The Great Game Quotes

“In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.” — Sun-Tzu, The Art of War”
― D.R. Bell, The Great Game

“He smirked. “Communism? Of course not. The Soviet Union fell because communism did not understand human nature. People act in their self-interest. When there is too little self-interest the economy sputters. Now America is failing because it also stopped understanding human nature. When there is too much self-interest, people just start voting themselves money or skimming it off others by any means possible. Deep inside, we are all little Robin Hoods. I think your founders understood this. That’s why democracies flame out: people will vote for those who promise them more for less, and politicians will say and do what they have to in order to get elected and re-elected. That’s how it’s been throughout history. You have to find the right balance between giving people some measure of self-interest, but within the context of a strong state that keeps those Robin Hood-ish tendencies in check. That’s what I believe in: my country with a strong state.”
― D.R. Bell, The Great Game

“The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money.” — Alexis De Tocqueville”
― D.R. Bell, The Great Game

“It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world.” —Thomas Jefferson”
― D.R. Bell, The Great Game