Always deny what you don’t want to be known, and always affirm what you want to be believed. For, though there be much–even conclusive–evidence to the contrary, a fervent affirmation or denial will often create at least some doubt in the mind of your listener.–Francesco Guicciardini (Italy, 1483-1540; political theorist of the Medicis and friend of Machiavelli). The allusions to Trump’s despotic tendencies are no illusion.
Aphorist–Poet as Philosopher