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It’s hard to build a narrative around actions not taken, disasters possibly averted, hard realities accommodated. The story of what didn’t happen isn’t an easy one to tell.

— George Packer Witnessing the Obama Presidency, from Start to Finish (2018)

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More quotes by George Packer

After Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya, the burden of proof is on anyone who would make the case for military action as a force for good.

Witnessing the Obama Presidency, from Start to Finish (2018)

Progressives find it hard to imagine that there are others who in good faith don’t want the better world they’re offering and will fiercely resist it.

Witnessing the Obama Presidency, from Start to Finish (2018)

"Trump’s lies will linger for years, poisoning the atmosphere like radioactive dust."

A Political Obituary for Donald Trump (2020)

"America under Trump became less free, less equal, more divided, more alone, deeper in debt, swampier, dirtier, meaner, sicker, and deader."

A Political Obituary for Donald Trump (2020)

Few people are capable of conscious, persistent self-betrayal. A change that begins in opportunism can become more passionate than a lifelong belief, especially when it’s rewarded. Ventriloquize long enough and your voice alters; the mask becomes your face.

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: George Packer (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.