Is Trump unique? No. H
e’s just the latest in a long line of demagogues and false populists who use deceit and “alternative facts” to confuse the public and to lead nations into ruinous behaviors. This quote, from an 18th Century French author, proves the point.
It’s the latest in our long-running series of quotes that remind us, over and over, that everything ends up being political, whether we like it or not–and that “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” [Hey, that’s another old quote, from 1849, by another French writer, Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr.]
We’re always on the lookout for quotes–contemporary and historical–that are pertinent to the current political environment. Check out our page full of our previously published illustrated quotes here.
Our illustrator is Christopher Burke, whose unique, quirky cartoons add a touch of whimsy–which we really, really need as we embark on a new, frightening era in American democracy.
The author of this still-timely quote is Voltaire, [1694-1778], a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher famous for his wit, his attacks on the established Catholic Church, and his advocacy of freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and separation of church and state.