"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"

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.