--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Institutions are imperfect. Governments…" description: "\"Institutions are imperfect. Governments surely are. People are.\" — Chuck Hagel" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/863/chuck-hagel-9288_government_institutions-are-imperfect-governments-s_265038.png" --- # Institutions are imperfect. Governments surely are. People… ![“Institutions are imperfect. Governments surely are. People are.” quote by Chuck Hagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/863/chuck-hagel-9288_government_institutions-are-imperfect-governments-s_265038.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/863/chuck-hagel-9288_government_institutions-are-imperfect-governments-s_265038.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/863/chuck-hagel-9288_government_institutions-are-imperfect-governments-s_265038.png) > “Institutions are imperfect. Governments surely are. People are.” [Chuck Hagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Institutions and governments have inherent flaws; individuals also possess imperfections. **In simple terms:** All systems and people are flawed. Key Takeaway Accept imperfections, work to improve. Themes politics human nature institutional theory Mood critical reflective Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - policy making - leadership - public administration Key Concepts imperfection governance ethics Questions to Reflect On - How can we mitigate institutional flaws? - What role does personal responsibility play? A Different Perspective Flaws can be systemic and hard to change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Governments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/governments/) [Governments Surely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/governments-surely-2604807/) [Imperfect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imperfect/) [Imperfect Governments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imperfect-governments-2604805/) [Institutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutions/) [Institutions Imperfect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutions-imperfect-2604806/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Surely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surely/) ## Related quotes > [From Nato to the U.N. and the E.U., the generation that lived through the first half of the 20th century knew they needed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-davey/from-nato-to-the-u-n-and-the-e-u-the-generation-that-lived-through/) [Ed Davey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-davey/) > [Imperfect though it may be, the Beijing Platform for Action is the strongest statement of consensus on women's equality, empowerment and justice ever produced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-abzug/imperfect-though-it-may-be-the-beijing-platform-for-action-is-the/) [Bella Abzug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-abzug/) > [Foreign policy is all about a universe of bad decisions, imperfect decisions; every situation is different. 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But if we do not begin to truly account for our numbers, we will surely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-alexander/life-and-families-and-babies-are-all-joyous-gifts-but-if-we-do-not/) [Jason Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-alexander/) > [What you set your heart upon, surely shall be yours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/what-you-set-your-heart-upon-surely-shall-be-yours/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [It may be an extreme example brought about by abnormal circumstances - but the criteria of human rights kick in, surely, precisely when the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/breyten-breytenbach/it-may-be-an-extreme-example-brought-about-by-abnormal-circumstances/) [Breyten Breytenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/breyten-breytenbach/) > [Moments can't b back but surely we can create some more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raghav-singh/moments-can-t-b-back-but-surely-we-can-create-some-more/) [Raghav Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raghav-singh/) ## More by Chuck Hagel > [When you're dealing in situations that are uncontrollable and combustible, you try to stabilize the situation as quickly as you can and then work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-hagel/when-you-re-dealing-in-situations-that-are-uncontrollable-and/) [Chuck Hagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/) > [Closing Guantanamo Bay is not a military solution. The closing of that prison, which I support, I supported it when I was in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-hagel/closing-guantanamo-bay-is-not-a-military-solution-the-closing-of-that/) [Chuck Hagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/) > [We must prepare for everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-hagel/we-must-prepare-for-everything/) [Chuck Hagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/) > [Desperate men do desperate things when you take hope away. And that's where the Palestinians are today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-hagel/desperate-men-do-desperate-things-when-you-take-hope-away-and-that-s/) [Chuck Hagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/) > [The president of the United States is the commander in chief, and the people who work with him at the National Security Council are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-hagel/the-president-of-the-united-states-is-the-commander-in-chief-and-the/) [Chuck Hagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/) > [The Israeli people must be free to live in peace and security.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-hagel/the-israeli-people-must-be-free-to-live-in-peace-and-security/) [Chuck Hagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/) > [In a general way, if one cannot attribute to the Jew the whole responsibility of the situation, economic, political, and social, by which Algeria…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-hagel/in-a-general-way-if-one-cannot-attribute-to-the-jew-the-whole/) [Chuck Hagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/) > [No one individual vote, no one individual quote or no one individual statement defines me, my beliefs, or my record.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-hagel/no-one-individual-vote-no-one-individual-quote-or-no-one-individual/) [Chuck Hagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/) > [We live in a world of absolute immediacy. It is an interconnected, combustible world, where technology and many other actions have given nonstate actors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-hagel/we-live-in-a-world-of-absolute-immediacy-it-is-an-interconnected/) [Chuck Hagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/) > [Too often in Washington we tend to see foreign policy as an abstraction, with little understanding of what we are committing our country to:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-hagel/too-often-in-washington-we-tend-to-see-foreign-policy-as-an/) [Chuck Hagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/) > [Imposing democracy through force is a roll of the dice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-hagel/imposing-democracy-through-force-is-a-roll-of-the-dice/) [Chuck Hagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/) > [I have never believed you go to war in Iraq, you go to war in Afghanistan, and believe that you can deal with those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-hagel/i-have-never-believed-you-go-to-war-in-iraq-you-go-to-war-in/) [Chuck Hagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/) > [Well, Mr Obama inherited probably the biggest inventory of problems, certainly foreign policy problems, than any American president ever has. I think the entire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-hagel/well-mr-obama-inherited-probably-the-biggest-inventory-of-problems/) [Chuck Hagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/) > [Foreign policy will require a strategic agility that, whenever possible, gets ahead of problems, strengthens U.S. security and alliances, and promotes American interests and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-hagel/foreign-policy-will-require-a-strategic-agility-that-whenever/) [Chuck Hagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/) > [There's always a balance, I think, any administration has to find in not just the military but in any agency of government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-hagel/there-s-always-a-balance-i-think-any-administration-has-to-find-in/) [Chuck Hagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/) [Explore all 74 Chuck Hagel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/) ## More Government quotes > [We could form a government of national unity fighting corruption. 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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": "Institutions are imperfect. 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