… is from Abraham Lincoln’s oration in his first debate with Stephen Douglas, which occurred in 1858:
Consequently he who molds public sentiment goes deeper than he who enacts statutes or pronounces decisions. He makes statutes and decisions possible or impossible to be executed.
DBx: Ideas – including the manner in which these are expressed verbally and in writing and through entertainment – matter immensely. Change ideas, and you change the world. Don’t, and you don’t. Of course, it’s vital that the change in ideas be in a liberal, civilizing, and individual-respecting direction. Unfortunately, nothing guarantees this outcome; it must constantly be pursued.
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I discovered the above quotation from Lincoln on page 145 of Deirdre McCloskey’s and Art Carden’s marvelous new (2020) book, Leave Me Alone and I’ll Make You Rich: How the Bourgeois Deal Enriched the World.
