--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Rarely do political contributions lead to…" description: "\"Rarely do political contributions lead to direct quid pro quo transactions - donations for votes - and those that cross this line normally get caught.\"..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28a/chris-murphy-3617_donations_rarely-do-political-contributions-lead-t_2634018.jpg" --- # Rarely do political contributions lead to direct quid pro… ![“Rarely do political contributions lead to direct quid pro quo transactions - donations for votes - and those that cross this line normally get caught.” quote by Chris Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28a/chris-murphy-3617_donations_rarely-do-political-contributions-lead-t_2634018.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28a/chris-murphy-3617_donations_rarely-do-political-contributions-lead-t_2634018.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28a/chris-murphy-3617_donations_rarely-do-political-contributions-lead-t_2634018.jpg) > “Rarely do political contributions lead to direct quid pro quo transactions - donations for votes - and those that cross this line normally get caught.” [Chris Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-murphy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Political donations rarely become direct trades, but crossing that line usually leads to legal consequences. **In simple terms:** Donations rarely equal quid pro quo, but illegal when they do. Key Takeaway Support transparent campaign finance reforms. Themes politics ethics law enforcement Mood cautious concerned Type policy informative When to use this quote - election campaigns - lobbying - public policy - activism Key Concepts political science corruption studies Questions to Reflect On - What safeguards can prevent illegal exchanges? - How to increase public oversight? A Different Perspective Some contributions may still influence policy indirectly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Donations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/donations/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Quid pro quo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quid-pro-quo/) ## Related quotes > [Sheeran is rarely political. Or preachy. He doesn't present a jet-set, Instagram-perfect, 'No Carbs Till Marbs' view of life. 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Their business made contributions through its political action committee and exerted influence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/they-made-political-contributions-to-party-committees-and-candidates/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [Msnbc.com identified 143 journalists who made political contributions from 2004 through the start of the 2008 campaign, according to the public records of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-dedman/msnbc-com-identified-143-journalists-who-made-political-contributions/) [Bill Dedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-dedman/) > [“In 2012 the NEA spent $18.1 million on political contributions (95 percent of it going to Democratic candidates) and another $5.9 million on lobbying.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/in-2012-the-nea-spent-18-1-million-on-political-contributions-95/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) > [You never talk about what you want when giving money. I don't pay attention to what other people think... There shouldn't be restrictions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-simmons/you-never-talk-about-what-you-want-when-giving-money-i-don-t-pay/) [Harold Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-simmons/) > [In terms of political contributions, the free speech rights of corporations I don't think deserve the same protections as the free speech rights of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-coons/in-terms-of-political-contributions-the-free-speech-rights-of/) Chris Coons > [“How much did GE contribute to government criminals? Spent on lobbying: $39,290,000 (2010). Number of Lobbyists: 12,982 (2010). Political contributions: $2,696,141 (2010). Contributions to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-befumo/how-much-did-ge-contribute-to-government-criminals-spent-on-lobbying/) [Joseph Befumo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-befumo/) > [If you bring cases against powerful bankers, they will enlist their political allies and they will give very large political contributions to do that](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-k-black/if-you-bring-cases-against-powerful-bankers-they-will-enlist-their/) [William K. Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-k-black/) > [I do normal kind of contributions, particularly for people who are going over to Africa and help highlighting global health, and that's tended to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-do-normal-kind-of-contributions-particularly-for-people-who-are/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [“Love may not be quid pro quo but marriage certainly is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shahla-khan/love-may-not-be-quid-pro-quo-but-marriage-certainly-is/) [Shahla Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shahla-khan/) > [“The supply of subjects was a continual trouble to him as well as to his master. In that large and busy class, the raw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/the-supply-of-subjects-was-a-continual-trouble-to-him-as-well-as-to/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [“Your realm is an insane place. In Volaria, no-one goes hungry, slaves are no use when they starve. Those freeborn too lazy or lacking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-ryan/your-realm-is-an-insane-place-in-volaria-no-one-goes-hungry-slaves/) [Anthony Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-ryan/) > [We exist temporarily through what we take, but we live forever through what we give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-a-lawson/we-exist-temporarily-through-what-we-take-but-we-live-forever-through/) Douglas A. Lawson ## More by Chris Murphy > [What we do in Connecticut is ban assault weapons. We ban high-capacity magazines. We have true universal background checks, and we require everybody to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-murphy/what-we-do-in-connecticut-is-ban-assault-weapons-we-ban-high-capacity/) [Chris Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-murphy/) > [Anytime somebody loses a presidential election, there are lots of explanations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-murphy/anytime-somebody-loses-a-presidential-election-there-are-lots-of/) [Chris Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-murphy/) > [I ran in 2006 as an opponent of the Iraq War, and I came to Congress to change overreliance on U.S. military power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-murphy/i-ran-in-2006-as-an-opponent-of-the-iraq-war-and-i-came-to-congress/) [Chris Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-murphy/) > [The political alliance between the House of Saud and the conservative Wahhabi clerics is as old as the nation, and the alliance has resulted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-murphy/the-political-alliance-between-the-house-of-saud-and-the-conservative/) [Chris Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-murphy/) > [The skill of telemarketing does not necessarily translate into governing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-murphy/the-skill-of-telemarketing-does-not-necessarily-translate-into/) [Chris Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-murphy/) > [In Connecticut, we have passed some of the strongest anti-gun-violence laws in the nation. We don't restrict anybody's Second Amendment rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-murphy/in-connecticut-we-have-passed-some-of-the-strongest-anti-gun-violence/) [Chris Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-murphy/) > [From fear of the unknown, both horns and wings have grown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-murphy/from-fear-of-the-unknown-both-horns-and-wings-have-grown/) [Chris Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-murphy/) > [There's no more personal issue than gun violence; every one of these stories is a life lost, i'm hoping that over the long term,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-murphy/there-s-no-more-personal-issue-than-gun-violence-every-one-of-these/) [Chris Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-murphy/) > [There's no denying that if I were designing a health care system from scratch, I'd build a Medicare for All system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-murphy/there-s-no-denying-that-if-i-were-designing-a-health-care-system-from/) [Chris Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-murphy/) > [It would be devastating for America if Donald Trump won, and it would be devastating for the anti-gun-violence movement. But we would be on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-murphy/it-would-be-devastating-for-america-if-donald-trump-won-and-it-would/) [Chris Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-murphy/) > [Russia's number-one goal is to pull apart the E.U., to pull apart NATO.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-murphy/russia-s-number-one-goal-is-to-pull-apart-the-e-u-to-pull-apart-nato/) [Chris Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-murphy/) > [I do not understand how people can look at the rapid spread of extremism all across the globe and not understand that it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-murphy/i-do-not-understand-how-people-can-look-at-the-rapid-spread-of/) [Chris Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-murphy/) > [American values don't begin and end with destroyers and aircraft carriers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-murphy/american-values-don-t-begin-and-end-with-destroyers-and-aircraft/) [Chris Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-murphy/) > [Saudi Arabia is an important country to the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-murphy/saudi-arabia-is-an-important-country-to-the-united-states/) [Chris Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-murphy/) > [The absence of fear is love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-murphy/the-absence-of-fear-is-love/) [Chris Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-murphy/) [Explore all 126 Chris Murphy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-murphy/) ## More Donations quotes > [Global poverty is the product of reversible policy failures overseen by politicians, past and present. The poorest of the poor don't vote in American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-evans/global-poverty-is-the-product-of-reversible-policy-failures-overseen/) [Hugh Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-evans/) > [When people make donations to non profits, they want to know that their money goes to good use.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-simon/when-people-make-donations-to-non-profits-they-want-to-know-that/) [Sam Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-simon/) > [In an era when party fundraising is badly tainted, dinners are a really good way of raising cash for campaigning. Lots of people giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-powell/in-an-era-when-party-fundraising-is-badly-tainted-dinners-are-a/) [Lucy Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-powell/) > [Those who live off of the donations of capitalism are often its greatest critics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cook/those-who-live-off-of-the-donations-of-capitalism-are-often-its/) [James Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cook/) > [Public employee unions are hardly the only group involved in bare-knuckles politics. Businesses lobby fiercely, and executives make hefty campaign donations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/public-employee-unions-are-hardly-the-only-group-involved-in-bare/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [As soon as we find a cure, we will utilize any of the donations to go toward providing medication to those who can't afford…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/montel-williams/as-soon-as-we-find-a-cure-we-will-utilize-any-of-the-donations-to-go/) [Montel Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/montel-williams/) > [I've made it clear that I'm not taking special interest PAC money or accepting donations from lobbyists - ever. I want to represent the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-pagliuca/i-ve-made-it-clear-that-i-m-not-taking-special-interest-pac-money-or/) [Stephen Pagliuca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-pagliuca/) > [I took and received campaign donations under the existing laws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-jackson-lee/i-took-and-received-campaign-donations-under-the-existing-laws/) [Sheila Jackson Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-jackson-lee/) > [The total funding of SETI (the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) in the U.S. is 0.0003 percent of the tax monies spent on health and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/the-total-funding-of-seti-the-search-for-extraterrestrial/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [I have a lot of supporters but they are not well organized. They send me donations but for the most part, their commitment is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-elbakyan/i-have-a-lot-of-supporters-but-they-are-not-well-organized-they-send/) [Alexandra Elbakyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-elbakyan/) > [If you take donations from Wall Street, you can't be independent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/if-you-take-donations-from-wall-street-you-can-t-be-independent/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [The IRS is currently considering a rule that would make it easier for tax preparers to disclose the private information contained in tax returns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-bean/the-irs-is-currently-considering-a-rule-that-would-make-it-easier-for/) [Melissa Bean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-bean/) > [“How much you give is not counted by amount, but by fraction”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-cajon/how-much-you-give-is-not-counted-by-amount-but-by-fraction/) Sophia Cajon > [The more profit we make, the more stores we can open, the more donations we can make to our community, the more responsible citizens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mackey/the-more-profit-we-make-the-more-stores-we-can-open-the-more/) [John Mackey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mackey/) > [“Develop what you have. 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