Politics & Power Quote by R. A. Butler

Politics, Butler implies, is less a debating society than an ecosystem with teeth. His animal imagery strips Westminster of its civility and replaces it with a pack logic: solidarity is conditional, loyalty is provisional, and the real crime is weakness. The line works because it refuses the comforting myth that politics is mainly about ideas. It insists the governing force is survival, and it makes that feel inevitable, almost natural. “Always keep running” isn’t just about staying popular; it’s about staying in motion so no one can get a clean bite.

The subtext is a warning to anyone tempted by conscience or candor. Falter can mean a bad poll, a hesitant speech, a scandal, an ideological wobble. Injured is broader still: a leader who looks tired, out of step, or no longer useful. Butler’s wolves aren’t just opponents across the aisle; they’re your own side, the colleagues who praised you yesterday and brief against you tomorrow. The moment you become a liability, the moral language of teamwork evaporates and is replaced by a cold arithmetic of power.

Context sharpens the cynicism. Butler was a high-ranking Conservative in an era when party discipline, cabinet rivalries, and the management of public image were becoming central to political life. He himself was repeatedly passed over for the top job, a reminder that competence alone doesn’t secure leadership; perceived momentum does. The quote reads like hard-earned field notes: in politics, you don’t merely lose when you’re wrong. You lose when the pack decides you’re slow.