---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The established government has no more…"
description: "\"The established government has no more right to call itself the state than the smoke of London has to call itself the weather.\" — George Bernard Shaw"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e4/george-bernard-shaw-68_government_the-established-government-has-no-more-r_2130369.png"
---

#  The established government has no more right to call…

![“The established government has no more right to call itself the state than the smoke of London has to call itself the weather.” quote by George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e4/george-bernard-shaw-68_government_the-established-government-has-no-more-r_2130369.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e4/george-bernard-shaw-68_government_the-established-government-has-no-more-r_2130369.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e4/george-bernard-shaw-68_government_the-established-government-has-no-more-r_2130369.png)

> “The established government has no more right to call itself the state than the smoke of London has to call itself the weather.”

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He argues that governments lack legitimacy, likening them to absurd claims like weather naming itself.

**In simple terms:** Governments have no inherent right to claim authority.

Key Takeaway

Question the legitimacy of authority structures.

Themes

politics authority legitimacy

Mood

skeptical provocative

Type

philosophical political

When to use this quote

- voting
- activism
- policy debate
- civil disobedience

Key Concepts

social contract power statehood

Questions to Reflect On

- What makes a government legitimate?
- How can citizens hold power accountable?

A Different Perspective

Authority can be necessary for order despite criticisms.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/)

## Related quotes

> [“The hours stretch out in summer, the evenings go on and on; has he lost track of hours? Where are you, Zachariah? Come home!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-richler/the-hours-stretch-out-in-summer-the-evenings-go-on-and-on-has-he-lost/)

[Emma Richler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-richler/)

> [I can't really change for a climate. I've got to be Theophilus London in any weather.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophilus-london/i-can-t-really-change-for-a-climate-i-ve-got-to-be-theophilus-london/)

[Theophilus London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophilus-london/)

> [In London, the weather would affect me negatively. I react strongly to light. If it is cloudy and raining, there are clouds and rain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerzy-kosi-ski/in-london-the-weather-would-affect-me-negatively-i-react-strongly-to/)

[Jerzy Kosinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerzy-kosi-ski/)

> [An established government has an infinite advantage, by that very circumstance of its being established--the bulk of mankind being governed by authority, not reason,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/an-established-government-has-an-infinite-advantage-by-that-very/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [The very idea of the power and the right of the people to establish government presupposes the duty of every individual to obey the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-very-idea-of-the-power-and-the-right-of-the-people-to-establish/)

[George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/)

> [Let a durable and firm peace be established and this government be confined rigidly to the few great objects for which it was instituted,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-calhoun/let-a-durable-and-firm-peace-be-established-and-this-government-be/)

[John C. Calhoun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-calhoun/)

> [In the formation of such a government, it is not only the right, but the indispensable duty of every citizen to examine the principles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-webster/in-the-formation-of-such-a-government-it-is-not-only-the-right-but/)

[Noah Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-webster/)

> [The government has once again made the right socially acceptable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elfriede-jelinek/the-government-has-once-again-made-the-right-socially-acceptable/)

[Elfriede Jelinek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elfriede-jelinek/)

> [“The Constitution is quite clear that the government has the right to tax in order to support its programs, but there is nothing in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-carson/the-constitution-is-quite-clear-that-the-government-has-the-right-to/)

[Ben Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-carson/)

> [The government has the right to change laws and rules and regulations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-dimon/the-government-has-the-right-to-change-laws-and-rules-and-regulations/)

[Jamie Dimon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-dimon/)

> [“Government is the right disposition of things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-foucault/government-is-the-right-disposition-of-things/)

[Michel Foucault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-foucault/)

> [I do not believe the government has the right to investigate somebody's private life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahm-emanuel/i-do-not-believe-the-government-has-the-right-to-investigate-somebody/)

[Rahm Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahm-emanuel/)

> [No government has the right to tell its citizens when or whom to love. The only queer people are those who don't love anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-mae-brown/no-government-has-the-right-to-tell-its-citizens-when-or-whom-to-love/)

[Rita Mae Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-mae-brown/)

> [“You have the right to free speech. We, the corporate controlled government, have the right to ignore you and we choose to exercise this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/you-have-the-right-to-free-speech-we-the-corporate-controlled/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [The Libertarian Party holds that same-sex marriages are an individual issue and that the government has no right to determine with whom a person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-badnarik/the-libertarian-party-holds-that-same-sex-marriages-are-an-individual/)

[Michael Badnarik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-badnarik/)

## More by George Bernard Shaw

> [I love little children too but I don't cut off their heads and stick them in vases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/i-love-little-children-too-but-i-don-t-cut-off-their-heads-and-stick/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [Blasphemy and sedition (meaning the truth about Church and State).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/blasphemy-and-sedition-meaning-the-truth-about-church-and-state/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [In the arts of life, man invents nothing; but in the arts of death he outdoes Nature herself, and produces by chemistry and machinery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/in-the-arts-of-life-man-invents-nothing-but-in-the-arts-of-death-he/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [“My religious convictions and scientific views cannot at present be more specifically defined than as those of a believer in creative evolution. I desire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/my-religious-convictions-and-scientific-views-cannot-at-present-be/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [What a man believes may be ascertained, not from his creed, but from the assumptions on which he habitually acts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/what-a-man-believes-may-be-ascertained-not-from-his-creed-but-from/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [You are my inspiration and my folly. You are my light across the sea, my million nameless joys, and my day's wage. You are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/you-are-my-inspiration-and-my-folly-you-are-my-light-across-the-sea/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [Men have to do some awfully mean things to keep up their respectability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/men-have-to-do-some-awfully-mean-things-to-keep-up-their/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [The schoolmaster is the person who takes the children off the parents' hands for a consideration. That is to say, he establishes a child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-schoolmaster-is-the-person-who-takes-the-children-off-the-parents/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [As long as I have a want, I have a reason for living. Satisfaction is death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/as-long-as-i-have-a-want-i-have-a-reason-for-living-satisfaction-is/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [The camera can represent flesh so superbly that, if I dared, I would never photograph a figure without asking that figure to take its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-camera-can-represent-flesh-so-superbly-that-if-i-dared-i-would/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [A man who is not a communist at the age of twenty is a fool. Any man who is still communist at the age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/a-man-who-is-not-a-communist-at-the-age-of-twenty-is-a-fool-any-man/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [But to admire a strong person and to live under that strong person’s thumb are two different things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/but-to-admire-a-strong-person-and-to-live-under-that-strong-person-s/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [Socialism is the same as Communism, only better English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/socialism-is-the-same-as-communism-only-better-english/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [The person who is ignorant enough to believe that his nourishment depends on meat is in a horrible dilemma.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-person-who-is-ignorant-enough-to-believe-that-his-nourishment/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [In the arts of peace Man is a bungler.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/in-the-arts-of-peace-man-is-a-bungler/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

[Explore all 1,640 George Bernard Shaw quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

## 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": "The established government has no more right to call itself the state than the smoke of London has to call itself the weather.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "George Bernard Shaw"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-established-government-has-no-more-right-to-call-itself-the-state/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Government"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-established-government-has-no-more-right-to-call-itself-the-state/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e4/george-bernard-shaw-68_government_the-established-government-has-no-more-r_2130369.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e4/george-bernard-shaw-68_government_the-established-government-has-no-more-r_2130369.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e4/george-bernard-shaw-68_government_the-established-government-has-no-more-r_2130369.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The established government has no more right to call itself the state than the smoke of London has to call…” — George Bernard Shaw",
                "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": "George Bernard Shaw",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The established government has no more...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-established-government-has-no-more-right-to-call-itself-the-state/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-established-government-has-no-more-right-to-call-itself-the-state/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```