"For you, the state is an entity with purposes of its own that the people can be required to serve. For us the word is only a label for the arrangements by which we the people delegate to some among us responsibility for things that concern us in common"

Elliot Richardson's quote presents an extensive dichotomy in the concept of the state and its relationship to individuals. On one hand, the quote explains a view where the state is viewed as an autonomous entity with intrinsic purposes, possibly validating it imposing itself on individuals to meet those functions. This viewpoint suggests a hierarchical structure where the state's goals can be viewed as critical, potentially even at the expenditure of private or cumulative desires.

On the other hand, Richardson contrasts this with a more democratic and decentralized analysis of the state. Here, the state is not an independent entity with its own program but rather a construct or label for the collective arrangements made by the people themselves. In this view, the state exists to serve the public, serving as a facilitator for dealing with common interests and issues. It highlights the idea of delegation, where power is entrusted to certain people or bodies not to impose an independent program, however to manage affairs that affect people collectively.

The quote highlights a basic tension between authoritarianism and democracy. The previous can erode private liberties, with the state exerting control in pursuit of predefined objectives. The latter highlights a bottom-up technique to governance, where the state's legitimacy and instructions stem directly from the will of the people, making sure that their main role is to attend to the common good as specified by the people.

Richardson's words act as a suggestion of the potential for governance to either empower or constrain, and the importance of preserving a structure that roots its authority in the will and well-being of the individuals it serves. Ultimately, the quote is a call for vigilance in guaranteeing that governance structures show the worths and intents of the people, instead of imposing external objectives upon them.