--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are superior to government and should…" description: "\"“We are superior to government and should remain master over it, not the other way around.”\" — Ezra Taft Benson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f29/ezra-taft-benson-443_government_we-are-superior-to-government-and-should_840678.png" --- # We are superior to government and should remain master… ![“We are superior to government and should remain master over it, not the other way around.” quote by Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f29/ezra-taft-benson-443_government_we-are-superior-to-government-and-should_840678.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f29/ezra-taft-benson-443_government_we-are-superior-to-government-and-should_840678.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f29/ezra-taft-benson-443_government_we-are-superior-to-government-and-should_840678.png) > ““We are superior to government and should remain master over it, not the other way around.”” [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues that citizens should dominate government rather than be governed. **In simple terms:** Citizens should control government. Key Takeaway Advocate for limited government. Themes politics liberty authority Mood defiant ideological Type political philosophical When to use this quote - civic engagement - policy reform - community organizing - education on rights Key Concepts anarchism constitutionalism Questions to Reflect On - What checks prevent government overreach? - How can citizens responsibly wield authority? A Different Perspective Power imbalances can arise. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) ## Related quotes > [“Since God created man with certain unalienable rights, and man, in turn, created government to help secure and safeguard those rights, it follows that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/since-god-created-man-with-certain-unalienable-rights-and-man-in-turn/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [ Since man created government to help secure and safeguard \[inalienable\] rights \[from God\], it follows that man is superior to government and should remain… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/since-man-created-government-to-help-secure-and-safeguard-inalienable/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [“What Tocqueville did not consider was how long such a government would remain in the hands of benevolent despots when it would be so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-hayek/what-tocqueville-did-not-consider-was-how-long-such-a-government/) [Friedrich Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-hayek/) > [The only way to effectively secure the common good is for the government to remain small.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-miller/the-only-way-to-effectively-secure-the-common-good-is-for-the/) [Joel Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-miller/) > [Only through training will a person learn his own weaknesses... He who is aware of his weaknesses will remain master of himself in any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gichin-funakoshi/only-through-training-will-a-person-learn-his-own-weaknesses-he-who/) [Gichin Funakoshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gichin-funakoshi/) > [I made a promise to keep a watch over myself, to remain master of myself, so that I might become a sure observer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gauguin/i-made-a-promise-to-keep-a-watch-over-myself-to-remain-master-of/) [Paul Gauguin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gauguin/) > [The USA is the greatest nation, not because Americans are inherently superior but because its government was founded on principles which seek to allow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-usa-is-the-greatest-nation-not-because-americans-are-inherently/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [“Be true to yourself always, and remain the master of your own destiny. Should you place your heart, or your hopes and dreams, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-k-p-o-neill/be-true-to-yourself-always-and-remain-the-master-of-your-own-destiny/) [Shane K.P. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-k-p-o-neill/) > [You must always remain master of the situation and do what you please. No school tasks, ah, no! no tasks!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edouard-manet/you-must-always-remain-master-of-the-situation-and-do-what-you-please/) [Edouard Manet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edouard-manet/) > [“although a properly constrained government may be superior to statelessness, it doesn't follow that any government is superior to no government all. If a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-t-leeson/although-a-properly-constrained-government-may-be-superior-to/) [Peter T. Leeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-t-leeson/) > [“When we suffer for a greater cause, we are transformed into a superior human being.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/awdhesh-singh/when-we-suffer-for-a-greater-cause-we-are-transformed-into-a-superior/) [Awdhesh Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/awdhesh-singh/) > [I think the first villain that I ever played was on 'Stargate'. I was this superior being that would take over a human host…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-durand/i-think-the-first-villain-that-i-ever-played-was-on-stargate-i-was/) [Kevin Durand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-durand/) > [I have huge regard for women because I find them a far superior species than men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arshad-warsi/i-have-huge-regard-for-women-because-i-find-them-a-far-superior/) [Arshad Warsi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arshad-warsi/) > [“You are not superior to anyone, yet no one surpasses you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michella-augusta/you-are-not-superior-to-anyone-yet-no-one-surpasses-you/) [Michella Augusta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michella-augusta/) > [Defense is superior to opulence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-smith/defense-is-superior-to-opulence/) [Adam Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-smith/) ## More by Ezra Taft Benson > [What would God have me do with my life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/what-would-god-have-me-do-with-my-life/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [Records, radio, television, movies, magazines-all are monopolized by the money managers who are guided by one ethic, the words wealth and power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/records-radio-television-movies-magazines-all-are-monopolized-by-the/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [Every Latter-day Saint should make the study of this book a lifetime pursuit. Otherwise, he is placing his soul in jeopardy and neglecting that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/every-latter-day-saint-should-make-the-study-of-this-book-a-lifetime/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [Do not be caught up in materialism, one of the real plagues of our generation-that is, acquiring things, fast-paced living, and securing career success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/do-not-be-caught-up-in-materialism-one-of-the-real-plagues-of-our/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [Most of us think of pride as self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin, but the heart,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/most-of-us-think-of-pride-as-self-centeredness-conceit-boastfulness/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [The high cost of low living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/the-high-cost-of-low-living/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [“We must each of us do our home work. 'My people are destroyed,' said Hosea, 'for lack of knowledge.' We must be wise as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/we-must-each-of-us-do-our-home-work-my-people-are-destroyed-said/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [“Man…need not stand alone. Prayer will open doors; prayer will remove barriers; prayer will ease pressures; prayer will give inner peace and comfort during…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/man-need-not-stand-alone-prayer-will-open-doors-prayer-will-remove/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [Humility does not mean weakness. It does not mean timidity. It does not mean fear. A man can be humble and fearless. A man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/humility-does-not-mean-weakness-it-does-not-mean-timidity-it-does-not/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [The scriptures record remarkable accounts of men whose lives changed dramatically, in an instant, as it were: Alma the Younger, Paul on the road…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/the-scriptures-record-remarkable-accounts-of-men-whose-lives-changed/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [That government is best which governs the least, so taught the courageous founders of this nation. This simple declaration is diametrically opposed to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/that-government-is-best-which-governs-the-least-so-taught-the/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [No nation which has kept the commandments of God has ever perished, but I say to you that once freedom is lost, only blood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/no-nation-which-has-kept-the-commandments-of-god-has-ever-perished/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [Someone has said it is better to appreciate the things you don't own than to own things you don't appreciate. I hope we will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/someone-has-said-it-is-better-to-appreciate-the-things-you-don-t-own/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [“In framing that great document which Gladstone declared ‘the most wonderful work ever struck off at a given time by the brain and purpose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/in-framing-that-great-document-which-gladstone-declared-the-most/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [Godly sorrow is a gift of the Spirit. It is a deep realization that our actions have offended our Father and our God. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/godly-sorrow-is-a-gift-of-the-spirit-it-is-a-deep-realization-that/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) [Explore all 556 Ezra Taft Benson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) ## More Government quotes > [We could form a government of national unity fighting corruption. The ordinary Afghan is sick and tired of it, because it's she or he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashraf-ghani/we-could-form-a-government-of-national-unity-fighting-corruption-the/) [Ashraf Ghani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashraf-ghani/) > [For the Scottish government, the practice of having meetings in different parts of the country is well established, but for the U.K. government, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-sturgeon/for-the-scottish-government-the-practice-of-having-meetings-in/) [Nicola Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-sturgeon/) > [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [Right now we're concerned about budget. Right now we're concerned about the prospect of interest rate rise. 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 > [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": "“We are superior to government and should remain master over it, not the other way around.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ezra Taft Benson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/we-are-superior-to-government-and-should-remain-master-over-it-not/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Government" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/we-are-superior-to-government-and-should-remain-master-over-it-not/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f29/ezra-taft-benson-443_government_we-are-superior-to-government-and-should_840678.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f29/ezra-taft-benson-443_government_we-are-superior-to-government-and-should_840678.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f29/ezra-taft-benson-443_government_we-are-superior-to-government-and-should_840678.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We are superior to government and should remain master over it, not the other way around.” — Ezra Taft Benson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ezra Taft Benson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“We are superior to government and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/we-are-superior-to-government-and-should-remain-master-over-it-not/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/we-are-superior-to-government-and-should-remain-master-over-it-not/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```