--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We shouldn't assume that government is…" description: "\"We shouldn't assume that government is always trying to do the wrong thing.\" — Barack Obama" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b6/barack-obama-17_always-trying_we-shouldn-t-assume-that-government-is-a_2542445.jpg" --- # We shouldn't assume that government is always trying to do… ![“We shouldn't assume that government is always trying to do the wrong thing.” quote by Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b6/barack-obama-17_always-trying_we-shouldn-t-assume-that-government-is-a_2542445.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b6/barack-obama-17_always-trying_we-shouldn-t-assume-that-government-is-a_2542445.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b6/barack-obama-17_always-trying_we-shouldn-t-assume-that-government-is-a_2542445.jpg) > “We shouldn't assume that government is always trying to do the wrong thing.” [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. Assume good intentions in government; not all actions are malicious. **In simple terms:** Give government the benefit of the doubt. Key Takeaway Critically evaluate policies while maintaining trust. Themes trust politics goodwill Mood cautious optimistic Type analysis inspirational When to use this quote - voting decisions - community activism - policy debates Key Concepts civic engagement public policy ethical governance Questions to Reflect On - When should skepticism override trust? - How can citizens hold government accountable? A Different Perspective Blind trust can ignore systemic issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Always trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/always-trying/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) ## Related quotes > [“It’s as if there’s a fumble-fingered but powerful universal force at work, always trying to put wrong things right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/it-s-as-if-there-s-a-fumble-fingered-but-powerful-universal-force-at/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“It is strange to me that most people assume companies will be imperfect (as they are), but they assume that government agencies will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-ridley/it-is-strange-to-me-that-most-people-assume-companies-will-be/) [Matt Ridley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-ridley/) > [The fact that the market is not doing what we wish it would do is no reason to automatically assume that the government would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-fact-that-the-market-is-not-doing-what-we-wish-it-would-do-is-no/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [It is like we are obliged to assume that the government is only doing what it says it is doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/it-is-like-we-are-obliged-to-assume-that-the-government-is-only-doing/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [I try to correct my life trying to fit everything right.Trying not to be wrong again. But I always remember that being wrong sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-try-to-correct-my-life-trying-to-fit-everything-right-trying-not-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I'm trying to find something wrong with you so that I don't want you so much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-mcgahan/i-m-trying-to-find-something-wrong-with-you-so-that-i-don-t-want-you/) [Kate McGahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-mcgahan/) > [Be yourself! Love your mom, but if she's trying to get you to be someone you're not, she's in the wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-stump/be-yourself-love-your-mom-but-if-she-s-trying-to-get-you-to-be/) [Patrick Stump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-stump/) > [Why do we hook up with the wrong ones before finding the perfect(let us assume) one ?? the best explanation : How are we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhecky/why-do-we-hook-up-with-the-wrong-ones-before-finding-the-perfect-let/) [Jhecky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhecky/) > [As an elected official who comes from the African-American community, there are some similarities. You are always trying to reconcile your own personal biography…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/as-an-elected-official-who-comes-from-the-african-american-community/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [We have to think in a very different sense than the way we think now. We think in terms of quick fixes, that solutions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/we-have-to-think-in-a-very-different-sense-than-the-way-we-think-now/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [Part of being innovative in government is sometimes not trying to plot out the last chapter of the book, but to be open and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-foxx/part-of-being-innovative-in-government-is-sometimes-not-trying-to/) [Anthony Foxx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-foxx/) > [We must guard against the overreaching hand of big government trying to take away our freedom. And we must always protect the environment in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-forbes/we-must-guard-against-the-overreaching-hand-of-big-government-trying/) [Steve Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-forbes/) > [The government is trying to now close the Lincoln Memorial for any kind of large gatherings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/the-government-is-trying-to-now-close-the-lincoln-memorial-for-any/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) > [The impositions that this government is trying to put on now, it's the typical death by 1,000 cuts. We'll take a little bit here,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-hannity/the-impositions-that-this-government-is-trying-to-put-on-now-it-s-the/) [Sean Hannity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-hannity/) > [When Conservatives crusade against government while they are trying to be appointed to head the government, I think that's weird!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/when-conservatives-crusade-against-government-while-they-are-trying/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) ## 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 Always trying quotes > [I'm always trying to have a good time on set because that's when things happen. That's when you're playful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sarandon/i-m-always-trying-to-have-a-good-time-on-set-because-that-s-when/) [Susan Sarandon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sarandon/) > [I think we're always trying to push ourselves to do new things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaime-preciado/i-think-we-re-always-trying-to-push-ourselves-to-do-new-things/) [Jaime Preciado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaime-preciado/) > [I'm always trying to remember that kindness goes a long, long way. I think that's something that people will definitely take out of this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-stuhlbarg/i-m-always-trying-to-remember-that-kindness-goes-a-long-long-way-i/) [Michael Stuhlbarg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-stuhlbarg/) > [I like embracing kind of normal forms but am always trying to approach them as if no one's ever done that before. As if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-july/i-like-embracing-kind-of-normal-forms-but-am-always-trying-to/) [Miranda July](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-july/) > [I'm always trying to change things - change my character, change my look, change my hair, change my facial hair, change my costumes, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-jericho/i-m-always-trying-to-change-things-change-my-character-change-my-look/) [Chris Jericho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-jericho/) > [I believe in believing. My coach John Kavanagh is a big atheist, and he is always trying to persuade people to his way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-mcgregor/i-believe-in-believing-my-coach-john-kavanagh-is-a-big-atheist-and-he/) [Conor McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-mcgregor/) > [My body and its condition are a barometer that is always trying to tell me which direction to go for my maximum creativity, health…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-northrup/my-body-and-its-condition-are-a-barometer-that-is-always-trying-to/) [Christiane Northrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-northrup/) > [I'm always trying to do something active because I love it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-agdal/i-m-always-trying-to-do-something-active-because-i-love-it/) [Nina Agdal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-agdal/) > [ Innovation is not a big breakthrough invention every time. Innovation is a constant thing. But if you don't have an innovative company \[team\], coming… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-welch/innovation-is-not-a-big-breakthrough-invention-every-time-innovation/) [Jack Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-welch/) > [I'm always trying to encourage people not to limit themselves in the same way that many of our parents stayed with one job forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-m-always-trying-to-encourage-people-not-to-limit-themselves-in-the/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) > [My thing was always trying to do as much as I possibly could do. I wanted to do all the things the other kids…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-wonder/my-thing-was-always-trying-to-do-as-much-as-i-possibly-could-do-i/) [Stevie Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-wonder/) > [I think those of us who use language are always trying for this, trying to keep everything from floating away by trying to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-ronk/i-think-those-of-us-who-use-language-are-always-trying-for-this/) [Martha Ronk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-ronk/) > [Your parents were always trying to get you to be careful when you were a kid, and that's all pervasive in this society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-weir/your-parents-were-always-trying-to-get-you-to-be-careful-when-you/) [Bob Weir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-weir/) > [I would not call myself an optimist, even though I would aspire to be. I am innately a skeptic. There's kind of an incessant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-would-not-call-myself-an-optimist-even-though-i-would-aspire-to-be/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) > [They say that to be a writer you must first have an unhappy childhood. I don't know if unhappiness is necessary, but I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-rylant/they-say-that-to-be-a-writer-you-must-first-have-an-unhappy-childhood/) [Cynthia Rylant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-rylant/) [Browse all 232 Always trying quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/always-trying/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We shouldn't assume that government is always trying to do the wrong thing.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Barack Obama" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-shouldn-t-assume-that-government-is-always-trying-to-do-the-wrong/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Always trying" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-shouldn-t-assume-that-government-is-always-trying-to-do-the-wrong/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b6/barack-obama-17_always-trying_we-shouldn-t-assume-that-government-is-a_2542445.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b6/barack-obama-17_always-trying_we-shouldn-t-assume-that-government-is-a_2542445.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b6/barack-obama-17_always-trying_we-shouldn-t-assume-that-government-is-a_2542445.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We shouldn't assume that government is always trying to do the wrong thing.” — 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": "We shouldn't assume that government is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-shouldn-t-assume-that-government-is-always-trying-to-do-the-wrong/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-shouldn-t-assume-that-government-is-always-trying-to-do-the-wrong/#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 } } ] } ```