Walter Lippmann (September 23, 1889 – December 14, 1974) is perhaps most famous for his 1922 critique of democracy Public Opinion. He is an interesting man and his life is one peppered with dubious acts and associations. But within his writings he gives this observation of honesty:
“You don’t have to preach honesty to men with a creative purpose. Let a human being throw the energies of his soul into the making of something, and the instinct or workmanship will take care of his honesty. The writers who have nothing to say are the ones you can buy; the others have too high a price. A genuine craftsman will not adulterate his product. The reason isn’t because duty says he shouldn’t, but that passion says he couldn’t.”
