Wisdom comes from the Balkans, too

My friend John Brennan, a romantic who all too often poses as an acerbic jokester, sent me the following quote. It seems to rule this part of the world, meaning the Balkans, but it’s been fairly prevalent in the U.S. over the past decade or so, too.

The quote comes from Aristotle: “A tyrant must put on the appearance of uncommon devotion to religion. Subjects are less apprehensive of illegal treatment from a ruler whom they consider god-fearing and pious. On the other hand, they do less easily move against him, believing that he has the gods on his side.”