You want a friend in Washington? Get a dog.

The words of Harry S. Truman, “You want a friend in Washington? Get a dog,” carry the weight of a statesman who had walked through the treacherous halls of power. Beneath the humor lies a sober truth: in politics, alliances are fleeting, loyalties are conditional, and friendship is a rare and fragile thing. In the arena of ambition and rivalry, the heart often finds betrayal where it once sought trust. Thus, Truman, forged in the fire of the presidency, counseled that if one seeks true loyalty, it will not be found in colleagues, but in the faithful devotion of a dog.

In the ancient spirit, this is no idle jest but a parable. For power, by its very nature, breeds envy and competition. Men in high places may smile, but their smiles conceal daggers. To stand in the court of kings or in the chambers of Washington is to live in a place where friendship bends to interest and loyalty to advantage. Only the simple creature, free from guile and greed, can give love without calculation. That is why Truman points to the dog: an emblem of steadfastness in a world of shifting allegiances.

History shows this truth. Consider Abraham Lincoln, whose cabinet—though called a “team of rivals”—was filled with men who doubted, opposed, and even despised him. Lincoln bore their schemes and endured their betrayals, for such is the nature of politics. Yet when the day was done, the companionship of his family’s pets gave him solace that no advisor could. Here, as in Truman’s saying, we see the difference between political alliances and the unconditional bond of a loyal creature.

Truman himself knew betrayal well. Rising from Missouri politics to the presidency, he was surrounded by men who praised him in public and undermined him in private. He had learned, through bitter experience, that few in Washington stood beside him out of love; most stood there for power, for influence, or for gain. Thus his words were not cynical alone, but a lesson born of wounds: seek not friendship where ambition rules.

So let this truth be carried forward: in the realm of politics, trust must be given sparingly, for the heart of man is often swayed by advantage. But in the simple devotion of a dog, there lies the constancy that power cannot corrupt. Truman’s words endure as both warning and wisdom: in places where loyalty bends like a reed in the wind, turn instead to that which loves unconditionally, and you will know the meaning of true friendship.