Memorandum to President Richard Nixon, January 16, 1970. Reported in the New York Times, 1 March 1970.
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The time may have come when the issue of race could benefit from a period of ''''benign neglect'''.' The subject has been too much talked about. The forum has been too much taken over to hysterics, paranoids, and boodlers on all sides. We need a period in which Negro progress continues and racial rhetoric fades.
— Daniel Patrick Moynihan
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "The time may have come when the issue of race could benefit from a period of ''''benign neglect'''.' The subject has been too much talked about. The forum has been too much taken over to hysterics, paranoids, and boodlers on all sides. We need a period in which Negro progress continues and racial rhetoric fades." in the context of "Memorandum to President Richard Nixon, January 16, 1970. Reported in the New York Times, 1 March 1970." to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Daniel Patrick Moynihan" (Quotes)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Daniel Patrick Moynihan (March 16, 1927 – March 26, 2003) was an American politician and diplomat. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented New York in the United States Senate from 1977 until 2001 after serving as an adviser to President Richard Nixon, and as the United States' ambassador to India and to the United Nations.
About Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Daniel Patrick Moynihan (March 16, 1927 – March 26, 2003) was an American politician and diplomat. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented New York in the United States Senate from 1977 until 2001 after serving as an adviser to President Richard Nixon, and as the United States' ambassador to India and to the United Nations.
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