. Trouble arises when those kinds of people control the levers of power in a democracy (by getting elected to office) and horseback riding is their favorite daily exercise.


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