"If a man has common sense, he has all the sense there is"
About this Quote
Rayburn’s line is a piece of legislative trench wisdom disguised as homespun philosophy: in the messy business of governing, “common sense” isn’t one tool among many, it’s the only one that reliably survives contact with reality. The phrasing is deliberately absolutist - “all the sense there is” - a frontier-style mic drop that shuts down the mystique of expertise without sounding anti-intellectual. It’s a politician’s way of scoring a point against the people who hide behind credentials, committees, or cleverness while missing the obvious.
The intent is also disciplinary. Rayburn spent decades corralling egos in the House, and common sense here functions as a social contract: keep your feet on the floor, read the room, understand consequences, don’t get seduced by theory or grandstanding. He’s elevating prudence over brilliance, because prudence is what keeps coalitions intact and legislation alive.
The subtext is a warning about “other senses” that pass for intelligence in Washington: partisan reflex, ideological purity, procedural gamesmanship. Rayburn implies those aren’t senses at all - they’re distortions. In the mid-20th century, with the New Deal’s expansion of government and the rising prestige of technocrats, the line also reassures constituents that democratic judgment still matters. It flatters the voter, yes, but it also flatters the institution Rayburn guarded: a Congress that, at its best, turns ordinary judgment into workable compromises.
The intent is also disciplinary. Rayburn spent decades corralling egos in the House, and common sense here functions as a social contract: keep your feet on the floor, read the room, understand consequences, don’t get seduced by theory or grandstanding. He’s elevating prudence over brilliance, because prudence is what keeps coalitions intact and legislation alive.
The subtext is a warning about “other senses” that pass for intelligence in Washington: partisan reflex, ideological purity, procedural gamesmanship. Rayburn implies those aren’t senses at all - they’re distortions. In the mid-20th century, with the New Deal’s expansion of government and the rising prestige of technocrats, the line also reassures constituents that democratic judgment still matters. It flatters the voter, yes, but it also flatters the institution Rayburn guarded: a Congress that, at its best, turns ordinary judgment into workable compromises.
Quote Details
| Topic | Wisdom |
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