--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are the only government upon whose…" description: "\"“We are the only government upon whose word every man may rely absolutely, and because of that we command infinite credit, infinite obedience, infinite..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c24/gene-wolfe-2530_every-man_we-are-the-only-government-upon-whose-wo_1326548.jpg" --- # We are the only government upon whose word every man may… ![“We are the only government upon whose word every man may rely absolutely, and because of that we command infinite credit, infinite obedience, infinite respect If we say to anyone, “Do this and your reward will be such and such,” there is no doubt in his mind that he will be rewarded. If we say…” quote by Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c24/gene-wolfe-2530_every-man_we-are-the-only-government-upon-whose-wo_1326548.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c24/gene-wolfe-2530_every-man_we-are-the-only-government-upon-whose-wo_1326548.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c24/gene-wolfe-2530_every-man_we-are-the-only-government-upon-whose-wo_1326548.jpg) > ““We are the only government upon whose word every man may rely absolutely, and because of that we command infinite credit, infinite obedience, infinite respect If we say to anyone, “Do this and your reward will be such and such,” there is no doubt in his mind that he will be rewarded. If we say villages breaking a certain ordinance will be burned to the ground, there is no doubt. We speak little, but every word drops like a weight of iron—”” [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Authority is built on absolute trust, making words carry immense power and unquestioned obedience. **In simple terms:** Powerful words demand blind obedience. Key Takeaway Question authority and demand evidence. Themes power trust authority Mood cautious critical Type philosophical political When to use this quote - political speeches - corporate memos - religious doctrine Key Concepts social control psychology Questions to Reflect On - Why do we obey without questioning? - How can we balance trust and skepticism? A Different Perspective Blind trust can be abused. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Every man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-man/) [Infinite Obedience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infinite-obedience-4437538/) [Infinite Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infinite-respect-4437541/) [Obedience Infinite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obedience-infinite-4437539/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) [Rewarded Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rewarded-say-4437540/) [Say Reward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-reward-2424647/) ## Related quotes > [“As a modern man, Ziegler had an infinite respect not only for money but also for that other powerful force – science. Yet he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/as-a-modern-man-ziegler-had-an-infinite-respect-not-only-for-money/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [I'll follow, as they say, for reward. He that rewards me, God reward him. 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You just learn how to write the novel that you're writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/you-never-learn-how-to-write-a-novel-you-just-learn-how-to-write-the/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [There is no magic. There is only knowledge, more or less hidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/there-is-no-magic-there-is-only-knowledge-more-or-less-hidden/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“...the progress of science depends much less upon either theoretical considerations or systematic investigation than is commonly believed, but rather on the transmittal of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/the-progress-of-science-depends-much-less-upon-either-theoretical/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“Whatever we may say, all of us suffer from disturbed sleep at times. Some in truth hardly sleep, though some who sleep copiously swear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/whatever-we-may-say-all-of-us-suffer-from-disturbed-sleep-at-times/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“. . .Consciousness came and went. Consciousness went and came like the errant winds of spring, and I, who so often have had difficulty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/consciousness-came-and-went-consciousness-went-and-came-like-the/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) [Explore all 160 Gene Wolfe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) ## More Every man quotes > [I cannot forbid a person to marry several wives, for it does not contradict Scripture. 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This \[presidential\] election is about every… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/vote-for-donald-trump-you-re-going-to-see-something-and-you-ll-be-so/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [“The old intergenerational give-and-take of the country-that-used-to-be, when everyone knew his role and took the rules dead seriously, the acculturating back-and-forth that all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/the-old-intergenerational-give-and-take-of-the-country-that-used-to/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [The world's history is a divine poem, of which the history of every nation is a canto, and every man a word. Its strains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/the-world-s-history-is-a-divine-poem-of-which-the-history-of-every/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [Every man must wear out at least one pair of fools shoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-derr-biggers/every-man-must-wear-out-at-least-one-pair-of-fools-shoes/) [Earl Derr Biggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-derr-biggers/) > [Every man who is high up likes to think that he has done it all himself, and the wife smiles and lets it go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-man-who-is-high-up-likes-to-think-that-he-has-done-it-all/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Every man remembers his childhood as a kind of mythical age, just as every nation's childhood is its mythical age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giacomo-leopardi/every-man-remembers-his-childhood-as-a-kind-of-mythical-age-just-as/) [Giacomo Leopardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giacomo-leopardi/) > [All religions must be tolerated for every man must get to heaven in his own way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-religions-must-be-tolerated-for-every-man-must-get-to-heaven-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Use every man according to his desert and who should 'scape whipping? 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