When I was a boy I was told that anybody could become President; I'm beginning to believe it.

Darrow’s quip turns a civic platitude—“anyone can become President”—into a sardonic comment on the gap between democratic ideals and political reality. The first clause evokes the American myth of open opportunity and meritocratic ascent. The punchline (“I’m beginning to believe it”) implies that the presidency is not reserved for the exceptionally wise or virtuous; rather, the office can be reached by ordinary, even unimpressive, individuals. Read this way, the line is less celebratory than skeptical: it suggests that the system’s openness may also permit mediocrity, demagoguery, or mere ambition to triumph. The humor functions as critique, inviting listeners to reconsider what qualifications the nation actually rewards.

1) “When I was a boy I was told that anybody could become President. Now I’m beginning to believe it.”
2) “When I was a boy, I was told anybody could become President; now I’m beginning to believe it.”
3) “When I was a boy I was told that anyone could become President; I’m beginning to believe it.”