Daily Inspiration Quote by Earl Butz

A whole era of Washington pathology is packed into that preposition swap: for versus with. Earl Butz, a blunt Midwestern operator who served as agriculture secretary under both Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, isn’t admiring management styles so much as diagnosing two radically different theories of power. “Worked for Nixon” frames the administration as a hierarchy sealed by suspicion. Under Nixon, loyalty ran one-way: you served the man, navigated the palace intrigue, and stayed useful by staying careful. The job wasn’t just policy; it was proximity to a leader who treated government like a battlefield where even allies might be liabilities.

“With Ford” lands like a relief valve. Ford’s post-Watergate presidency sold itself on decency, openness, and the restoration of normal civic procedure. Butz’s line flatters that vibe while also revealing what the Nixon years had done to everyone’s expectations: basic collegiality could register as a philosophical shift. The remark is a small act of institutional therapy, a way of saying the government could be a workplace again rather than a pressure cooker.

The intent is also quietly political. By praising Ford through contrast, Butz reinforces Ford’s core brand: not charismatic, not cunning, but trustworthy enough to share agency with subordinates. That “with” suggests consultation, shared ownership, less fear. It’s a neat piece of insider shorthand for the Watergate hangover, where the country didn’t just need new policies; it needed a new grammar of authority.