Quotes About Governance

It is important that we should never lose sight of this distinction. We must not confuse the peoples with their governments...

When I contemplate the natural dignity of man, when I feel (for Nature has not been kind enough to me to blunt my feelings) for the honor and happiness of its character, I become irritated at the attempt to govern mankind by force and fraud, as if they were all knaves and fools, and can scarcely avoid disgust at those who are thus imposed upon.

When a nation changes its opinion and habits of thinking, it is no longer to be governed as before; but it would not only be wrong, but bad policy, to attempt by force what ought to be accomplished by reason. Rebellion consists in forcibly opposing the general will of a nation, whether by a party or by a government. There ought, therefore, to be in every nation a method of occasionally ascertaining the state of public opinion with respect to government.

We should realize that a city is better off with bad laws, so long as they remain fixed, than with good laws that are constantly being altered, that lack of learning combined with sound common sense is more helpful than the kind of cleverness that gets out of hand, and that as a general rule states are better governed by the man in the street than by intellectuals.

I have control issues. For sure, no question.

There is no reason why government should not be as efficient as any good business.

They that govern the most make the least noise.

Neither current events nor history show that the majority rule, or ever did rule.

The disposition of all power is to abuses, nor does it at all mend the matter that its possessors are a majority.

It's a philosophy that - 'We, the People' - it's about us, that if the Americans want to do something, they have the power to try to put leaders in place to carry out whatever their notions are.

Too many African countries have already hit rock-bottom - ungoverned, poverty-stricken, and lagging further and further behind the rest of the world each day; there is nowhere further to go down.

I am in favour of migration; I simply want to control the numbers.

Obama is a statist. He's an authoritarian. He doesn't want to govern; he wants to rule.

A good government implies two things; first, fidelity to the objects of the government; secondly, a knowledge of the means, by which those objects can be best attained.

It is true that Egypt's attempt at democracy after the 2011 revolution encountered many obstacles in governance and infrastructure.

Life is terrible. It rules us, we do not rule it.

In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of.

If one should desire to know whether a kingdom is well governed, if its morals are good or bad, the quality of its music will furnish the answer.

Things being investigated, knowledge became complete. Their knowledge being complete, their thoughts were sincere. Their thoughts being sincere, their hearts were then rectified. Their hearts being rectified, their persons were cultivated. Their persons being cultivated, their families were regulated. Their families being regulated, their States were rightly governed. Their States being rightly governed, the whole kingdom was made tranquil and happy.

you govern effectively," Confucius replied, "what need is there for killing? If you want to be truly adept (shan ), the people will also be adept. The excellence (de ) of the exemplary person (junzi ) is the wind, while that of the petty person is the grass. As the wind blows, the grass is sure to bend.

It takes very little to govern good people. Very little. And bad people cant be governed at all. Or if they could I never heard of it.

It takes very little to govern good people.

Very little. And bad people cant be governed at all.

Do you know what happens with people who cannot govern themselves? That's right. Others come in to govern for them.