As they say around the Texas Legislature, if you can't drink their whiskey, screw their women, take their mone... — Molly Ivins

As they say around the Texas Legislature, if you can't drink their whiskey, screw their women, take their money, and vote against 'em anyway, you don't belong in office.

Author: Molly Ivins

Insight: This quote captures something unsettling about power that most of us prefer not to acknowledge: the ability to benefit from people while working against their interests. Molly Ivins, a sharp-eyed Texas political columnist, was describing a particular flavor of political ruthlessness—the kind where personal relationships and private dealings completely separate from public loyalty. It's cynical, sure, but it reflects a real dynamic we see everywhere, not just in politics. The uncomfortable truth is that this kind of selective loyalty happens in smaller ways constantly. Your boss might genuinely like you while cutting your department. A colleague might share a meal with you and then undercut you in a meeting. We live in a world where charm and self-interest coexist comfortably, and we're often complicit in both sides of the arrangement. Ivins wasn't endorsing this behavior—she was naming it, which is different. She wanted people to see the game clearly rather than pretend it doesn't exist. What makes this quote still relevant is that it suggests a kind of hard-won clarity. If you understand how things actually work, you're less likely to be shocked when someone prioritizes their interests over yours. That's not cynicism so much as literacy—reading the room and recognizing when personal warmth is actually separate from professional or political maneuvering.