--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Well, first let's say that the…" description: "\"Well, first let's say that the fundamental responsibility of any government is national security - in the preamble to the Constitution, provide for the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54f/angus-king-22040_common_well-first-let-s-say-that-the-fundamenta_1060701.jpg" --- # Well, first let's say that the fundamental responsibility… ![“Well, first let's say that the fundamental responsibility of any government is national security - in the preamble to the Constitution, provide for the common defense and insure domestic tranquility.” quote by Angus King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54f/angus-king-22040_common_well-first-let-s-say-that-the-fundamenta_1060701.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54f/angus-king-22040_common_well-first-let-s-say-that-the-fundamenta_1060701.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54f/angus-king-22040_common_well-first-let-s-say-that-the-fundamenta_1060701.jpg) > “Well, first let's say that the fundamental responsibility of any government is national security - in the preamble to the Constitution, provide for the common defense and insure domestic tranquility.” [Angus King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-king/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Government's primary duty is to protect the nation and ensure domestic peace. **In simple terms:** Security and peace are core duties. Key Takeaway Prioritize safety and stability. Themes government security national defense Mood serious concerned Type political policy When to use this quote - policy making - emergency planning - community safety Key Concepts political science constitutional law Questions to Reflect On - How to balance security with freedom? - What safeguards prevent abuse of power? A Different Perspective Security measures can infringe on civil liberties. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Common defense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-defense/) [Constitution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constitution/) [Cybersecurity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cybersecurity/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [National security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/national-security/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Preamble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preamble/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/security/) [Tranquility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tranquility/) ## Related quotes > [“Taxes are what we pay for civilized society, for modernity, and for prosperity. The wealthy pay more because they have benefitted more. Taxes, well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/taxes-are-what-we-pay-for-civilized-society-for-modernity-and-for-2/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [The Constitution, when it says, "We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-smith-jr/the-constitution-when-it-says-we-the-people-of-the-united-states-in/) [Joseph Smith, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-smith-jr/) > [No responsibility of government is more fundamental than the responsibility of maintaining the highest standard of ethical behavior for those who conduct the public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/no-responsibility-of-government-is-more-fundamental-than-the/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [The real difference between the United States and other nations lies not in the words of the preamble to the Constitution, but in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-h-greene/the-real-difference-between-the-united-states-and-other-nations-lies/) [Harold H. Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-h-greene/) > [“The U.S. would have to “reinterpret” the Constitution to provide for preemptive searches and seizures when atomic terrorism was involved. Remarkably, over the decades…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrett-m-graff/the-u-s-would-have-to-reinterpret-the-constitution-to-provide-for/) [Garrett M. Graff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrett-m-graff/) > [It is in seeing ourselves whole that we can begin to see ways of working out our differences, of understanding our similarities and of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-c-maynard/it-is-in-seeing-ourselves-whole-that-we-can-begin-to-see-ways-of/) Robert C. Maynard > [A standing army is like a standing member. It's an excellent assurance of domestic tranquility, but a dangerous temptation to foreign adventure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbridge-gerry/a-standing-army-is-like-a-standing-member-it-s-an-excellent-assurance/) [Elbridge Gerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbridge-gerry/) > [I think it's a fundamental responsibility of the federal government to enforce our nation's borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-toomey/i-think-it-s-a-fundamental-responsibility-of-the-federal-government/) [Pat Toomey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-toomey/) > [We believe that colleges have a fundamental responsibility, if you're located in an urban area, to turn outward and address the needs of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sorrell/we-believe-that-colleges-have-a-fundamental-responsibility-if-you-re/) Michael Sorrell > [“The simple thesis of this book is, “The fundamental responsibility of church leaders is to shepherd God’s flock.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-z-witmer/the-simple-thesis-of-this-book-is-the-fundamental-responsibility-of/) Timothy Z. Witmer > [It's a moral absolute: If you are going to make a human being, you have a fundamental responsibility to that person - to honestly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-coady/it-s-a-moral-absolute-if-you-are-going-to-make-a-human-being-you-have/) [Lynn Coady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-coady/) > [We know that the most fundamental responsibility of our Federal Government is to ensure the safety of its people and to protect and ensure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vito-fossella/we-know-that-the-most-fundamental-responsibility-of-our-federal/) [Vito Fossella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vito-fossella/) > [Provision for others is a fundamental responsibility of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/provision-for-others-is-a-fundamental-responsibility-of-human-life/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [A fundamental responsibility of leadership is make sure that everybody knows the mission, understands it, lives it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/a-fundamental-responsibility-of-leadership-is-make-sure-that/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [Your fundamental responsibility is to stay true to the deepest nature and intention of the materials.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-milch/your-fundamental-responsibility-is-to-stay-true-to-the-deepest-nature/) [David Milch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-milch/) ## More by Angus King > [I have a Twitter account; I have a fantastic Facebook page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-king/i-have-a-twitter-account-i-have-a-fantastic-facebook-page/) [Angus King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-king/) > [I think it's important to also realize that this isn't a case of Apple being asked to simply flip a switch or, you know,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-king/i-think-it-s-important-to-also-realize-that-this-isn-t-a-case-of/) [Angus King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-king/) > [The only, the only possibility would be if the Republicans are in the majority and they can offer me something that would be especially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-king/the-only-the-only-possibility-would-be-if-the-republicans-are-in-the/) [Angus King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-king/) > [I think that people have to reward those individuals who are prepared to work across the political aisle. I don't see any other way;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-king/i-think-that-people-have-to-reward-those-individuals-who-are-prepared/) [Angus King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-king/) > [I'm too fiscally conservative for the Democrats and too socially liberal for the Republicans, like 75% of the American people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-king/i-m-too-fiscally-conservative-for-the-democrats-and-too-socially/) [Angus King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-king/) > [There's a host of difficult issues here, and that's why when you mentioned at the top of the show that the committees were looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-king/there-s-a-host-of-difficult-issues-here-and-that-s-why-when-you/) [Angus King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-king/) > [The intelligence community, in particular the FBI, have been sounding alarms about this for more than a year. So to argue that suddenly we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-king/the-intelligence-community-in-particular-the-fbi-have-been-sounding/) [Angus King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-king/) > [I haven't seen - I haven't heard the arguments that would make that case. And I haven't seen a proposal yet that satisfies the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-king/i-haven-t-seen-i-haven-t-heard-the-arguments-that-would-make-that/) [Angus King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-king/) > [We are at this moment where what concerns me is that we're all so caught up in Donald Trump, James Comey, and David Kushner,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-king/we-are-at-this-moment-where-what-concerns-me-is-that-we-re-all-so/) [Angus King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-king/) > [How can you work with someone if you went into their state to campaign against them?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-king/how-can-you-work-with-someone-if-you-went-into-their-state-to/) [Angus King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-king/) > [My desire is to be as independent as I can be, as long as I can be, subject to being effective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-king/my-desire-is-to-be-as-independent-as-i-can-be-as-long-as-i-can-be/) [Angus King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-king/) > [Every day in America, about 25,000 people buy a quarter-inch drill. But nobody in America wants a quarter-inch drill. What they want are holes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-king/every-day-in-america-about-25-000-people-buy-a-quarter-inch-drill-but/) [Angus King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-king/) > [One of my life principles is that if something isn't working, doing something harder isn't necessarily going to produce the same result.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-king/one-of-my-life-principles-is-that-if-something-isn-t-working-doing/) [Angus King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-king/) > [The idea of some contact of Donald Trump's office with the Russians to try to find areas of common ground is not irrational or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-king/the-idea-of-some-contact-of-donald-trump-s-office-with-the-russians/) [Angus King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-king/) > [James Comey had nine interactions with Bob Mueller after the Donald Trump's election. And in none of those, Comey testified, did he express any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-king/james-comey-had-nine-interactions-with-bob-mueller-after-the-donald/) [Angus King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-king/) [Explore all 28 Angus King quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-king/) ## More Common quotes > [I'm Fine!, the most common LIE in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/punkinhead-abhishek/i-m-fine-the-most-common-lie-in-the-world/) [Punkinhead Abhishek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/punkinhead-abhishek/) > [A flourishing, morally credible media is a vital component in the maintenance of genuinely public talk, argument about common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/a-flourishing-morally-credible-media-is-a-vital-component-in-the/) [Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/) > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Our times demand the declaration of the world's resources as the common heritage of all people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/our-times-demand-the-declaration-of-the-world-s-resources-as-the/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) > [ Neither Italian fascism nor German national "socialism" have anything in common with such a \[Soviet socialistic\] society, primarily because private ownership of factories, plants,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/neither-italian-fascism-nor-german-national-socialism-have-anything/) [Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/) > [When you have a cavity in your tooth and you let it get worse, eventually you have to get a root canal. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-newton-john/when-you-have-a-cavity-in-your-tooth-and-you-let-it-get-worse/) [Olivia Newton-John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-newton-john/) > [There is nothing that we can properly call our own but our time, and yet everybody fools us out of it who has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-we-can-properly-call-our-own-but-our-time-and/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [Common sense is nothing more than a deposit of prejudices laid down in the mind before you reach eighteen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/common-sense-is-nothing-more-than-a-deposit-of-prejudices-laid-down/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/) [Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/) > [A time will come when the science of destruction shall bend before the arts of peace; when the genius which multiplies our powers, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-arago/a-time-will-come-when-the-science-of-destruction-shall-bend-before/) [Francois Arago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-arago/) > [… and so he tried to accept the ache in his heart as what Dr. Larch would call the common symptoms of normal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/and-so-he-tried-to-accept-the-ache-in-his-heart-as-what-dr-larch/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [It is a tragedy that we live in a world where physical courage is so common, and moral courage is so rare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-monet/it-is-a-tragedy-that-we-live-in-a-world-where-physical-courage-is-so/) [Claude Monet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-monet/) > [Those who advocate common usage in philosophy sometimes speak in a manner that suggests the mystique of the 'common man.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/those-who-advocate-common-usage-in-philosophy-sometimes-speak-in-a/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) Browse all 7,866 Common quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Well, first let's say that the fundamental responsibility of any government is national security - in the preamble to the Constitution, provide for the common defense and insure domestic tranquility.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Angus King" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-king/well-first-let-s-say-that-the-fundamental-responsibility-of-any/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Common" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-king/well-first-let-s-say-that-the-fundamental-responsibility-of-any/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54f/angus-king-22040_common_well-first-let-s-say-that-the-fundamenta_1060701.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54f/angus-king-22040_common_well-first-let-s-say-that-the-fundamenta_1060701.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54f/angus-king-22040_common_well-first-let-s-say-that-the-fundamenta_1060701.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Well, first let's say that the fundamental responsibility of any government is national security - in the…” — Angus King", "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": "Angus King", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-king/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Well, first let's say that the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-king/well-first-let-s-say-that-the-fundamental-responsibility-of-any/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-king/well-first-let-s-say-that-the-fundamental-responsibility-of-any/#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 } } ] } ```