--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As nations can not be rewarded or…" description: "\"As nations can not be rewarded or punished in the next world they must be in this.\" — George Mason" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/083/george-mason-8435_nations_as-nations-can-not-be-rewarded-or-punish_796329.jpg" --- # As nations can not be rewarded or punished in the next… ![“As nations can not be rewarded or punished in the next world they must be in this.” quote by George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/083/george-mason-8435_nations_as-nations-can-not-be-rewarded-or-punish_796329.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/083/george-mason-8435_nations_as-nations-can-not-be-rewarded-or-punish_796329.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/083/george-mason-8435_nations_as-nations-can-not-be-rewarded-or-punish_796329.jpg) > “As nations can not be rewarded or punished in the next world they must be in this.” [George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Governments must act justly now because afterlife rewards or punishments are uncertain. **In simple terms:** Act justly now. Key Takeaway Focus on present justice. Themes justice ethics government accountability Mood reflective serious Type ethical political When to use this quote - policy making - legal reform - international relations Key Concepts social contract philosophical ethics Questions to Reflect On - How do we ensure fairness without belief in an afterlife? - What mechanisms replace supernatural accountability? A Different Perspective Future rewards are speculative and may not motivate behavior. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [Nations Rewarded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations-rewarded-6106707/) [Next](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next/) [Punished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punished/) [Punished World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punished-world-429392/) [Rewarded Punished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rewarded-punished-808974/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [The innocent are punished. That's the world we live in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-hanif/the-innocent-are-punished-that-s-the-world-we-live-in/) [Mohammed Hanif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-hanif/) > [Faults of the head are punished in this world, those of the heart in another; but as most of our vices are compound, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/faults-of-the-head-are-punished-in-this-world-those-of-the-heart-in/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [For madness must be punished in a world in which mere sanity is prized. The revenge of the ordinary upon the gifted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/for-madness-must-be-punished-in-a-world-in-which-mere-sanity-is/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [“What behaviors are rewarded? Punished? Where and how are people actually spending their resources (time, money, attention)? What rules and expectations are followed, enforced,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/what-behaviors-are-rewarded-punished-where-and-how-are-people/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [To the hard-working people who set a little bit aside each month, to provide for their children, or to fund their own retirement, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hague/to-the-hard-working-people-who-set-a-little-bit-aside-each-month-to/) [William Hague](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hague/) > [I have found that by looking at what is rewarded and punished, and why, universally - i.e., in nature as well as in humanity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/i-have-found-that-by-looking-at-what-is-rewarded-and-punished-and-why/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [I believe that we all get rewarded and punished according to whether we operate in harmony or in conflict with nature's laws, and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/i-believe-that-we-all-get-rewarded-and-punished-according-to-whether/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [Men are rewarded or punished not for what they do but for how their acts are defined. That is why men are more interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/men-are-rewarded-or-punished-not-for-what-they-do-but-for-how-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The one thing people loved more than an outlaw was seeing him punished.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-grahame-smith/the-one-thing-people-loved-more-than-an-outlaw-was-seeing-him-punished/) [Seth Grahame-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-grahame-smith/) > [Intemperance is naturally punished with diseases; rashness, with mischance; injustice; with violence of enemies; pride, with ruin; cowardice, with oppression; and rebellion, with slaughter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hobbes/intemperance-is-naturally-punished-with-diseases-rashness-with/) [Thomas Hobbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hobbes/) > [Men are not punished for their for sins, but by them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kin-hubbard/men-are-not-punished-for-their-for-sins-but-by-them/) [Kin Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kin-hubbard/) > [Only the man who has enough good in him to feel the justice of the penalty can be punished; the others can only be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ernest-hocking/only-the-man-who-has-enough-good-in-him-to-feel-the-justice-of-the/) [William Ernest Hocking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ernest-hocking/) > [When someone else is getting punished you show up, you eat some lunch, you sit back because you're not going to do anything. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-vulcano/when-someone-else-is-getting-punished-you-show-up-you-eat-some-lunch/) [Sal Vulcano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-vulcano/) > [War should be made a crime, and those who instigate it should be punished as criminals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-evans-hughes/war-should-be-made-a-crime-and-those-who-instigate-it-should-be/) [Charles Evans Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-evans-hughes/) > [“He hung his head. “Am I punished?” “Yes. I’m too mad to punish you right now. We’ll talk about it when we get home.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/he-hung-his-head-am-i-punished-yes-i-m-too-mad-to-punish-you-right/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) ## More by George Mason > [This cold weather has set all the young Folks to providing Bedfellows. I have signed two or three Licences every Day \[as a Fairfax…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/this-cold-weather-has-set-all-the-young-folks-to-providing-bedfellows/) [George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/) > [“To disarm the people--that was the best and most effective way to enslave them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/to-disarm-the-people-that-was-the-best-and-most-effective-way-to/) [George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/) > [ I charge \[my sons\] never to let the motives of private interest or ambition to influence them to betray, nor the terrors of poverty… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/i-charge-my-sons-never-to-let-the-motives-of-private-interest-or/) [George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/) > [That general warrants, whereby an officer or messenger may be commanded to search suspected places without evidence of a fact committed, or to seize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/that-general-warrants-whereby-an-officer-or-messenger-may-be/) [George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/) > [Who are the militia, if they be not the people, of this country...? I ask who are the militia? They consist now of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/who-are-the-militia-if-they-be-not-the-people-of-this-country-i-ask/) [George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/) > [To disarm the people... was the best and most effectual way to enslave them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/to-disarm-the-people-was-the-best-and-most-effectual-way-to-enslave/) [George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/) > [The poor despise labor when performed by slaves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/the-poor-despise-labor-when-performed-by-slaves/) [George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/) > [We owe to our Mother-Country the Duty of Subjects but will not pay her the Submission of Slaves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/we-owe-to-our-mother-country-the-duty-of-subjects-but-will-not-pay/) [George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/) > [I have been for some time in Retirement, and shall not probably return again to public Life; yet my Anxiety for my Country, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/i-have-been-for-some-time-in-retirement-and-shall-not-probably-return/) [George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/) > [I determined to spend the Remainder of my Days in privacy and Retirement with my Children, from whose Society alone I cou'd expect Comfort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/i-determined-to-spend-the-remainder-of-my-days-in-privacy-and/) [George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/) > [That no man, or set of men, are entitled to exclusive or separate emoluments or privileges from the community, but in consideration of public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/that-no-man-or-set-of-men-are-entitled-to-exclusive-or-separate/) [George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/) > [That the people have a right to uniform government; and, therefore, that no government separate from, or independent of the government of Virginia, ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/that-the-people-have-a-right-to-uniform-government-and-therefore-that/) [George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/) > [A few years' experience will convince us that those things which at the time they happened we regarded as our greatest misfortunes have proved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/a-few-years-experience-will-convince-us-that-those-things-which-at/) [George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/) > [Every society, all government, and every kind of civil compact therefore, is or ought to be, calculated for the general good and safety of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/every-society-all-government-and-every-kind-of-civil-compact/) [George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/) > [In all our associations; in all our agreements let us never lose sight of this fundamental maxim - that all power was originally lodged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/in-all-our-associations-in-all-our-agreements-let-us-never-lose-sight/) [George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/) [Explore all 81 George Mason quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/) ## More Nations quotes > [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [If we gave up our freedom as the price of security, we would no longer be the great nation that we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bader-ginsburg/if-we-gave-up-our-freedom-as-the-price-of-security-we-would-no-longer/) [Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bader-ginsburg/) > [But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-sarabhai/but-we-are-convinced-that-if-we-are-to-play-a-meaningful-role/) [Vikram Sarabhai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-sarabhai/) > [I genuinely did not expect more than half our nation to choose to walk away from our long-term allies into the arms of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-reade/i-genuinely-did-not-expect-more-than-half-our-nation-to-choose-to/) [Brian Reade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-reade/) > [Imagination is the greatest nation in the world!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/imagination-is-the-greatest-nation-in-the-world/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [Our young Marines of today are courageous, willing to make sacrifices, and are marvelous team players. I am confident our Corps, and indeed our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-conway/our-young-marines-of-today-are-courageous-willing-to-make-sacrifices/) [James T. Conway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-t-conway/) > [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/) > [No nation being under another nation can accept gifts, and kick at the responsibility attached to those gifts, imposed by the conquering nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/no-nation-being-under-another-nation-can-accept-gifts-and-kick-at-the/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Throughout our history, the words of the Declaration have inspired immigrants from around the world to set sail to our shores. These immigrants have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/throughout-our-history-the-words-of-the-declaration-have-inspired/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [“Is there any holy beings like human beings?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/is-there-any-holy-beings-like-human-beings/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [In a democratic nation, power must be linked with responsibility, and obliged to defend and justify itself within the framework of the general good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/in-a-democratic-nation-power-must-be-linked-with-responsibility-and/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [ When the fountains of government \[borrowing\] abundance began to dry up, when through lack of funds and the impossibility of negotiating fresh loans the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-t-flynn/when-the-fountains-of-government-borrowing-abundance-began-to-dry-up/) [John T. Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-t-flynn/) > [Poetry fettered, fetters the human race. Nations are destroyed or flourish in proportion as their poetry, painting, and music are destroyed or flourish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/poetry-fettered-fetters-the-human-race-nations-are-destroyed-or/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [Nations sometimes flourish by denying the crimes that brought them into being. 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