τὸ ἄμεινον καὶ τὸ χεῖρον ἐν τῷ ἀφανεῖ ἔτι ἑώρα μάλιστα
he most clearly saw the better and the worse while they were still hidden
Source: Cf. Thucydides 1.138 (of Themistocles)
Register: technical
Etymology
Compliment to a politician's foresight; possibly from Thucydides or a historian.