"To hear some men talk of the government, you would suppose that Congress was the law of gravitation, and kept the planets in their places"
- Wendell Phillips
About this Quote
This quote by Wendell Phillips is a criticism of those who view the government as an all-powerful entity. He is suggesting that some people have an exaggerated view of the government's power, as if it were a force of nature like gravity. He suggests that the government is not as powerful as some individuals think, and that it is not accountable for keeping the world in order. Rather, he suggests that it is the people who are accountable for creating and preserving a working society. He is stressing the importance of specific action and obligation, rather than depending on the government to resolve all of our issues. This quote acts as a suggestion that we must not overestimate the power of the government, and that we ought to take responsibility for our own actions.
This quote is written / told by Wendell Phillips between November 29, 1811 and February 2, 1884. He/she was a famous Activist from USA, the quote is categorized under the topic Government. The author also have 32 other quotes.
"If the present Congress errs in too much talking, how can it be otherwise in a body to which the people send one hundred and fifty lawyers, whose trade it is to question everything, yield nothing, and talk by the hour?"
"We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution"
"I am sorry to say that sometimes matters of very small importance waste a good deal of precious time, by the long and repeated speeches and chicanery of gentlemen who will not wholly throw off the lawyer even in Congress"
"I am not liked as a President by the politicians in office, in the press, or in Congress. But I am content to abide the judgment the sober second thought of the people"
"And whether it is equal pay, health care, Social Security, or family leave, this Congress has refused to address issues critical to hard-working American women"