--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is not possible to found a lasting…" description: "\"It is not possible to found a lasting power upon injustice, perjury, and treachery.\" — Demosthenes" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bb/demosthenes-11463_character_it-is-not-possible-to-found-a-lasting-po_1708682.jpg" --- # It is not possible to found a lasting power upon… ![“It is not possible to found a lasting power upon injustice, perjury, and treachery.” quote by Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bb/demosthenes-11463_character_it-is-not-possible-to-found-a-lasting-po_1708682.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bb/demosthenes-11463_character_it-is-not-possible-to-found-a-lasting-po_1708682.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bb/demosthenes-11463_character_it-is-not-possible-to-found-a-lasting-po_1708682.jpg) > “It is not possible to found a lasting power upon injustice, perjury, and treachery.” [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A regime built on deceit and betrayal cannot endure over time. **In simple terms:** Unjust power collapses. Key Takeaway Avoid dishonest foundations. Themes politics ethics leadership Mood cautious serious Type political ethical When to use this quote - government formation - corporate governance - personal relationships - legal contracts Key Concepts justice legitimacy trust Questions to Reflect On - What values must a leader uphold? - How can societies detect early signs of corruption? A Different Perspective Power may persist temporarily despite corruption. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Injustice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/injustice/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Perjury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perjury/) [Treachery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treachery/) ## Related quotes > [It is not possible to found a lasting power upon injustice, perjury, and treachery. These may, perhaps, succeed for once, and borrow for awhile,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/it-is-not-possible-to-found-a-lasting-power-upon-injustice-perjury/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [I am of this mind, that might and malice, deceit and treachery perjury and impiety may lawfully be committed in love; which is lawless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lyly/i-am-of-this-mind-that-might-and-malice-deceit-and-treachery-perjury/) [John Lyly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lyly/) > [It depends upon what the meaning of the word 'is' is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/it-depends-upon-what-the-meaning-of-the-word-is-is/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [No one is above the law, not even the president. I believe perjury does meet at least the definition of high misdemeanor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-johnson/no-one-is-above-the-law-not-even-the-president-i-believe-perjury-does/) [Nancy Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-johnson/) > [The diagnosis of drunkenness was that it was a disease for which the patient was in no way responsible, that it was created by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-swisshelm/the-diagnosis-of-drunkenness-was-that-it-was-a-disease-for-which-the/) [Jane Swisshelm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-swisshelm/) > [After years spent trying to deal with the effects of COINTELPRO, my rage at the FBI's almost unimaginable evil remains undiminished because I believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kunstler/after-years-spent-trying-to-deal-with-the-effects-of-cointelpro-my/) [William Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kunstler/) > [“For years, I declined to fill in the form for my Senate press credential that asked me to state my 'race,' unless I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/for-years-i-declined-to-fill-in-the-form-for-my-senate-press/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Al Gore seems to have found a great political ploy: Picking up whatever issue he is most vulnerable on and championing the cause. 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To remind a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/he-who-confers-a-favor-should-at-once-forget-it-if-he-is-not-to-show/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [Since we are not yet fully comfortable with the idea that people from the next village are as human as ourselves, it is presumptuous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/since-we-are-not-yet-fully-comfortable-with-the-idea-that-people-from/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [“Nothing is easier than self-deceit. For what each me wishes, that he also believes is true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/nothing-is-easier-than-self-deceit-for-what-each-me-wishes-that-he/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [Success has a great tendency to conceal and throw a veil over the evil deeds of men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/success-has-a-great-tendency-to-conceal-and-throw-a-veil-over-the/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [I decline to buy repentance at the cost of ten thousand drachmas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/i-decline-to-buy-repentance-at-the-cost-of-ten-thousand-drachmas/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [“Was man wünscht, das glaubt auch jeder.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/was-man-w-nscht-das-glaubt-auch-jeder/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [It is impossible for men engaged in low and groveling pursuits to have noble and generous sentiments. A man's thought must always follow his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/it-is-impossible-for-men-engaged-in-low-and-groveling-pursuits-to/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [Close alliances with despots are never safe for free states.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/close-alliances-with-despots-are-never-safe-for-free-states/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [“I'll betide thee, say I, and may the Gods, or at least the Athenians, confound thee for a vile citizen and a vile third-rate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/i-ll-betide-thee-say-i-and-may-the-gods-or-at-least-the-athenians/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) [Explore all 59 Demosthenes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) ## More Character quotes > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. 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But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. 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