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His (Deschamps’) complaint of court life was the same as is made of government at the top in any age: it was composed of hypocrisy, flattery, lying, paying and betraying; it was where calumny and cupidity reigned, common sense lacked, truth dared not appear, and where to survive one had to be deaf, blind, and dumb.

— Barbara Tuchman A Distant Mirror (1978)

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More quotes by Barbara Tuchman

When truth and reason cannot be heard, then must presumption rule.

A Distant Mirror (1978)

Nothing is more certain than death and nothing uncertain but its hour.

A Distant Mirror (1978)

Against men habituated to lawless force, violent punishment failed to bring the violence under control.

A Distant Mirror (1978)

If it is not profitable for the common good that authority should be retained, it ought to be relinquished.

A Distant Mirror (1978)

For most people reform meant relief from ecclesiastical extortions.

A Distant Mirror (1978)

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