His son has culled from his morning writing some gems about citizenship. I place a few of them here, or, perhaps, more than a few. There are many.
2 September 1957 -
The leaders of one country found their people attacking another country: that was a disaster of statesmanship, to lose their people like that.
In a second country the leaders found their country attacked. The people, though, had behaved with restraint, a triumph of statesmanship, and a condition very hard to achieve.
(Hmmm! I certainly don't see this interpretation of statesmanship lately. I see leaders creating discontent so we will think we need them. I think of everything Jesus said and did. I imagine even he would have trouble dining easily with what Bush is doing in his name. )
I continue with the wisdom of William:
19 May 1963
One must learn to waver.
22 September 1967
Those who champion democracy, but also make a fetish of never accepting anything they don't agree with - what advantage do they see in democracy?
22 August 1970
Seeing one side at a time, we blunder. Truth has no perspective.
16 September 1970
My tremors are small, perhaps unmeaning, but like Galileo I can go away muttering, "Still, it moves."
11 September 1971
People rebelling against what they feel brought on World War II are re-enacting that time.
13 August 1974
A speech is something you say so as to distract attention from what you do not say.
1 December 1974
Divisions among groups bring forward aggressive leaders, whose function requires of them an emphasizing of positive qualities in their own group, a tolerance of distortion in regard to the "enemy," a temporary using of means ordinarily frowned upon. War leaders are liars.
1 February 1975
Sure there is darkness in the world, but when I want to read I use the light.
1 May 1979
"Some people are idealists: they keep leaning to make the world different. They should face up to the way things are, and accept them."
"Well, my leg is broken - I guess I'll just like that strange angle my leg has as it lies there."
18 May 1979
Stafford's Gettysburg Address: These dead people were brave.
11 November 1979
The Militarist's Farewell: Good-bye, Boomerang, see you later.
