Able Quote by Carroll Quigley
“When the business interests... pushed through the first installment of civil service reform in 1883, they expected that they would be able to control both political parties equally.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The Evolution of Civil Service, Carroll Quigley, 1963
Business leaders expected civil service reform to equally control both parties, but reality differed.
In simple terms: Reforms didn’t give equal party control.
Key Takeaway
Recognize limits of reforms.
Themes
politics
reform
power dynamics
Mood
analytical
historical
Type
political
educational
When to use this quote
- policy advocacy
- government lobbying
Key Concepts
institutional design
interest groups
Questions to Reflect On
- What unintended effects arise from reforms?
- How to ensure fair political influence?
A Different Perspective
Assumes reform can balance power perfectly.
![“There are only two possible forms of control: one internal and the other external; religious control and political control. They are of such a nature that when the religious barometer rises, the barometer of [external, i.e., political control] falls and likewise, when the religious barometer…” quote by Juan Donoso Cortes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0c9/juan-donoso-cortes-84258_barometer_there-are-only-two-possible-forms-of-con_2773724.jpg)
![“If the layman cannot participate in decision making, he will have to turn himself over, essentially blind, to a hermetic elite. ... [The fundamental question becomes] are we still capable of self-government and therefore freedom? Margaret Mead wrote in a 1959 issue of Daedalus about scientists…” quote by Gerald Holton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/368/gerald-holton-46138_benevolent_if-the-layman-cannot-participate-in-deci_1394613.jpg)
