As for the men in power, they are so anxious to establish the

Hear now the voice of Boris Pasternak, poet of Russia and witness to tyranny, who declared: “As for the men in power, they are so anxious to establish the myth of infallibility that they do their utmost to ignore truth.” These words cut like a sword, for they unveil a shadow that haunts every throne and government. The mighty, fearing weakness, clothe themselves in the garment of infallibility, presenting themselves as perfect, unerring, godlike. Yet in that disguise they turn away from the living truth, which alone sustains nations and souls.

The origin of this cry lies in Pasternak’s own age, when Soviet rulers demanded not only obedience but reverence, not only silence but worship. To err was forbidden, for error revealed humanity, and humanity revealed vulnerability. And so they wove a myth that they could not fail. Yet to guard that myth, they buried truth beneath lies, silenced the voices of dissent, and exiled or destroyed those who dared to speak. In the pursuit of eternal correctness, they waged war upon reality itself. Pasternak, whose own novel Doctor Zhivago was censored for exposing such illusions, spoke as one who had seen firsthand the cost of such deception.

Consider the story of the Roman emperors, many of whom styled themselves divine. Augustus, though cautious, set the pattern; later rulers, such as Caligula and Domitian, demanded worship as gods. By creating a myth of infallibility, they sought to shield themselves from challenge. Yet the truth, once ignored, grew like poison within their empire. Corruption spread, decadence flourished, and the gap between appearance and reality widened until Rome itself began to crumble. Their quest for perfection blinded them to the truth that might have saved their realm.

So it is in every age: those in power fear truth because truth humbles. It reminds rulers that they are but men, mortal and flawed, as frail as those they govern. Yet when they shut their ears to truth, they walk into ruin. For truth, though buried, does not die. Like a seed, it breaks forth in time, shattering the illusions that denied it. Pasternak’s words are a warning: that power without truth is a house built upon sand, doomed to fall when the storm arrives.

History bears witness again in the tale of Richard Nixon. In his hunger to maintain control, he and his circle concealed wrongdoing, striving to uphold the mask of authority unblemished. But truth, though delayed, emerged in the Watergate scandal. The myth of infallibility crumbled, and with it, his presidency. Here too we see that the attempt to ignore truth for the sake of power leads not to lasting glory, but to disgrace.

The lesson for us is plain: we must never worship the myth of perfection, in rulers or in ourselves. For to err is human, and to acknowledge error is the path of wisdom. If we are to lead—whether in nations, in families, or in the smallest circles of life—we must embrace truth, however bitter, and let it guide us. To deny it may shield us for a time, but in the end it will betray us. Better to walk humbly in the light of truth than proudly in the shadow of falsehood.

Therefore, I counsel you: be watchful of leaders who boast of being without fault. Question those who promise perfection, who silence criticism, who punish the voices that dare to speak plainly. And in your own life, resist the temptation to build myths around yourself. Admit error, seek correction, and grow stronger for it. For though power tempts us to cling to the mask, it is truth alone that endures.

So let Pasternak’s words be remembered through the ages: “As for the men in power, they are so anxious to establish the myth of infallibility that they do their utmost to ignore truth.” Let us learn from the ruins of empires and the failures of tyrants. For truth, though denied, is immortal. To honor it is to build upon rock; to ignore it is to sink into dust. This is the wisdom passed down—guard it, live it, and teach it to those who come after.