Politics is the attempt to achieve power and prestige without

When P. J. O’Rourke declared, “Politics is the attempt to achieve power and prestige without merit,” he cast a sharp arrow into the heart of public life. His words unveil the corruption that so often hides beneath the robes of politics—that men and women ascend not through wisdom, virtue, or sacrifice, but through cunning, manipulation, and spectacle. Where merit should be the measure, ambition too often becomes the path, and thus honor is claimed by those least worthy to wear it.

The ancients themselves warned of this peril. Plato, in his Republic, feared that democracy would decay when the ambitious sought power not for service, but for vanity, flattering the people while secretly hungering for themselves. So too did Cicero lament that the Roman Senate was filled with men who pursued prestige without merit, adorning their names with empty honors while neglecting the true duties of state. O’Rourke’s jest carries this ancient sorrow: that politics, noble in design, is too often debased in practice.

History offers clear examples. In the twilight of Rome, emperors rose not by virtue but by bribery, promises to soldiers, and spectacles for the crowd. Bread and circuses became the coin of power, while wisdom and justice were forgotten. Their ascent without merit hastened the empire’s fall. Likewise, in modern times, leaders who achieved power through deceit or empty charm often left their nations weakened, for their prestige was but a mask concealing hollowness within.

Yet O’Rourke’s words, though bitter, carry also a hidden warning to the people. For the failure of politics is not only the fault of those who seek power without merit, but of those who grant it to them. When citizens prize appearance over substance, rhetoric over truth, they become accomplices in their own betrayal. The disease of politics thrives when the people forget to demand virtue.

Thus, let this wisdom endure: beware those who rise swiftly, promising everything yet offering nothing. For true power is born not of ambition, but of service; true prestige comes not from titles, but from deeds. Teach this to the generations—that the measure of a leader is not in applause, but in sacrifice, not in charm, but in character. Only then will politics cease to be the pursuit of honor without merit, and return to its true purpose: the stewardship of the people.