"The human animal cannot be trusted for anything good except en masse. The combined thought and action of the whole people of any race, creed or nationality, will always point in the right direction"
About this Quote
Truman compresses a plainspoken skepticism about human nature with a sturdy faith in democracy. Calling the individual a "human animal" strips away sentimentality: alone, people are impulsive, self-interested, prone to error. Yet he pivots to a confidence that when the whole people deliberate and act, their aggregate judgment tends to orient toward the good. It is an argument for the corrective power of scale, diversity, and inclusion. Many minds and experiences counterbalance each other’s blind spots, and prejudice gives way to the broader interests of the community. The key phrase is "the whole people", widened to "any race, creed or nationality", which frames this as a universal, not tribal, claim about democratic capacity.
The sentiment reflects both Truman’s biography and the mid-century stakes. A product of Missouri machine politics who cultivated a reputation for blunt honesty, he trusted ordinary voters more than narrow elites or charismatic strongmen. After World War II, with totalitarian regimes fresh in memory, he championed institutions that magnified collective reason: the United Nations, the Marshall Plan backed by congressional and public consensus, and a domestic program that sought to broaden opportunity. His 1948 whistle-stop campaign enacted this philosophy, taking the case directly to citizens and betting that, taken together, they would see through artifice. When he ordered the desegregation of the armed forces, he appealed to national conscience and equal citizenship, implicitly invoking that wider, corrective public.
Still, the line is not a naive endorsement of mob sentiment. Truman had seen demagoguery and the distortions of patronage; he knew that the "combined thought" he valorizes depends on free press, honest information, and institutions that channel popular will into law. The insight is less about the infallibility of majorities than about a method: open debate, shared facts, and broad participation produce a more reliable compass than private impulse or insulated authority. In a world of factions and fear, Truman stakes his bet on the hard, cumulative wisdom of everyone.
The sentiment reflects both Truman’s biography and the mid-century stakes. A product of Missouri machine politics who cultivated a reputation for blunt honesty, he trusted ordinary voters more than narrow elites or charismatic strongmen. After World War II, with totalitarian regimes fresh in memory, he championed institutions that magnified collective reason: the United Nations, the Marshall Plan backed by congressional and public consensus, and a domestic program that sought to broaden opportunity. His 1948 whistle-stop campaign enacted this philosophy, taking the case directly to citizens and betting that, taken together, they would see through artifice. When he ordered the desegregation of the armed forces, he appealed to national conscience and equal citizenship, implicitly invoking that wider, corrective public.
Still, the line is not a naive endorsement of mob sentiment. Truman had seen demagoguery and the distortions of patronage; he knew that the "combined thought" he valorizes depends on free press, honest information, and institutions that channel popular will into law. The insight is less about the infallibility of majorities than about a method: open debate, shared facts, and broad participation produce a more reliable compass than private impulse or insulated authority. In a world of factions and fear, Truman stakes his bet on the hard, cumulative wisdom of everyone.
Quote Details
| Topic | Wisdom |
|---|
More Quotes by Harry
Add to List
