--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What counts in the end is what the…" description: "\"What counts in the end is what the government does.\" — Ai Weiwei" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d6/ai-weiwei-824_counts_what-counts-in-the-end-is-what-the-gover_3127297.png" --- # What counts in the end is what the government does. ![“What counts in the end is what the government does.” quote by Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d6/ai-weiwei-824_counts_what-counts-in-the-end-is-what-the-gover_3127297.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d6/ai-weiwei-824_counts_what-counts-in-the-end-is-what-the-gover_3127297.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d6/ai-weiwei-824_counts_what-counts-in-the-end-is-what-the-gover_3127297.png) > “What counts in the end is what the government does.” [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The ultimate measure of a society is its government's actions, not its rhetoric or promises. **In simple terms:** Government deeds define a society. Key Takeaway Judge societies by actions, not words. Themes politics ethics government society accountability Mood critical reflective serious Type analytical political When to use this quote - evaluating political leadership - human rights advocacy - public policy debates Key Concepts social contract public policy civic duty Questions to Reflect On - How do you verify a government's true impact? - What examples show deeds outweigh promises? A Different Perspective Actions can be hidden or misrepresented, making assessment difficult. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Counts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/counts/) [Counts End](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/counts-end-5515633/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [End Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-government-473107/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Government Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government-does/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) ## Related quotes > [But in the end our government usually - not unfailingly - is responsive to the people; and usually - not always - will try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-h-hamilton/but-in-the-end-our-government-usually-not-unfailingly-is-responsive/) [Lee H. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-h-hamilton/) > [As the happiness of the people is the sole end of government, so the consent of the people is the only foundation of it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/as-the-happiness-of-the-people-is-the-sole-end-of-government-so-the/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [The end of government is the happiness of the people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-b-macaulay/the-end-of-government-is-the-happiness-of-the-people/) [Thomas B. Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-b-macaulay/) > [The highest end of government is the culture of men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-highest-end-of-government-is-the-culture-of-men/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [That the sole object and only legitimate end of government is to protect the citizen in the enjoyment of life, liberty, and property, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/that-the-sole-object-and-only-legitimate-end-of-government-is-to/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [It's time for a new beginning, for an end to government of the few, by the few, for the few, and to replace it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/it-s-time-for-a-new-beginning-for-an-end-to-government-of-the-few-by/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [To prevent evil is the great end of government, the end for which vigilance and severity are properly employed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/to-prevent-evil-is-the-great-end-of-government-the-end-for-which/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [We need to end the government monopoly in education by transferring power from bureaucracies and unions to families. The era of defining public education…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-bush/we-need-to-end-the-government-monopoly-in-education-by-transferring/) [Jeb Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-bush/) > [Do you people not care about this bogus government shutdown garbage? Back in 2013 Rob Portman, the senator from Ohio, Republican, suggested the End…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/do-you-people-not-care-about-this-bogus-government-shutdown-garbage/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [The aggregate happiness of society, which is best promoted by the practice of a virtuous policy, is, or ought to be, the end of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-aggregate-happiness-of-society-which-is-best-promoted-by-the/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [The final end of government is not to exert restraint but to do good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-choate/the-final-end-of-government-is-not-to-exert-restraint-but-to-do-good/) [Rufus Choate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-choate/) > [“The people need a master only as long as they have no understanding of their own. The more it acquires understanding, the more the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-herder/the-people-need-a-master-only-as-long-as-they-have-no-understanding/) [Johann Herder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-herder/) > [To end cronyism we must end government's ability to dole out favors and rig the market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-koch/to-end-cronyism-we-must-end-government-s-ability-to-dole-out-favors/) [Charles Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-koch/) > [Justice is the end of government. It is the end of civil society. It ever has been and ever will be pursued until it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/justice-is-the-end-of-government-it-is-the-end-of-civil-society-it/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [Here then is the origin and rise of government; namely, a mode rendered necessary by the inability of moral virtue to govern the world;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/here-then-is-the-origin-and-rise-of-government-namely-a-mode-rendered/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) ## More by Ai Weiwei > [I'm totally independent. I don't bear any responsibility to any system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-m-totally-independent-i-don-t-bear-any-responsibility-to-any-system/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [If my art has nothing to do with people's pain and sorrow, what is 'art' for?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/if-my-art-has-nothing-to-do-with-people-s-pain-and-sorrow-what-is-art/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Police in China can do whatever they want; after 81 days in arbitrary detention you clearly realise that they don't have to obey their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/police-in-china-can-do-whatever-they-want-after-81-days-in-arbitrary/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [China has a rich history that has spanned millennia. It consists of the histories of many nations and regions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/china-has-a-rich-history-that-has-spanned-millennia-it-consists-of/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [This world should be much more open and should be much more free, so the young people would have the chance to exercise the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/this-world-should-be-much-more-open-and-should-be-much-more-free-so/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [By participating in the society we live in, we understand our conditions and the way we relate to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/by-participating-in-the-society-we-live-in-we-understand-our/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I see the Beijing National Stadium as an architectural project. I accepted Herzog and De Meuron's invitation to collaborate on the design, and our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-see-the-beijing-national-stadium-as-an-architectural-project-i/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [ I curated this show \[Shanghai Biennale \], I was by no means trying to shock people or be controversial. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-curated-this-show-shanghai-biennale-i-was-by-no-means-trying-to/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I think we cannot have a double standard. We cannot see our art as different from the reality. We cannot use two different sets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-think-we-cannot-have-a-double-standard-we-cannot-see-our-art-as/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [It doesn't matter where I am - China will stay in me. I don't know how far I can still walk on this road…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/it-doesn-t-matter-where-i-am-china-will-stay-in-me-i-don-t-know-how/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Chinese citizens have never had the right to really express their opinions; in the constitution it says you can, but in the real world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/chinese-citizens-have-never-had-the-right-to-really-express-their/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Your own acts tell the world who you are and what kind of society you think it should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/your-own-acts-tell-the-world-who-you-are-and-what-kind-of-society-you/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Our lives are bound by physical limits, familial ties, political conditions, and geographical restrictions. Individual freedom takes us beyond them all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/our-lives-are-bound-by-physical-limits-familial-ties-political/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Now I've come to such a mixed culture: America, Europe, South America, Africa. And the politics are changing everywhere all the time and becoming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/now-i-ve-come-to-such-a-mixed-culture-america-europe-south-america/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I don't think it's worth discussing new directions in the context of Chinese art - there were no old directions, either. Chinese art has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-don-t-think-it-s-worth-discussing-new-directions-in-the-context-of/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) [Explore all 359 Ai Weiwei quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) ## More Counts quotes > [Experience counts in government even more than in business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-ibrahim/experience-counts-in-government-even-more-than-in-business/) [Mo Ibrahim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-ibrahim/) > [I like to think that my works flow like music. That may be one reason I work in large groups versus one picture of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/i-like-to-think-that-my-works-flow-like-music-that-may-be-one-reason/) [William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/) > [There's nothing wrong with pitch counts. But not when it's spit out by a computer, and the computer does not look at an individual's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-seaver/there-s-nothing-wrong-with-pitch-counts-but-not-when-it-s-spit-out-by/) [Tom Seaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-seaver/) > [If you start out trying to achieve a specific thing - like doing stadium shows or going into the studio and doing an album…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-strait/if-you-start-out-trying-to-achieve-a-specific-thing-like-doing/) [George Strait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-strait/) > [I like to smile a lot before going in the car. I make jokes, even on the grid, and then I can still manage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romain-grosjean/i-like-to-smile-a-lot-before-going-in-the-car-i-make-jokes-even-on/) [Romain Grosjean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romain-grosjean/) > [Oh, Michael Jackson is Michael Jackson. And no matter if he sold 40 million records off of one record and sold 15 off his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tito-jackson/oh-michael-jackson-is-michael-jackson-and-no-matter-if-he-sold-40/) [Tito Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tito-jackson/) > [The Term Paper Artist' represents two models of writing, one of the little boy bouncing his ball, generating stories for the sheer pleasure of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-leavitt/the-term-paper-artist-represents-two-models-of-writing-one-of-the/) [David Leavitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-leavitt/) > [Right now counts forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/right-now-counts-forever/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [Looks, health and elegance are what counts. Someone can look wonderful in a sweatsuit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oleg-cassini/looks-health-and-elegance-are-what-counts-someone-can-look-wonderful/) [Oleg Cassini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oleg-cassini/) > [Ultimately, it's your talent that counts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armaan-malik/ultimately-it-s-your-talent-that-counts/) [Armaan Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armaan-malik/) > [In a painting, what counts is the unexpected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-braque/in-a-painting-what-counts-is-the-unexpected/) [Georges Braque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-braque/) > [Germany is not like Ireland or Denmark. It is a country where the domestic market counts much more than the external market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bofinger/germany-is-not-like-ireland-or-denmark-it-is-a-country-where-the/) [Peter Bofinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bofinger/) > [It is not how much you make that counts, but how much money you keep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/it-is-not-how-much-you-make-that-counts-but-how-much-money-you-keep/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [James Salter has been a fighter pilot, a rogue, and a climber. He counts Robert Redford as a friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-rodrick/james-salter-has-been-a-fighter-pilot-a-rogue-and-a-climber-he-counts/) [Stephen Rodrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-rodrick/) > [Every writing teacher gives the subliminal message, every time they teach: 'Your life counts for something.' In no other subject that I know of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-rosenblatt/every-writing-teacher-gives-the-subliminal-message-every-time-they/) [Roger Rosenblatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-rosenblatt/) [Browse all 274 Counts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/counts/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What counts in the end is what the government does.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ai Weiwei" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/what-counts-in-the-end-is-what-the-government-does/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Counts" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/what-counts-in-the-end-is-what-the-government-does/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d6/ai-weiwei-824_counts_what-counts-in-the-end-is-what-the-gover_3127297.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d6/ai-weiwei-824_counts_what-counts-in-the-end-is-what-the-gover_3127297.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d6/ai-weiwei-824_counts_what-counts-in-the-end-is-what-the-gover_3127297.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What counts in the end is what the government does.” — Ai Weiwei", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ai Weiwei", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What counts in the end is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/what-counts-in-the-end-is-what-the-government-does/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/what-counts-in-the-end-is-what-the-government-does/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```