Any Quote by Ezra Taft Benson
“The founders had a strong distrust for centralized power in a federal government. So they created a government with checks and balances. This was to prevent any branch of the government from becoming too powerful.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: LDS General Conference, 1970
The founders feared concentrated power, so they built a system of checks and balances.
In simple terms: Distrust of central power led to balanced government.
Key Takeaway
Support institutional checks.
Themes
government
balance
power
federalism
Mood
analytical
cautious
Type
political
educational
When to use this quote
- legislative process
- executive oversight
- judicial review
- civic education
Key Concepts
political theory
constitutional design
Questions to Reflect On
- How effective are modern checks?
- What reforms could strengthen balance?
A Different Perspective
Checks can be bypassed by political maneuvering.
![“Since man created government to help secure and safeguard [inalienable] rights [from God], it follows that man is superior to government and should remain master over it, not the other way around.” quote by Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/95e/ezra-taft-benson-443_government_since-man-created-government-to-help-sec_2509002.jpg)
![“Almost every great innovation was [created] by government.” quote by Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c42/joe-biden-454_government_almost-every-great-innovation-was-create_818773.jpg)
