--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The people who, during the election, were…" description: "\"The people who, during the election, were so wise, so moral, so perfect, now have no tendencies whatever; or if they have any, they are tendencies that..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/536/frederic-bastiat-2151_degradation_the-people-who-during-the-election-were_588058.jpg" --- # The people who, during the election, were so wise, so… ![“The people who, during the election, were so wise, so moral, so perfect, now have no tendencies whatever; or if they have any, they are tendencies that lead downward to degradation. . . . If people are as incapable, as immoral, and as ignorant as the politicians indicate, then why is the right of…” quote by Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/536/frederic-bastiat-2151_degradation_the-people-who-during-the-election-were_588058.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/536/frederic-bastiat-2151_degradation_the-people-who-during-the-election-were_588058.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/536/frederic-bastiat-2151_degradation_the-people-who-during-the-election-were_588058.jpg) > “The people who, during the election, were so wise, so moral, so perfect, now have no tendencies whatever; or if they have any, they are tendencies that lead downward to degradation. . . . If people are as incapable, as immoral, and as ignorant as the politicians indicate, then why is the right of these same people to vote defended with such passionate insistence?” [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author questions the logic of defending universal suffrage when voters are portrayed as uninformed and immoral, exposing a paradox in democratic ideals. **In simple terms:** Why defend voting rights if voters are flawed? Key Takeaway Critically examine assumptions about voter competence. Themes democracy political philosophy voter competence Mood critical analytical Type political philosophical When to use this quote - election debates - civic education reforms - policy analysis - public discourse Key Concepts social contract citizen responsibility Questions to Reflect On - What reforms can improve informed voting? - How does universal suffrage protect minority voices? A Different Perspective The argument ignores systemic barriers and the value of inclusive participation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Degradation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/degradation/) [Election](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/election/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Ignorant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorant/) [Ignorant Politicians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorant-politicians-4818833/) [Immoral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immoral/) [Immoral Ignorant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immoral-ignorant-2644878/) [Incapable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incapable/) [Incapable Immoral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incapable-immoral-4818834/) [Insistence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insistence/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Passionate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passionate/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Election](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-election-4227503/) [People Incapable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-incapable-1105476/) [Perfect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfect/) [Politician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politician/) [Tendencies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tendencies/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) [Vote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vote/) [Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise/) ## Related quotes > [“I do not set myself up as a moral exemplar, and would be swiftly knocked down if I did, but if I was suspected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-do-not-set-myself-up-as-a-moral-exemplar-and-would-be-swiftly/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“It is impossible that all the individuals of a nation can be immoral and ignorant; but it is very possible that the majority of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/it-is-impossible-that-all-the-individuals-of-a-nation-can-be-immoral/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“I think we are entitled to at least three provisional conclusions. The first is that religion and the churches are manufactured, and that this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-think-we-are-entitled-to-at-least-three-provisional-conclusions-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [People are what this election is all about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patty-berg/people-are-what-this-election-is-all-about/) [Patty Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patty-berg/) > [In my opinion, people that go against the election are going against America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-brown/in-my-opinion-people-that-go-against-the-election-are-going-against/) [Jim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-brown/) > [The alt-right is one of these Democrat manufactured groups of people and they do it every election.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-alt-right-is-one-of-these-democrat-manufactured-groups-of-people/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I'm one of these people that, once you have had your election and you have elected your candidate, let's see what actually happens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/i-m-one-of-these-people-that-once-you-have-had-your-election-and-you/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) > [“You know people like this, right? People who are incapable of enjoying anything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-gunn/you-know-people-like-this-right-people-who-are-incapable-of-enjoying/) [Tim Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-gunn/) > [Some people are incapable of perceiving in the object of their contemplation the very thing that gives it its intrinsic life and breath, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/some-people-are-incapable-of-perceiving-in-the-object-of-their-2/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [“...some people are incapable of love - they have calloused souls...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/some-people-are-incapable-of-love-they-have-calloused-souls/) [John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/) > [People who are incapable of having any kind of intimate relationship have to turn to feeling this incredible hunger and void, have to turn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-connelly/people-who-are-incapable-of-having-any-kind-of-intimate-relationship/) [Jennifer Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-connelly/) > [People who create things nowadays can expect to be prosecuted by highly moralistic people who are incapable of creating anything. There is no way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sobran/people-who-create-things-nowadays-can-expect-to-be-prosecuted-by/) [Joseph Sobran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-sobran/) > [“I certainly find it difficult to relate to people who seem incapable of doing anything on their own, needing company even whilst simply watching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-richardson/i-certainly-find-it-difficult-to-relate-to-people-who-seem-incapable/) [Jon Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-richardson/) > [“Some people are incapable of perceiving in the object of their contemplation the very thing that gives it its intrinsic life and breath,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/some-people-are-incapable-of-perceiving-in-the-object-of-their/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [“The belief that young people are incapable of making reasonable decisions is a cornerstone of our system of compulsory, closely monitored education.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-o-gray/the-belief-that-young-people-are-incapable-of-making-reasonable/) [Peter O. Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-o-gray/) ## More by Frederic Bastiat > [The politician attempts to remedy the evil by increasing the very thing that caused the evil in the first place: legal plunder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/the-politician-attempts-to-remedy-the-evil-by-increasing-the-very/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [The law is the collective organization of the individual's right to lawful defense of his life, liberty and property. When it is used for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/the-law-is-the-collective-organization-of-the-individual-s-right-to/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [If every person has the right to defend - even by force - his person, his liberty, and his property, then it follows that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/if-every-person-has-the-right-to-defend-even-by-force-his-person-his/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [Sometimes the law defends plunder and participates in it. Sometimes the law places the whole apparatus of judges, police, prisons and gendarmes at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/sometimes-the-law-defends-plunder-and-participates-in-it-sometimes/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [Slavery, protection, and monopoly find defenders, not only in those who profit by them, but in those who suffer by them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/slavery-protection-and-monopoly-find-defenders-not-only-in-those-who/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [Often the masses are plundered and do not know it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/often-the-masses-are-plundered-and-do-not-know-it/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [Here I encounter the most popular fallacy of our times. It is not considered sufficient that the law should guarantee to every citizen the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/here-i-encounter-the-most-popular-fallacy-of-our-times-it-is-not/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [The state is the great fictitious entity by which everyone seeks to live at the expense of everyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/the-state-is-the-great-fictitious-entity-by-which-everyone-seeks-to/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [There is in all of a strong disposition to believe that anything lawful is also legitimate. This belief is so widespread that many persons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/there-is-in-all-of-a-strong-disposition-to-believe-that-anything/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [I believe that my theory is correct; for whatever be the question upon which I am arguing, whether it be religious, philosophical, political, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/i-believe-that-my-theory-is-correct-for-whatever-be-the-question-upon/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [The balance of trade is an article of faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/the-balance-of-trade-is-an-article-of-faith/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [There are people who think that plunder loses all its immorality as soon as it becomes legal. Personally, I cannot imagine a more alarming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/there-are-people-who-think-that-plunder-loses-all-its-immorality-as/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [“And now, after having vainly inflicted upon the social body so many systems, let them end where they ought to have begun—reject all systems,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/and-now-after-having-vainly-inflicted-upon-the-social-body-so-many/) [Frédéric Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [When misguided public opinion honors what is despicable and despises what is honorable, punishes virtue and rewards vice, encourages what is harmful and discourages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/when-misguided-public-opinion-honors-what-is-despicable-and-despises/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [There is only one difference between a bad economist and a good one: the bad economist confines himself to the visible effect; the good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/there-is-only-one-difference-between-a-bad-economist-and-a-good-one/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) [Explore all 182 Frederic Bastiat quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) ## More Degradation quotes > [All our efforts to defeat poverty and pursue sustainable development will be in vain if environmental degradation and natural resource depletion continue unabated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/all-our-efforts-to-defeat-poverty-and-pursue-sustainable-development/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity, or registering wrongs. 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On the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-r-ambedkar/we-must-begin-by-acknowledging-that-there-is-a-complete-absence-of/) [B. R. Ambedkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-r-ambedkar/) > [In an age of interdependence, global citizenship - based on trust and sense of shared responsibility - is a crucial pillar of progress. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/in-an-age-of-interdependence-global-citizenship-based-on-trust-and/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [If all boys could be made to know that with every breath of cigarette smoke they inhale imbecility and exhale manhood ... and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hudson-maxim/if-all-boys-could-be-made-to-know-that-with-every-breath-of-cigarette/) [Hudson Maxim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hudson-maxim/) > [If the world suffers from mental deterioration or from moral degradation, then something goes wrong at the very root of civilization or culture. Even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jawaharlal-nehru/if-the-world-suffers-from-mental-deterioration-or-from-moral/) [Jawaharlal Nehru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jawaharlal-nehru/) > [As a southerner born after the epic events of the civil rights movement, I've always wondered how on earth people of good will could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/as-a-southerner-born-after-the-epic-events-of-the-civil-rights/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [It's a terrible cruelty of predatory capitalism: both parents now have to work. A family has to have two incomes in order to buy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/it-s-a-terrible-cruelty-of-predatory-capitalism-both-parents-now-have/) [James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/) > [Environmental degradation, overpopulation, refugees, narcotics, terrorism, world crime movements, and organized crime are worldwide problems that don't stop at a nation's borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-christopher/environmental-degradation-overpopulation-refugees-narcotics-terrorism/) [Warren Christopher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-christopher/) > [What is it in absinthe that makes it a separate cult? The effects of its abuse are totally distinct from those of other stimulants.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/what-is-it-in-absinthe-that-makes-it-a-separate-cult-the-effects-of/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [Restoration ecology is experimental science, a science of love and altruism. 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