Politics & Power Quote by Elihu Root

Root is warning that patriotism, when treated as a performance sport, rewards the loudest absolutist in the room. The line has the cool, prosecutorial rhythm of a lawyer cross-examining a jury: watch what you applaud, because your applause is shaping the testimony. He’s not primarily scolding politicians for lying; he’s indicting the audience for preferring lies that flatter. The “popular tendency” isn’t ignorance so much as appetite.

The intent is surgical: to separate loyalty from the childish comfort of moral certainty. Root had lived through an era when the United States was stretching outward - the Spanish-American War, the Philippines, a new global posture - and when public opinion could be whipped into righteousness on demand. As a statesman-lawyer (and later a Nobel Peace Prize winner), Root’s worldview leaned toward rules, restraint, and the hard work of international legitimacy. In that context, “right in everything” isn’t just inaccurate; it’s politically expensive. It licenses overreach abroad and complacency at home.

The subtext is darker than it first reads. Extremism here isn’t only a rhetorical style; it’s a shortcut to belonging. Declaring “us” perfect and “them” wicked turns politics into identity maintenance. Root’s phrasing exposes the transaction: demagogues “seek popularity” by selling a simple story, and the public buys it because complexity feels like disloyalty. The quote works because it flips the usual blame. The hazard isn’t merely bad leaders; it’s a culture that confuses national pride with permanent acquittal.