"Since a politician never believes what he says, he is quite surprised to be taken at his word"

Charles de Gaulle’s observation highlights a fundamental cynicism at the heart of political communication. Politicians, he suggests, often speak not as an expression of genuine belief but as a calculated means to an end. Their rhetoric is crafted to persuade, manipulate, or suit the needs of the moment rather than reflect any steadfast conviction. As a result, when constituents or observers treat political statements as sincere expressions of belief and rely on them, politicians may be genuinely startled. They are accustomed to the idea that words in politics are malleable tools, subject to strategic recalibration rather than binding promises.

This dynamic points to a disjunction between what is said publicly and what is privately believed within the sphere of political leadership. The performative aspect of politics means that public pronouncements are often crafted with an eye toward public opinion, electoral advantage, or coalition-building, rather than the honest communication of intentions or beliefs. De Gaulle’s remark exposes the irony that politicians, who depend on being persuasive and credible, can be distrustful of the very language they deploy, knowing its purposes are conditional and transactional.

At a deeper level, the statement suggests a certain contempt or reluctance on the part of politicians to take responsibility for the implications of their words. If statements are made for effect rather than truth, the shock comes when audiences hold speakers to account, demanding consistency or integrity. This gap between rhetoric and reality undermines public trust and may foster cynicism toward the political class as a whole.

Thus, de Gaulle reveals the moral hazards inherent in political activity: a system in which saying what is necessary overrides saying what is real, and where disbelief in one’s own rhetoric becomes not only common, but even expected. The surprise, then, is not just in being taken seriously, but in the enduring expectation that public words ought to reflect private beliefs.