"These works brought all these people here. Something should be done to get them at work again"
About this Quote
“Something should be done” is a royal phrase that pretends to be modest while smuggling in authority. It’s deliberately vague, the sort of sentence that lets a monarch gesture toward action without naming costs, policy, or accountability. The subtext is paternalism with a practical edge: people are framed less as citizens with claims than as a workforce that must be kept occupied. “Get them at work again” carries a moral charge, implying unemployment is as much a behavioral problem as an economic one.
Context matters: Edward’s reign sat in the long shadow of the Great Depression and in a Europe jittery with extremism. Governments learned that joblessness wasn’t merely hardship; it was fuel. The line reveals an establishment instinct to treat employment as social pacification - humane on the face, defensive underneath.
Quote Details
| Topic | Work |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
VIII, King Edward. (2026, January 18). These works brought all these people here. Something should be done to get them at work again. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/these-works-brought-all-these-people-here-17990/
Chicago Style
VIII, King Edward. "These works brought all these people here. Something should be done to get them at work again." FixQuotes. January 18, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/these-works-brought-all-these-people-here-17990/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"These works brought all these people here. Something should be done to get them at work again." FixQuotes, 18 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/these-works-brought-all-these-people-here-17990/. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.

