“I would rather be right than be President.”
Henry Clay (1777–1852) American politician from Kentucky
Speech, Senate (1850), referring to the Compromise Measures.
“The best of us would rather be popular than right.”
No. 44, the Mysterious Stranger (unpublished manuscript written 1902–1908)
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Mark Twain637
American author and humorist 1835–1910Related quotes
“I would rather be in minority and be right, than in the majority and wrong.”
Jodi Picoult book Sing You Home
Source: Sing You Home
“I would rather be beaten in Right than succeed in Wrong.”
James A. Garfield (1831–1881) American politician, 20th President of the United States (in office in 1881)
Source: Maxims of James Abram Garfield (1880), compiled by William Ralston Balch, p. 1
Roy Jenkins (1920–2003) British politician, historian and writer
Maiden speech https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1970/apr/20/budget-resolutions-and-economic-situation#column_83 in the House of Commons (3 June 1948) <br class="br">1940s
Brian W. Aldiss (1925–2017) British science fiction author
Science Fiction on the Titanic, in Brian Aldiss and Harry Harrison (eds.) The Year's Best SF 9 (1976), ISBN 0-8600-7894-9, p. 205
“At this juncture we might conceivably act in a sensible, rather than a popular, manner”
E. B. White (1899–1985) American writer
The Wild Flag (1943)
Context: The delegate from Patagonia spoke up. 'I fear that the wild flag, one for all, will prove an unpopular idea.'
'It will, undoubtedly,' sighed the Chinese delegate. 'But now that there are only a couple of hundred people on earth, even the word "unpopular" loses most of its meaning. At this juncture we might conceivably act in a sensible, rather than a popular, manner.' And he produced eighty-two more shoeboxes and handed a wild flag to each delegate, bowing ceremoniously.
Next day the convention broke up and the delegates returned to their homes, marveling at what they had accomplished in so short a time. And that is the end of our dream.
“Most of us would rather risk catastrophe than read the directions.”
Mignon McLaughlin (1913–1983) American journalist
The Complete Neurotic's Notebook (1981), Unclassified
“I would rather have a clean government than one where 'First Amendment rights' are being respected”
John McCain (1936–2018) politician from the United States
On the Don Imus show (28 April 2006)
2000s, 2006
Context: I work in Washington and I know that money corrupts. And I and a lot of other people were trying to stop that corruption. Obviously, from what we've been seeing lately, we didn't complete the job. But I would rather have a clean government than one where 'First Amendment rights' are being respected that has become corrupt. If I had my choice, I'd rather have the clean government.
“What is right is not always popular and what is popular is not always right.”
Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born physicist and founder of the theory of relativity
“Would you rather be right or free?”
Byron Katie (1942) American spiritual writer
Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life (2002)