"Our best comes out when we have honest discussions"
About this Quote
“Honest discussions” is a politician’s favorite two-word alibi: it sounds brave while staying safely undefined. Fernando Flores’s line is built to do double duty. On the surface, it’s an affirmation of deliberative democracy, the idea that better outcomes follow when people stop performing and start telling the truth. Underneath, it’s a soft rebuke to the rituals of public life that reward message discipline, not candor.
The intent is strategic optimism. Flores isn’t praising honesty as a moral virtue; he’s selling it as a performance enhancer. “Our best comes out” reframes truth-telling as a tool for results, not a confession booth. That matters in political culture, where “honesty” can read as either reckless or sanctimonious. He makes it pragmatic: honesty is what unlocks competence.
The subtext is also managerial. “Our” implies collective ownership and collective restraint: we’re all implicated in the ways conversations get gamed, polarized, or reduced to talking points. The phrase doesn’t name enemies; it names a process. That’s a politician’s way of calling for accountability without picking a fight.
Contextually, Flores comes from a Latin American political tradition where public discourse often carries the scars of distrust, institutional fragility, and backroom negotiation. In that environment, a call for “honest discussions” isn’t just civics-class idealism; it’s a challenge to opacity and a bid to rebuild legitimacy. It’s modest language with an ambitious promise: make truth feel productive again.
The intent is strategic optimism. Flores isn’t praising honesty as a moral virtue; he’s selling it as a performance enhancer. “Our best comes out” reframes truth-telling as a tool for results, not a confession booth. That matters in political culture, where “honesty” can read as either reckless or sanctimonious. He makes it pragmatic: honesty is what unlocks competence.
The subtext is also managerial. “Our” implies collective ownership and collective restraint: we’re all implicated in the ways conversations get gamed, polarized, or reduced to talking points. The phrase doesn’t name enemies; it names a process. That’s a politician’s way of calling for accountability without picking a fight.
Contextually, Flores comes from a Latin American political tradition where public discourse often carries the scars of distrust, institutional fragility, and backroom negotiation. In that environment, a call for “honest discussions” isn’t just civics-class idealism; it’s a challenge to opacity and a bid to rebuild legitimacy. It’s modest language with an ambitious promise: make truth feel productive again.
Quote Details
| Topic | Honesty & Integrity |
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