We're not going to have the America that we want until we elect

The words of Ann Richards—“We’re not going to have the America that we want until we elect leaders who are going to tell the truth—not most days, but every day”—strike with the force of a trumpet sounding in the public square. They are not merely a complaint about politics, but a vision of a nation built on the enduring foundation of truth. For a people cannot flourish when their leaders shift with the winds of convenience, speaking truth on one day and falsehood on the next. The promise of America, and indeed of any republic, rests on the covenant between rulers and the ruled, a covenant written not only in laws but in trust. And trust cannot endure where truth does not dwell.

Richards spoke these words in the late 20th century, in a time when disillusionment with government ran deep. The shadows of Watergate, the wounds of Vietnam, and the growing cynicism of the public had eroded faith in leaders. She understood that no policy, however wise, and no vision, however lofty, could restore the soul of a people unless it was anchored in honesty. A leader who lies to his people poisons the very well from which a nation drinks. Her words are thus both a rebuke and a challenge: to demand not partial honesty, not seasonal truthfulness, but the constancy of integrity every day.

History itself confirms this eternal principle. Consider the tale of George Washington, who could have seized the crown of power, who could have wrapped himself in ambition, but chose instead the harder road of humility and truth. His refusal to deceive or to cling to power set the precedent that leaders are servants, not masters, and that the republic itself rests on honesty. His truthfulness did not make him weak—it made him immortal in the memory of his people. This is the contrast Richards calls us to: leaders who do not twist truth as a tool of power, but stand as guardians of it.

On the other hand, we see the ruin when leaders abandon this path. Richard Nixon, whose presidency collapsed under the weight of lies, shows us the cost of dishonesty. The Watergate scandal was not merely about burglary; it was about the erosion of truth in high office. When the people saw that their leader lied, trust in government itself withered. The wound was deep, and its echo lingers still. Richards’ warning is born from this history: nations do not perish first from invasion or famine, but from the decay of truth within their own house.

But let us not think this demand is only for presidents and governors. It is for all of us, for every leader great or small: parents in the home, teachers in the classroom, managers in their workplaces. Each community rests upon truth. A father who deceives his children cannot teach them trust. A teacher who misleads cannot nurture wisdom. A citizen who tolerates lies in public life becomes complicit in the decay. Thus Richards’ challenge is not only to elect leaders who speak truth—it is to become people who demand and practice truthfulness every day.

The lesson for us is clear: if we would build the America, or the world, that we desire, we must hold truth as sacred. Demand it from those who govern, but also from ourselves. Do not excuse lies because they come from our side. Do not accept falsehoods because they flatter our desires. Instead, honor the truth, even when it cuts against us, for only in such discipline can freedom endure. Truth is not always comfortable, but it is always liberating. It is the bedrock of trust, and trust is the foundation of democracy itself.

Therefore, O seeker of wisdom, take these words to heart: truth must be every day, or it is nothing at all. Choose leaders who embody it, live lives that reflect it, and build communities that guard it. For when truth is present, a nation is strong; when truth is absent, no laws, no armies, no wealth can save it. Let this be your guiding star: to walk in truth and to demand it in all who lead, so that the dream of justice, liberty, and peace may not be a fleeting shadow, but a light shining for generations.