Bears Quote by Calvin Coolidge
“Governments do not make ideals, but ideals make governments. This is both historically and logically true. Of course the government can help to sustain ideals and can create institutions through which they can be the better observed, but their source by their very nature is in the people. The people have to bear their own responsibilities. There is no method by which that burden can be shifted to the government. It is not the enactment, but the observance of laws, that creates the character of a nation.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Presidential Address, Calvin Coolidge, 1925
Governments arise from the people’s ideals; they cannot create ideals themselves, and responsibility lies with citizens.
In simple terms: People’s ideals shape government, not the reverse.
Key Takeaway
Cultivate civic responsibility and uphold laws.
Themes
politics
citizenship
responsibility
Mood
thoughtful
inspirational
Type
philosophical
political
When to use this quote
- voting
- community service
- public discourse
Key Concepts
social contract
law observance
idealism
Questions to Reflect On
- What ideals do you expect your government to uphold?
- How can individuals hold institutions accountable?
A Different Perspective
Governments may claim to embody ideals, but often act contrary to them.
![“The rationale which accompanies that imposition of male authority euphemistically referred to as 'the battle of the sexes' bears a certain resemblance to the formulas of nations at war, where any heinousness is justified on the grounds that the enemy is either an inferior [part of the] species or…” quote by Kate Millett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/895/kate-millett-7301_accompany_the-rationale-which-accompanies-that-imp_8896.jpg)
