--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We have a cleaner system of government in…" description: "\"We have a cleaner system of government in this state where people run based on their ideas, not based on their ability to raise money.\" — Chris Murphy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5b/chris-murphy-3617_government_we-have-a-cleaner-system-of-government-i_1575342.png" --- # We have a cleaner system of government in this state where… ![“We have a cleaner system of government in this state where people run based on their ideas, not based on their ability to raise money.” quote by Chris Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5b/chris-murphy-3617_government_we-have-a-cleaner-system-of-government-i_1575342.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5b/chris-murphy-3617_government_we-have-a-cleaner-system-of-government-i_1575342.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5b/chris-murphy-3617_government_we-have-a-cleaner-system-of-government-i_1575342.png) > “We have a cleaner system of government in this state where people run based on their ideas, not based on their ability to raise money.” [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. A government where ideas drive leadership, not fundraising, yields cleaner governance. **In simple terms:** Ideas over money improve politics. Key Takeaway Prioritize ideas, not money. Themes politics leadership ethics Mood optimistic critical Type inspirational political When to use this quote - elections - policy debates - grassroots organizing Key Concepts democracy campaign finance meritocracy Questions to Reflect On - How can we reduce money’s role in politics? - What mechanisms ensure ideas dominate? A Different Perspective Money still influences many political outcomes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Based Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/based-ideas-2371921/) [Cleaner Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cleaner-government-5938935/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Government State](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government-state-440170/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [State](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/state/) [State People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/state-people-971349/) [System](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/system/) ## Related quotes > [That's a fact of our federal system of government: each state runs their election differently - and that's OK.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-shapiro/that-s-a-fact-of-our-federal-system-of-government-each-state-runs/) [Josh Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-shapiro/) > [Not everybody's actions are based on ideas. Some people's actions are based on profit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pavel-durov/not-everybody-s-actions-are-based-on-ideas-some-people-s-actions-are/) [Pavel Durov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pavel-durov/) > [You can't have modern states based on ideas which have been out of date for a thousand years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/you-can-t-have-modern-states-based-on-ideas-which-have-been-out-of/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“You don’t need more time, you need to act on creative, intent-based ideas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richie-norton/you-don-t-need-more-time-you-need-to-act-on-creative-intent-based/) [Richie Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richie-norton/) > [“The world is the way it is now because of five thousand years of ingrained structures of power based on darker times when things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-alderman/the-world-is-the-way-it-is-now-because-of-five-thousand-years-of/) [Naomi Alderman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-alderman/) > [Our relationship to reality and to our experience is all based upon the ideas in our mind that we're always trying to live up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-cohen/our-relationship-to-reality-and-to-our-experience-is-all-based-upon/) [Andrew Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-cohen/) > [I always start from scratch with a character - they're never based on anyone else. You get ideas of what people look like, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-burton/i-always-start-from-scratch-with-a-character-they-re-never-based-on/) [Amanda Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-burton/) > [Every description of natural processes must be based on ideas which have been introduced and defined by the classical theory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niels-bohr/every-description-of-natural-processes-must-be-based-on-ideas-which/) [Niels Bohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niels-bohr/) > [The government, both state and federal, has a duty to be reasonable and accommodating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/the-government-both-state-and-federal-has-a-duty-to-be-reasonable-and/) [John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/) > [Why should a city be mandated to do something by the federal government or state government without the money to do it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-daley/why-should-a-city-be-mandated-to-do-something-by-the-federal/) [Richard M. Daley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-daley/) > [I believe that there should be no wrong door to access state government, and that state government's top priority should be serving Pennsylvanians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-shapiro/i-believe-that-there-should-be-no-wrong-door-to-access-state/) [Josh Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-shapiro/) > [We’re against the state, not government. The state just happens to monopolize the government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephan-kinsella/we-re-against-the-state-not-government-the-state-just-happens-to/) [Stephan Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephan-kinsella/) > [He who desires or attempts to reform the government of a state and wishes to have it accepted, must at least retain the semblance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/he-who-desires-or-attempts-to-reform-the-government-of-a-state-and/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [It actually turns out to be much harder to really understand government across state local and federal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ballmer/it-actually-turns-out-to-be-much-harder-to-really-understand/) [Steve Ballmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ballmer/) > [First, we need to focus government on the things that are required of the State. Second, we need to achieve competence in government so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/first-we-need-to-focus-government-on-the-things-that-are-required-of/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) ## 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 Government quotes > [We could form a government of national unity fighting corruption. 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Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [Right now we're concerned about budget. Right now we're concerned about the prospect of interest rate rise. We're concerned about government corruption, government handing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amity-shlaes/right-now-we-re-concerned-about-budget-right-now-we-re-concerned/) [Amity Shlaes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amity-shlaes/) > [One of the worst things to come out of the Consumer Protection Board's misleading claims is the impression that government resources are to hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-lesko/one-of-the-worst-things-to-come-out-of-the-consumer-protection-board/) [Matthew Lesko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-lesko/) > [It is afraid of an informed, angry public demanding the constitutional government it was promised - and it should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/it-is-afraid-of-an-informed-angry-public-demanding-the-constitutional/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [Louisiana's spicy, colorful politics have saddled our state with a reputation for tolerating lax ethical standards in government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kennedy/louisiana-s-spicy-colorful-politics-have-saddled-our-state-with-a/) [John Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kennedy/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) [Greg Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-perry/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [He is almost a statesman. He lies well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/he-is-almost-a-statesman-he-lies-well/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [If you believe in democracy, why shouldn't you know what the government is doing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/if-you-believe-in-democracy-why-shouldn-t-you-know-what-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I mean those people who are interested in good government will certainly contribute in order to make certain there's some counter-balance to those whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-breyer/i-mean-those-people-who-are-interested-in-good-government-will/) [Stephen Breyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-breyer/) > [We can't have a government that will collapse in three months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-varadkar/we-can-t-have-a-government-that-will-collapse-in-three-months/) [Leo Varadkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-varadkar/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) [Browse all 21,248 Government quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We have a cleaner system of government in this state where people run based on their ideas, not based on their ability to raise money.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Chris Murphy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-murphy/we-have-a-cleaner-system-of-government-in-this-state-where-people-run/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Government" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-murphy/we-have-a-cleaner-system-of-government-in-this-state-where-people-run/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5b/chris-murphy-3617_government_we-have-a-cleaner-system-of-government-i_1575342.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5b/chris-murphy-3617_government_we-have-a-cleaner-system-of-government-i_1575342.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5b/chris-murphy-3617_government_we-have-a-cleaner-system-of-government-i_1575342.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We have a cleaner system of government in this state where people run based on their ideas, not based on…” — Chris Murphy", "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": "Chris Murphy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-murphy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We have a cleaner system of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-murphy/we-have-a-cleaner-system-of-government-in-this-state-where-people-run/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-murphy/we-have-a-cleaner-system-of-government-in-this-state-where-people-run/#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 } } ] } ```