Moses combined soaring idealism with ready deception even in college

Evidence

Ed Richards knew that Moses was brilliant—even “Five A” Johnson, who regularly received the top grade in every course he took each term, said that Moses could have stood first in the Class of 1909 if he hadn’t spent so much time reading books that had nothing to do with his assignments—but the quality that had most impressed Richards and the rest of ’ was his idealism. … And now, Richards realized, this same Bob Moses was suggesting that they get money for the swimming team by deliberately misleading Og Reid. — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker, 17

Categorization

• STORYSTEM: A character whose idealism and pragmatism coexist so tightly that fraud reads as a natural extension of reform — rich seed for a morally ambiguous protagonist.
• QUESTION: This chapter-opening portrait frames the book’s central tension: was Moses’s career built on the same skill at misleading ‘contributors’?
• XREF: connects to: Moses organized multi-layer pressure campaigns through proxies even in college. — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the…, 191; Even in college Moses deliberately selected rather than accepted his friends — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the…, 194; Moses began his career in public service with passionate idealism — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the…, 248 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Moses began his career in public service with passionate idealism #corroborates (0.80) — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker, 248
• Ambition was not the whole motive driving young Moses #expands (0.72) — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker, 274