Quote by John Foster Dulles
The United Nations was not set up to be a reformatory. It was assumed that you would be good before you got in and not that being in would make you good.
Summary
This quote suggests that the primary purpose of the United Nations is not to enforce or achieve significant changes or improvements in the behavior or morals of member nations. Instead, it implies that the organization was established under the assumption that countries joining the UN would already possess fundamental principles of goodness, adherence to international laws, and respect for human rights. In other words, membership in the UN should not be seen as a means to cultivate virtue in nations, but rather as an association of already virtuous nations working together.