3 ms·
> If you give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest of men, I will find something in them which will hang him.
by fierarul 7y ago
> If you give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest of men, I will find something in them which will hang him.
- shadowgovt 7y agoCardinal Richelieu. Maybe; origin of the quote is a bit disputed. In any case, it's a cute sentiment but it's unclear it has any bearing on a world that isn't an authoritarian universe with a power-protected clergy class. Perhaps in terms of modern-day utility, we can interpret it as a warning to always check primary sources, not trust someone else to have accurately or honestly arranged six lines of text from a third party. (Unfortunately for rms, the primary sources don't actually make him look that good in this situation, since he decided to "um actually" a conversation about rape).