--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The framers, in their wisdom, designed…" description: "\"The framers, in their wisdom, designed the [political] system so that power's pretty disbursed.\" — Barack Obama" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e88/barack-obama-17_framers_the-framers-in-their-wisdom-designed-the_1888418.jpg" --- # The framers, in their wisdom, designed the \[political\]… ![“The framers, in their wisdom, designed the [political] system so that power's pretty disbursed.” quote by Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e88/barack-obama-17_framers_the-framers-in-their-wisdom-designed-the_1888418.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e88/barack-obama-17_framers_the-framers-in-their-wisdom-designed-the_1888418.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e88/barack-obama-17_framers_the-framers-in-their-wisdom-designed-the_1888418.jpg) > “The framers, in their wisdom, designed the \[political\] system so that power's pretty disbursed.” [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The political system was intentionally built to spread power broadly, preventing concentration. **In simple terms:** Power is spread to avoid concentration. Key Takeaway Support balanced power structures. Themes democracy governance checks and balances Mood optimistic concerned Type political inspirational When to use this quote - policy making - civic engagement - leadership - public administration Key Concepts political theory institutional design Questions to Reflect On - How can citizens ensure power remains dispersed? - What mechanisms guard against hidden power accumulation? A Different Perspective Power can still become centralized through informal networks. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Political power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-power/) [Political system](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-system/) [Political systems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-systems/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) ## Related quotes > [ Its \[Dreams from My Father\] also a reflection about how we might start a better conversation in our democracy about how to solve problems,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/its-dreams-from-my-father-also-a-reflection-about-how-we-might-start/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [As I travel around the world, it's fascinating; European leaders, Asian leaders, they all say to me, America is actually poised to be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/as-i-travel-around-the-world-it-s-fascinating-european-leaders-asian/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [ We seem to have trouble with \[critical thinking\]. And our political system doesn't help. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-seem-to-have-trouble-with-critical-thinking-and-our-political/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [From the day I took office, I've been told that addressing our larger challenges is too ambitious; such an effort would be too contentious.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/from-the-day-i-took-office-i-ve-been-told-that-addressing-our-larger/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Part of what we have to do a better job of, if our democracy is to function in a complicated diverse society like this,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/part-of-what-we-have-to-do-a-better-job-of-if-our-democracy-is-to/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [People have to recognize that it’s going to take some time for trust to be built not only between Democrats and Republicans, between Congress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/people-have-to-recognize-that-it-s-going-to-take-some-time-for-trust/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [That sort of lack of awareness on the part of an activist about the constraints of our political system and the constraints on this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/that-sort-of-lack-of-awareness-on-the-part-of-an-activist-about-the/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The framers of our Constitution meant we were to have freedom of religion, not freedom from religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/the-framers-of-our-constitution-meant-we-were-to-have-freedom-of/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [It was the separation of powers upon which the framers placed their hopes for the preservation of the people's liberties. 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They designed separate institutions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macgregor-burns/let-us-face-reality-the-framers-of-the-constitution-have-simply-been/) [James MacGregor Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macgregor-burns/) > [What country can preserve its liberties if its rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/what-country-can-preserve-its-liberties-if-its-rulers-are-not-warned/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [...the framers of our Constitution never exhausted so much labor, wisdom and forbearance in its formation if it was intended to be broken up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-lee/the-framers-of-our-constitution-never-exhausted-so-much-labor-wisdom/) [Robert E. Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-lee/) ## More by Barack Obama > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The peaceful transition of power is one of the hallmarks of our democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-peaceful-transition-of-power-is-one-of-the-hallmarks-of-our/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [As opposed to getting into arguments about, well, these folks have been treated fairly so now we're going to be doing things that, very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/as-opposed-to-getting-into-arguments-about-well-these-folks-have-been/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Donald Trump is temperamentally unfit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/donald-trump-is-temperamentally-unfit/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [What we've said to the girls is: 'If you guys ever decide that you're going to get a tattoo, then mommy and me will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/what-we-ve-said-to-the-girls-is-if-you-guys-ever-decide-that-you-re/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Nobody is listening to your telephone calls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/nobody-is-listening-to-your-telephone-calls/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [All of us take offense to anyone who reaps the rewards of living in America without taking on the responsibilities of living in America.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/all-of-us-take-offense-to-anyone-who-reaps-the-rewards-of-living-in/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The world is complicated and full of grays, but there's still truth there to be found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-world-is-complicated-and-full-of-grays-but-there-s-still-truth/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [ That is another theme in the book \[Dreams from My Father\]. How do we exercise more empathy in our public discourse? How do we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/that-is-another-theme-in-the-book-dreams-from-my-father-how-do-we/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I can say across Europe that many principles that have been taken for granted here around free speech, and around civil liberties and an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-can-say-across-europe-that-many-principles-that-have-been-taken-for/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-americans-understand-the-costs-of-war-yet-as-a-country-we-will/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I want to thank the Greek people publicly for their humanitarian response to the crisis of so many migrants and refugees seeking safety in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-want-to-thank-the-greek-people-publicly-for-their-humanitarian/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [We had a farewell dinner for some of my senior staff, and generally everybody likes to talk about how cool I was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-had-a-farewell-dinner-for-some-of-my-senior-staff-and-generally/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [ It's good to get fresh legs in \[the White house\]. I think that it refreshes our democracy. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/it-s-good-to-get-fresh-legs-in-the-white-house-i-think-that-it/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Believe it or not, entertainment is part of our American diplomacy, it is part of what makes us exceptional, part of what makes us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/believe-it-or-not-entertainment-is-part-of-our-american-diplomacy-it/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) [Explore all 3,624 Barack Obama quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) ## More Framers quotes > [...the framers of our Constitution never exhausted so much labor, wisdom and forbearance in its formation if it was intended to be broken up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-lee/the-framers-of-our-constitution-never-exhausted-so-much-labor-wisdom/) [Robert E. Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-lee/) > [What country can preserve its liberties if its rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/what-country-can-preserve-its-liberties-if-its-rulers-are-not-warned/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Let us face reality. The framers (of the Constitution) have simply been too shrewd for us. They have outwitted us. They designed separate institutions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macgregor-burns/let-us-face-reality-the-framers-of-the-constitution-have-simply-been/) [James MacGregor Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macgregor-burns/) > [If our free society is to endure, those who govern must recognize human dignity and accept the enforcement of constitutional limitations on their power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-brennan/if-our-free-society-is-to-endure-those-who-govern-must-recognize/) [William J. Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-brennan/) > [The court's job is to uphold the Constitution and you don't call that off in times of crisis. Would the framers have allowed this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-scalia/the-court-s-job-is-to-uphold-the-constitution-and-you-don-t-call-that/) [Antonin Scalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-scalia/) > [For all the great dreams profitlessly invested in the digital computer, it is nonetheless true that not since the framers of the American Constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-berlinski/for-all-the-great-dreams-profitlessly-invested-in-the-digital/) [David Berlinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-berlinski/) > [It was the separation of powers upon which the framers placed their hopes for the preservation of the people's liberties. Despite this heritage, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-byrd/it-was-the-separation-of-powers-upon-which-the-framers-placed-their/) [Robert Byrd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-byrd/) > [The framers of our Constitution meant we were to have freedom of religion, not freedom from religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/the-framers-of-our-constitution-meant-we-were-to-have-freedom-of/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [The framers gave us the Second Amendment not so we could go deer or duck hunting but to give us a modicum of protection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-e-williams/the-framers-gave-us-the-second-amendment-not-so-we-could-go-deer-or/) [Walter E. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-e-williams/) > [“The framers were wise in their generation and wanted to do the very best possible to secure their own liberty and independence, and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulysses-s-grant/the-framers-were-wise-in-their-generation-and-wanted-to-do-the-very/) [Ulysses S. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulysses-s-grant/) > [It was not until the Abraham Lincoln administration that an income tax was imposed on Americans. Its stated purpose was to finance the war,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-e-williams/it-was-not-until-the-abraham-lincoln-administration-that-an-income/) [Walter E. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-e-williams/) > [Until the 1930s, the Constitution served as a major constraint on federal economic interventionism. The government's powers were understood to be just as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-higgs/until-the-1930s-the-constitution-served-as-a-major-constraint-on/) [Robert Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-higgs/) > [A profound transformation is happening here. The framers of our nation never envisioned these huge media giants; never imagined what could happen if big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-moyers/a-profound-transformation-is-happening-here-the-framers-of-our-nation/) [Bill Moyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-moyers/) > [The Framers of the First Amendment were not concerned with preventing government from abridging their freedom to speak about crops and cockfighting, or with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/the-framers-of-the-first-amendment-were-not-concerned-with-preventing/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [To disarm the people... was the best and most effectual way to enslave them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/to-disarm-the-people-was-the-best-and-most-effectual-way-to-enslave/) [George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/) Browse all 85 Framers quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The framers, in their wisdom, designed the [political] system so that power's pretty disbursed.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Barack Obama" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-framers-in-their-wisdom-designed-the-political-system-so-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Framers" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-framers-in-their-wisdom-designed-the-political-system-so-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e88/barack-obama-17_framers_the-framers-in-their-wisdom-designed-the_1888418.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e88/barack-obama-17_framers_the-framers-in-their-wisdom-designed-the_1888418.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e88/barack-obama-17_framers_the-framers-in-their-wisdom-designed-the_1888418.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The framers, in their wisdom, designed the [political] system so that power's pretty disbursed.” — Barack Obama", "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": "Barack Obama", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The framers, in their wisdom, designed...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-framers-in-their-wisdom-designed-the-political-system-so-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-framers-in-their-wisdom-designed-the-political-system-so-that/#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 } } ] } ```