Public officers are the servants and agents of the people, to execute the laws which the people have made.
Grover ClevelandRead
Though the people support the government; the government should not support the people.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The government should maintain a distance from dependency on its citizens, promoting self-reliance.
This quote suggests that while citizens may support their government, it is not the government's role to overly intervene or provide for the people's needs. Instead, citizens should strive for independence and self-sufficiency, relying on their own abilities and resources rather than expecting government support.
Themes
GovernmentSupportSelf-RelianceIndependenceCitizens
In practice
Example use cases
In a political debate discussing the role of government in citizens' lives.
More from Grover Cleveland
All quotes →Unswerving loyalty to duty, constant devotion to truth, and a clear conscience will overcome every discouragement and surely lead the way to usefulness and high achievement.
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Your every voter, as surely as your chief magistrate, exercises a public trust.
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It is the responsibility of the citizens to support their government. It is not the responsibility of the government to support its citizens.
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Once the coffers of the federal government are opened to the public, there will be no shutting them again.
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The lessons of paternalism ought to be unlearned and the better lesson taught that while the people should patriotically and cheerfully support their government, its functions do not include the support of the people.
Grover ClevelandRead
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