--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And there you have your Founders and…" description: "\"“And there you have your Founders and Framers in all their elite glory—the 1 percent of their time. Many spent more than they made. Struggled their ent..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e9/ed-asner-14022_time_and-there-you-have-your-founders-and-fra_729976.jpg" --- # And there you have your Founders and Framers in all their… ![“And there you have your Founders and Framers in all their elite glory—the 1 percent of their time. Many spent more than they made. Struggled their entire lives with debt. And, when they could, always married into money. They were—obvious to say—petty, flawed, inconsistent, and all too human. Yet…” quote by Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e9/ed-asner-14022_time_and-there-you-have-your-founders-and-fra_729976.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e9/ed-asner-14022_time_and-there-you-have-your-founders-and-fra_729976.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e9/ed-asner-14022_time_and-there-you-have-your-founders-and-fra_729976.jpg) > ““And there you have your Founders and Framers in all their elite glory—the 1 percent of their time. Many spent more than they made. Struggled their entire lives with debt. And, when they could, always married into money. They were—obvious to say—petty, flawed, inconsistent, and all too human. Yet compared to many of our feckless lawmakers of today,XV those rich white guys were indeed like demigods come from Mount Olympus to walk the Earth. Or at least the streets of Philadelphia. Not merely politicians, they were (collectively) inventors, architects, scientists, linguists, and scholars who had studied Greek and Latin; who read Voltaire, John Stuart Mill, and David Hume. More interestingly, Voltaire, John Stuart Mill, and David Hume read them.XVI They were eloquent orators and brilliant writers. They wrote books, political articles, essays, and long, philosophical letters to their wives, friends, and to one another.XVII So who were those guys? They were men of the Enlightenment who valued reason over dogma, tolerance over bigotry, and science over faith. And, unlike the current Right-Wing doomsayers and fearmongers, they were all, truly, apostles of optimism.”” [Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The founding fathers, though elite and wealthy, were flawed humans who contributed greatly to society, contrasting with modern politicians. **In simple terms:** Founders were brilliant yet imperfect humans. Key Takeaway Great people have flaws. Themes history humanity politics Mood reflective critical inspirational Type historical analytical philosophical When to use this quote - education - civic engagement - policy analysis - public discourse - null Key Concepts enlightenment optimism leadership legacy Questions to Reflect On - How can we learn from both past and present leaders? - What qualities should we value in today’s politicians? A Different Perspective Modern comparisons can oversimplify complexities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Founders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/founders/) [Political art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-art/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“Cook, judging from his journals, was not a pious man. A product of the eighteenth century Enlightenment, he valued reason above all else, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-horwitz/cook-judging-from-his-journals-was-not-a-pious-man-a-product-of-the/) [Tony Horwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horwitz/) > [Voltaire spoke of the Bible as a short-lived book. He said that within a hundred years it would pass from common use. Not many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-barton/voltaire-spoke-of-the-bible-as-a-short-lived-book-he-said-that-within/) [Bruce Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-barton/) > [Well, there's just some universal truths in a way that I've just observed to be true. You read Voltaire. You read modern literature. Anywhere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/feist/well-there-s-just-some-universal-truths-in-a-way-that-i-ve-just/) [Feist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/feist/) > [“Many of them were familiar from childhood with the fables of La Fontaine. Or they had read Voltaire or Racine or Molière in English…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/many-of-them-were-familiar-from-childhood-with-the-fables-of-la/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [My argument would be that I don't think there is much that's genuinely political art that is good art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/my-argument-would-be-that-i-don-t-think-there-is-much-that-s/) [Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/) > [As a political artist, I think you have to learn how to create art, no matter what your ideology is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amiri-baraka/as-a-political-artist-i-think-you-have-to-learn-how-to-create-art-no/) [Amiri Baraka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amiri-baraka/) > [I think if you're going to make political art, you have to engage at some level. You can't just write about politics, you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-bragg/i-think-if-you-re-going-to-make-political-art-you-have-to-engage-at/) [Billy Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-bragg/) > [After illuminating the work of Rembrandt, Caravaggio, Louise Bourgeois, Balthus, and other modern artists, Mieke Bal again demonstrates her extraordinary flair for cultural criticism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-culler/after-illuminating-the-work-of-rembrandt-caravaggio-louise-bourgeois/) [Jonathan Culler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-culler/) > [“Pilate had perfected the political art of compromise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stalker/pilate-had-perfected-the-political-art-of-compromise/) [James Stalker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stalker/) > [I am close friends with Marina Abamovich, so I love strong, very aggressive political art. She is like a mom who wants to adopt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riccardo-tisci/i-am-close-friends-with-marina-abamovich-so-i-love-strong-very/) [Riccardo Tisci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riccardo-tisci/) > [I don't consider myself a political artist, but I am political just by nature of being a woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-hanawalt/i-don-t-consider-myself-a-political-artist-but-i-am-political-just-by/) [Lisa Hanawalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-hanawalt/) > [Political art never goes away. I started watching The West Wing show recently and I'm actually learning about how the government works in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-gordon/political-art-never-goes-away-i-started-watching-the-west-wing-show/) [Kim Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-gordon/) > [Political art expresses the cliches you agree with, unlike propaganda, which expresses the cliches you don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-holland/political-art-expresses-the-cliches-you-agree-with-unlike-propaganda/) [Brad Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-holland/) > [I don't really believe in political art. I feel in my heart the purpose of art transcends cultural and class and politics. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-lennon/i-don-t-really-believe-in-political-art-i-feel-in-my-heart-the/) [Sean Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-lennon/) > [Pussy Riot have certainly changed some people's assumptions about the role of political art and the relationship between the intelligentsia and the church. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/pussy-riot-have-certainly-changed-some-people-s-assumptions-about-the/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) ## More by Ed Asner > [All capitalists should be like Warren Buffett, and he says he should be taxed more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/all-capitalists-should-be-like-warren-buffett-and-he-says-he-should/) [Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/) > [There are genuinely sufficient resources in the world to ensure that no one, nowhere, at no time, should go hungry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/there-are-genuinely-sufficient-resources-in-the-world-to-ensure-that/) [Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/) > [The older I've gotten, the more the need to exert comedy no matter how tragic a character I may be portraying because they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/the-older-i-ve-gotten-the-more-the-need-to-exert-comedy-no-matter-how/) [Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/) > [To my knowledge, there is no blacklist. But there is a mindset, even among liberal producers, that says 'He may be difficult so let's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/to-my-knowledge-there-is-no-blacklist-but-there-is-a-mindset-even/) [Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/) > [I've never stopped loving cartoons. I loved cartoons as a kid. I can still look at them and enjoy them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/i-ve-never-stopped-loving-cartoons-i-loved-cartoons-as-a-kid-i-can/) [Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/) > [The treasure shouldn't do the hunting, and you're a treasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/the-treasure-shouldn-t-do-the-hunting-and-you-re-a-treasure/) [Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/) > [Always keep yourself engaged, in theater, in whatever job you can get.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/always-keep-yourself-engaged-in-theater-in-whatever-job-you-can-get/) [Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/) > [If you can't get an acting job, then go backstage. Or take tickets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/if-you-can-t-get-an-acting-job-then-go-backstage-or-take-tickets/) [Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/) > [“Of all the Founders, Adams may have been the most churchgoing. But as a Unitarian, he did not believe in the Holy Trinity, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/of-all-the-founders-adams-may-have-been-the-most-churchgoing-but-as-a/) [Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/) > [I went into acting as psychotherapy, and it's still a work in progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/i-went-into-acting-as-psychotherapy-and-it-s-still-a-work-in-progress/) [Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/) > [Never thought acting was something you could make a living at. It wasn't until I was in college, and got a lead in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/never-thought-acting-was-something-you-could-make-a-living-at-it-wasn/) [Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/) > [“Pissed off by the lies, misrepresentations, and outright horseshit, I decided it was time to strike back. It was time to reclaim the Constitution.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/pissed-off-by-the-lies-misrepresentations-and-outright-horseshit-i/) [Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/) > [Some of my earliest political feelings were based on the anti-Japanese bubblegum cards I got. There were also Spanish Civil War bubblegum cards. Awful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/some-of-my-earliest-political-feelings-were-based-on-the-anti/) [Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/) > [“Roughly speaking: more than forty held government bonds. More than twenty were moneylenders. Over fifteen were slave owners. The rest an assortment of land…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/roughly-speaking-more-than-forty-held-government-bonds-more-than/) [Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/) > [Raising kids is part joy and part guerrilla warfare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/raising-kids-is-part-joy-and-part-guerrilla-warfare/) [Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/) [Explore all 48 Ed Asner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/) ## More Founders quotes > [Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-josiah-brewer/our-laws-and-our-institutions-must-necessarily-be-based-upon-and/) [David Josiah Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-josiah-brewer/) > [The rights essential to happiness. . . . We claim them from a higher source - from the King of kings and Lord of all the earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dickinson/the-rights-essential-to-happiness-we-claim-them-from-a-higher-source/) [John Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dickinson/) > [I am ever mindful of the legacy of my grandfather, the founder of this Kingdom, who had said to me that he perceived his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-hussein-i/i-am-ever-mindful-of-the-legacy-of-my-grandfather-the-founder-of-this/) [King Hussein I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-hussein-i/) > [The first person who, having enclosed a plot of land, took it into his head to say this is mine and found people simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/the-first-person-who-having-enclosed-a-plot-of-land-took-it-into-his/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [My aim is to institute perpetual adoration," spoke St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe, Franciscan priest and founder of the Knights of the Immaculata. For he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maximilian-kolbe/my-aim-is-to-institute-perpetual-adoration-spoke-st-maximilian-maria/) [Maximilian Kolbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maximilian-kolbe/) > [Entrepreneurship is the very back bone of our country and what makes us great - we are a nation of founders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-lublin/entrepreneurship-is-the-very-back-bone-of-our-country-and-what-makes/) [Nancy Lublin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-lublin/) > [We must never lose sight of the fact that we must take part in the development, not only of ourselves but of all humanity...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jewel/we-must-never-lose-sight-of-the-fact-that-we-must-take-part-in-the/) [Jewel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jewel/) > [The founders of a new colony, whatever Utopia of human virtue and happiness they might originally project, have invariably recognized it among their earliest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-founders-of-a-new-colony-whatever-utopia-of-human-virtue-and/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/the-general-principles-on-which-the-fathers-achieved-independence/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [Big-government proponents embrace both the power of the federal government and the idea that millions of Americans ought to be dependent on its largesse.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/big-government-proponents-embrace-both-the-power-of-the-federal/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) > [Our founders made it extraordinarily difficult to amend the Constitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/our-founders-made-it-extraordinarily-difficult-to-amend-the/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [If you are not consciously directing your life, you will lose your footing and circumstances will decide for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-beckwith/if-you-are-not-consciously-directing-your-life-you-will-lose-your/) [Michael Beckwith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-beckwith/) > [ I said \[ Barack Obama\], the founder of ISIS. Obviously, I'm being sarcastic.But not that sarcastic, to be honest with you. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-said-barack-obama-the-founder-of-isis-obviously-i-m-being-sarcastic/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [What country can preserve its liberties if its rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/what-country-can-preserve-its-liberties-if-its-rulers-are-not-warned/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [The First Continental Congress made its first act a prayer, the beginning of a great tradition. We have then a lesson from the founders…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/the-first-continental-congress-made-its-first-act-a-prayer-the/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) [Browse all 708 Founders quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/founders/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“And there you have your Founders and Framers in all their elite glory—the 1 percent of their time. Many spent more than they made. Struggled their entire lives with debt. And, when they could, always married into money. They were—obvious to say—petty, flawed, inconsistent, and all too human. Yet compared to many of our feckless lawmakers of today,XV those rich white guys were indeed like demigods come from Mount Olympus to walk the Earth. Or at least the streets of Philadelphia. Not merely politicians, they were (collectively) inventors, architects, scientists, linguists, and scholars who had studied Greek and Latin; who read Voltaire, John Stuart Mill, and David Hume. More interestingly, Voltaire, John Stuart Mill, and David Hume read them.XVI They were eloquent orators and brilliant writers. They wrote books, political articles, essays, and long, philosophical letters to their wives, friends, and to one another.XVII So who were those guys? They were men of the Enlightenment who valued reason over dogma, tolerance over bigotry, and science over faith. 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