You can lead a man to Congress, but you can't make him think.

Berle’s quip adapts the proverb “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink,” redirecting it toward elected officials. The joke hinges on the idea that merely placing someone in the nation’s legislature does not guarantee intelligence, diligence, or independent judgment. It functions as a piece of political satire: Congress is portrayed as an institution where access and status are easy to obtain compared with the harder task of genuine thought. The line also implies a broader skepticism about democratic selection and political incentives—suggesting that office can reward conformity, partisanship, or self-interest rather than careful reasoning.