Loyalty means nothing unless it has at its heart the absolute principle of self-sacrifice.
Woodrow WilsonRead
If there are men in this country big enough to own the government of the United States, they are going to own it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that powerful individuals can manipulate or control government institutions for their own interests.
Woodrow Wilson's quote reflects a concern about the influence of wealthy individuals or corporations over the political system. It implies that if those with significant power are able to dominate government functions, they will do so, potentially compromising the democratic ideals of governance and public service. The assertion raises awareness about the intersection of wealth and politics, encouraging vigilance against the undue influence of powerful interests on democracy.
Themes
GovernmentPowerInfluencePoliticsWealth
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a political debate about campaign finance reform.
More from Woodrow Wilson
All quotes βSince trade ignores national boundaries and the manufacturer insists on having the world as a market, the flag of his nation must follow him, and the doors of the nations which are closed against him must be battered down. Concessions obtained by financiers must be safeguarded by ministers of state, even if the sovereignty of unwilling nations be outraged in the process. Colonies must be obtained or planted, in order that no useful corner of the world may be overlooked or left unused.
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The history of liberty is the history of limitations on the power of government, not the increase of it. When we resist, therefore, the concentration of power, we are resisting the processes of death, because concentration of power is what always precedes the destruction of human liberties.
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We grow great by dreams. All big men are dreamers.
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The way to stop financial joyriding is to arrest the chauffeur, not the automobile.
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Once lead this people into war, and they'll forget there ever was such a thing as tolerance. To fight, you must be brutal and ruthless, and the spirit of ruthless brutality will enter into the very fiber of our national life, infecting Congress, the courts, the policeman on the beat, the man in the street.
Woodrow WilsonRead
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