Notable Quotable: David Brooks on the Virtuous Politican

Apropos of my last post here on the ethics of sexting, David Brooks has been thinking about models and exemplars of the virtuous politician and has turned to the characters of Victorian novelist Anthony Trollope. "

Trollope’s readers would have come away from his books with a certain model for how practical people should behave, which they could either copy or argue with. I’m not sure his exemplars could thrive amid the TV politics of today, which calls for grand promises and bold colors. But there are prudent, reserved people in government even now. And if more people spent their evenings at least thinking about what exemplary behavior means, they might be less likely to find themselves sending out emotionally stunted tweets late at night."

Making a note to add some Trollope to my summer reading.