--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is an increasingly pervasive sense…" description: "\"There is an increasingly pervasive sense not only of failure, but of futility. The legislative process has become a cruel shell game and the service sy..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44d/elliot-richardson-28059_failure_there-is-an-increasingly-pervasive-sense_2269321.jpg" --- # There is an increasingly pervasive sense not only of… ![“There is an increasingly pervasive sense not only of failure, but of futility. The legislative process has become a cruel shell game and the service system has become a bureaucratic maze, inefficient, incomprehensible, and inaccessible.” quote by Elliot Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44d/elliot-richardson-28059_failure_there-is-an-increasingly-pervasive-sense_2269321.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44d/elliot-richardson-28059_failure_there-is-an-increasingly-pervasive-sense_2269321.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44d/elliot-richardson-28059_failure_there-is-an-increasingly-pervasive-sense_2269321.jpg) > “There is an increasingly pervasive sense not only of failure, but of futility. The legislative process has become a cruel shell game and the service system has become a bureaucratic maze, inefficient, incomprehensible, and inaccessible.” [Elliot Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliot-richardson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The system feels broken, making people feel hopeless and trapped in endless bureaucracy. **In simple terms:** Bureaucracy feels futile and oppressive. Key Takeaway Advocate for simplifying processes. Themes bureaucracy futility disillusionment Mood frustrated hopeful Type political social When to use this quote - voting - community organizing - policy reform - public service Key Concepts systemic inefficiency public policy citizen trust Questions to Reflect On - How can citizens effectively demand change? - What small reforms could improve accessibility? A Different Perspective Complex problems often need incremental reforms, not just criticism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Futility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/futility/) [Game](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/game/) [Legislative process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legislative-process/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Service](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/service/) ## Related quotes > [How I hated the dark part of me that continually foretold of failure or futility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/how-i-hated-the-dark-part-of-me-that-continually-foretold-of-failure/) [Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/) > [From where you sit, the White House may look as untidy as the inside of a stomach. As is said of the legislative process,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/from-where-you-sit-the-white-house-may-look-as-untidy-as-the-inside/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [The most significant impact is what it does in terms of the integrity of the legislative process and the executive process, as opposed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/the-most-significant-impact-is-what-it-does-in-terms-of-the-integrity/) [Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/) > [This has not been a legislative process worthy of the Senate. Members of the Judiciary Committee, as I just said, were implored to save…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/this-has-not-been-a-legislative-process-worthy-of-the-senate-members/) [Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/) > [Question Period is not part of the legislative process,and has nothing to do with it. 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Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-j-mitchell/) ## More by Elliot Richardson > [But tending machinery was one thing; defining what we were trying to do and why we were doing it, and developing ways to measure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliot-richardson/but-tending-machinery-was-one-thing-defining-what-we-were-trying-to/) [Elliot Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliot-richardson/) > [The vice president had a bargaining asset, however, that no ordinary person has: He was next in line to the presidency. I saw no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliot-richardson/the-vice-president-had-a-bargaining-asset-however-that-no-ordinary/) [Elliot Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliot-richardson/) > [I had come to regard the U.S. Senate's rejection of the League of Nations as a tragic mistake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliot-richardson/i-had-come-to-regard-the-u-s-senate-s-rejection-of-the-league-of/) [Elliot Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliot-richardson/) > [They've got him - credible witnesses, documents, heaven knows what else. In all my years as a prosecutor I have never seen such an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliot-richardson/they-ve-got-him-credible-witnesses-documents-heaven-knows-what-else/) [Elliot Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliot-richardson/) > [For you, the state is an entity with purposes of its own that the people can be required to serve. 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The casualties were so heavy, it was just a given. I learned to take each day,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliot-richardson/i-thought-i-was-going-to-be-killed-the-casualties-were-so-heavy-it/) [Elliot Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliot-richardson/) > [The Watergate reforms did work well for many years, and if improved and broadened, these reforms can have real and major impact on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliot-richardson/the-watergate-reforms-did-work-well-for-many-years-and-if-improved/) [Elliot Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliot-richardson/) > [I said the first concern of the administration of justice must, of course, be the individual. The second concern is the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliot-richardson/i-said-the-first-concern-of-the-administration-of-justice-must-of/) [Elliot Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliot-richardson/) > [It often seemed like we had become a nation where the only heroes were rock singers and ball players and that there were no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliot-richardson/it-often-seemed-like-we-had-become-a-nation-where-the-only-heroes/) [Elliot Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliot-richardson/) > [Mr. President, I believe your real problem is that you have somehow been unable to realize that you have won, not only won, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliot-richardson/mr-president-i-believe-your-real-problem-is-that-you-have-somehow/) [Elliot Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliot-richardson/) > [I hope you will respond to the crisis of confidence that Watergate has created by opening up your administration and reaching out to people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliot-richardson/i-hope-you-will-respond-to-the-crisis-of-confidence-that-watergate/) [Elliot Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliot-richardson/) [Explore all 20 Elliot Richardson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliot-richardson/) ## More Failure quotes > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/) [Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/) > [No one is completely unhappy at the failure of his best friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/no-one-is-completely-unhappy-at-the-failure-of-his-best-friend/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) > [“Rhiannon's Law #28: If you're going to fuck up, be sure to fuck up good and proper. Nothing makes failure acceptable, so you might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/rhiannon-s-law-28-if-you-re-going-to-fuck-up-be-sure-to-fuck-up-good/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Failure is a part of life and you have to learn to deal with it. Failure is something that is part of life's cycle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/failure-is-a-part-of-life-and-you-have-to-learn-to-deal-with-it/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [First action was a mistake. What about the second? third? fourth and fifth?...Mehn you are bad...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/first-action-was-a-mistake-what-about-the-second-third-fourth-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [God's love never fail :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-s-love-never-fail/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don’t you just hate nights like that, when you think over every mistake you’ve made, every hurt you’ve received, every bit of meanness you’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/don-t-you-just-hate-nights-like-that-when-you-think-over-every/) [Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/) > [“Our failure to understand another being's inner reality doesn't make that reality any less real, or any less valuable to that being. (p.255)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-schulz/our-failure-to-understand-another-being-s-inner-reality-doesn-t-make/) [Kathryn Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-schulz/) > [I hope that the Palestinians don't make the mistake of unleashing a new intifada. They've tried it twice before, and the consequences were bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segev/i-hope-that-the-palestinians-don-t-make-the-mistake-of-unleashing-a/) [Tom Segev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segev/) > [Don't take too much comfort in the fact that you're successful today because tomorrow could bring failure. There's no surety in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-savage/don-t-take-too-much-comfort-in-the-fact-that-you-re-successful-today/) [Michael Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-savage/) > [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/) [Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/) > [As we are coming to the end of the year, I want you to forget about the past, the failure, the negative thoughts or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-we-are-coming-to-the-end-of-the-year-i-want-you-to-forget-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 27,498 Failure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is an increasingly pervasive sense not only of failure, but of futility. 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