John W. Gardner Quotes
Our problem is not to find better values but to be faithful to those we profess.
Gardner, John W. The Recovery of Confidence. W. W. Norton, 1970, p. 24.
This view almost got him killed. It was customary to swear loyalty to the government and those that would not were perceived to be traitors. The logic was that Christians feared for their souls more so than their lives so would not swear falsely. If there was no swearing, how was loyalty to be determined?
Often invoked by religious persons in courts as a justification for not swearing on a Bible and in opposition to loyalty or other oath requirements.
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, 1835-1910. From the point of view of the person or company that bribes or gives campaign contributions to legislators, there has often been a problem that when the heat is on the legislator might begin to refrain from voting as was expected. Twain was joking in this quotation by using the world “morality” to describe the obligation of the legislator to vote for the interest of the briber or campaign contributor. However, there were several major businessmen who actually saw the bribed legislator as having a moral and ethical duty to continue to protect the interest of the briber.
John William Gardner was Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) under President Lyndon Johnson. He was a strong advocate for citizen participation who founded Common Cause and became known as "the father of campaign finance reform".
