---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The situation of the general government…"
description: "\"The situation of the general government, if it can be called a government, is shaken to its foundation, and liable to be overturned by every blast.\" — ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21b/george-washington-257_blast_the-situation-of-the-general-government_2070594.jpg"
---

#  The situation of the general government, if it can be…

![“The situation of the general government, if it can be called a government, is shaken to its foundation, and liable to be overturned by every blast.” quote by George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21b/george-washington-257_blast_the-situation-of-the-general-government_2070594.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21b/george-washington-257_blast_the-situation-of-the-general-government_2070594.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21b/george-washington-257_blast_the-situation-of-the-general-government_2070594.jpg)

> “The situation of the general government, if it can be called a government, is shaken to its foundation, and liable to be overturned by every blast.”

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

## About This Quote

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

The current government is unstable and vulnerable to collapse from any disturbance.

**In simple terms:** Government is fragile and may fall easily.

Key Takeaway

Strengthen institutions to prevent collapse.

Themes

politics stability government crisis power

Mood

cautious urgent

Type

political analytical

When to use this quote

- policy making
- emergency planning
- public discourse

Key Concepts

statecraft riskassessment

Questions to Reflect On

- What reforms can solidify governance?
- How can citizens safeguard democratic structures?

A Different Perspective

Stability requires proactive reforms.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

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

## Related quotes

> [Human rights can only be assured among a virtuous people. The general government . . . can never be in danger of degenerating into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/human-rights-can-only-be-assured-among-a-virtuous-people-the-general/)

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

> [After an unequivocal experience of the inefficacy of the subsisting federal government, you are called upon to deliberate on a new Constitution for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/after-an-unequivocal-experience-of-the-inefficacy-of-the-subsisting/)

[Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/)

> [“A bad government cannot only be called as a ‘bad’ government; the real adjective should be this: Enemy! Yes, bad government is a real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/a-bad-government-cannot-only-be-called-as-a-bad-government-the-real/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [The future science of government should be called 'la cybernétique'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-marie-ampere/the-future-science-of-government-should-be-called-la-cybern-tique-2/)

[Andre-Marie Ampere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-marie-ampere/)

> [Our popular government has often been called an experiment. Two points in it our people have already settled, the successful establishing and the successful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/our-popular-government-has-often-been-called-an-experiment-two-points/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [ The way things are supposed to work is that we're supposed to know virtually everything about what they \[the government\] do: that's why they're… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/the-way-things-are-supposed-to-work-is-that-we-re-supposed-to-know/)

[Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/)

> [When the citizens at large administer the state for the common interest, the government is called by the generic name - a constitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/when-the-citizens-at-large-administer-the-state-for-the-common/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [Only perhaps in the United States, which alone of countries can do without governing,every man being at least able to live, and move off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/only-perhaps-in-the-united-states-which-alone-of-countries-can-do/)

[Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/)

> [Ultimately, there is no entity called 'government'; there are only people forming themselves into groups called 'governments' and acting in a 'governmental' manner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-rothbard/ultimately-there-is-no-entity-called-government-there-are-only-people/)

[Murray Rothbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-rothbard/)

> [If any man's money can be taken by a so-called government, without his own personal consent, all his other rights are taken with it;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/if-any-man-s-money-can-be-taken-by-a-so-called-government-without-his/)

[Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/)

> [In order to fulfill the aspirations of masses, we have to sharpen the tool called the government machinery: we have to make it keen,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/in-order-to-fulfill-the-aspirations-of-masses-we-have-to-sharpen-the/)

[Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/)

> [The corporation is not a person; it is a legal fiction backed up by guns and police and jail cells and taxing authorities and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-brown/the-corporation-is-not-a-person-it-is-a-legal-fiction-backed-up-by/)

[Jerry Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-brown/)

> [The people as a body cannot deliberate. Nevertheless, they will feel an irresistible impulse to act, and their resolutions will be dictated to them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fisher-ames/the-people-as-a-body-cannot-deliberate-nevertheless-they-will-feel-an/)

[Fisher Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fisher-ames/)

> [“Suppose a problem in psychology was set: What can be done to persuade the men of our time — Christians, humanitarians or, simply, kindhearted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/suppose-a-problem-in-psychology-was-set-what-can-be-done-to-persuade/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [The US has developed two coordinate governing classes: the one, called 'business,' building cities, manufacturing and distributing goods, and holding complete and autocratic power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurman-arnold/the-us-has-developed-two-coordinate-governing-classes-the-one-called/)

[Thurman Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurman-arnold/)

## More by George Washington

> [It is absolutely necessary... for me to have persons that can think for me, as well as execute orders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/it-is-absolutely-necessary-for-me-to-have-persons-that-can-think-for/)

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

> [The whole duty of man is summed up in obedience to God's will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-whole-duty-of-man-is-summed-up-in-obedience-to-god-s-will/)

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

> [The turning points of lives are not the great moments. The real crises are often concealed in occurrences so trivial in appearance that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-turning-points-of-lives-are-not-the-great-moments-the-real-crises/)

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

> [The propitious smiles of Heaven, can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which Heaven itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-propitious-smiles-of-heaven-can-never-be-expected-on-a-nation/)

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

> [Interwoven as is the love of liberty with every ligament of your hearts, no recommendation of mine is necessary to fortify or confirm the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/interwoven-as-is-the-love-of-liberty-with-every-ligament-of-your/)

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

> [In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/in-vain-would-that-man-claim-the-tribute-of-patriotism-who-should/)

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

> [The blessed Religion revealed in the word of God will remain an eternal and awful monument to prove that the best Institution may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-blessed-religion-revealed-in-the-word-of-god-will-remain-an/)

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

> [While we are contending for our own liberty, we should be very cautious not to violate the conscience of others, ever considering that God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/while-we-are-contending-for-our-own-liberty-we-should-be-very/)

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

> [Among many other weighty objections to the Measure, it has been suggested, that it has a tendency to introduce religious disputes into the Army,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/among-many-other-weighty-objections-to-the-measure-it-has-been/)

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

> [Democratical States must always feel before they can see: it is this that makes their Governments slow, but the people will be right at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/democratical-states-must-always-feel-before-they-can-see-it-is-this/)

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

> [If, in the opinion of the people, the distribution or modification of the constitutional powers be in any particular wrong, let it be corrected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/if-in-the-opinion-of-the-people-the-distribution-or-modification-of/)

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

> [A man's intentions should be allowed in some respects to plead for his actions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/a-man-s-intentions-should-be-allowed-in-some-respects-to-plead-for/)

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

> [It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible. Do not ever let anyone claim to be a true American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/it-is-impossible-to-rightly-govern-the-world-without-god-and-the/)

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

> [My first wish is to see this plague of mankind banished from the earth, and the sons and daughters of this world employed in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/my-first-wish-is-to-see-this-plague-of-mankind-banished-from-the/)

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

> [Lenity will operate with greater force, in some instances, than rigor. It is, therefore, my first wish, to have my whole conduct distinguished by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/lenity-will-operate-with-greater-force-in-some-instances-than-rigor/)

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

[Explore all 801 George Washington quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/)

## More Blast quotes

> [Singing is a f\*\*\*ing blast. When it’s really good, it’s as good as the best sex. I get nipple erections all the time on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-osborne/singing-is-a-f-ing-blast-when-it-s-really-good-it-s-as-good-as-the/)

[Joan Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-osborne/)

> ['Bengal Tiger' is huge film for me, and I had a blast working with both Ravi Teja and Tamannaah.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raashi-khanna/bengal-tiger-is-huge-film-for-me-and-i-had-a-blast-working-with-both/)

[Raashi Khanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raashi-khanna/)

> [CGI has fully ruined car crashes. Because how can you be impressed with them now? When you watch them in the '70s, it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/cgi-has-fully-ruined-car-crashes-because-how-can-you-be-impressed/)

[Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/)

> [You can say that a small attack is one in which relatively few people die, but the minute you say that, you can sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-mahajan/you-can-say-that-a-small-attack-is-one-in-which-relatively-few-people/)

[Karan Mahajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-mahajan/)

> [He must be independent and brave, and sure of himself and of the importance of his work, because if he isn't he will never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-sherwood/he-must-be-independent-and-brave-and-sure-of-himself-and-of-the/)

[Robert E. Sherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-sherwood/)

> [I think it's funny. There was a time when men were afraid that somebody would reveal some secret of theirs that was unknown to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/i-think-it-s-funny-there-was-a-time-when-men-were-afraid-that/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [I could easily blast so much keef night and day I become a bouhali; a real-gone crazy, a holy untouchable madman unto whom everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brion-gysin/i-could-easily-blast-so-much-keef-night-and-day-i-become-a-bouhali-a/)

[Brion Gysin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brion-gysin/)

> [I usually write in my underwear, with a space heater running full blast, and three dogs sleeping at me feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-evison/i-usually-write-in-my-underwear-with-a-space-heater-running-full/)

[Jonathan Evison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-evison/)

> [Capricious, wanton, bold, and brutal Lust Is meanly selfish; when resisted, cruel; And, like the blast of Pestilential Winds, Taints the sweet bloom of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/capricious-wanton-bold-and-brutal-lust-is-meanly-selfish-when/)

[John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/)

> [I wanted to deconstruct the puppet show. I wanted to turn it inside out and do stuff that you're not supposed to do. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-white/i-wanted-to-deconstruct-the-puppet-show-i-wanted-to-turn-it-inside/)

[Wayne White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-white/)

> [The scent organ was playing a delightfully refreshing Herbal Capriccio - rippling arpeggios of thyme and lavender, of rosemary, basil, myrtle, tarragon; a series…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/the-scent-organ-was-playing-a-delightfully-refreshing-herbal/)

[Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/)

> [Without challenges, the human body will soften. We thrive when we push our boundaries, reach goals, and blast personal records. We perform better, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-john/without-challenges-the-human-body-will-soften-we-thrive-when-we-push/)

[Dan John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-john/)

> [If you allow one single germ, one single seed of slavery to remain in the soil of America... that germ will spring up, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernestine-rose/if-you-allow-one-single-germ-one-single-seed-of-slavery-to-remain-in/)

[Ernestine Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernestine-rose/)

> [Whither away, Bluebird, Whither away? The blast is chill, yet in the upper sky Thou still canst find the color of thy wing, The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-clarence-stedman/whither-away-bluebird-whither-away-the-blast-is-chill-yet-in-the/)

[Edmund Clarence Stedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-clarence-stedman/)

> [With this blistering salvo of poetic gutshots Lawson has proven himself Bizarro’s true bard, its mad laureate. Switching from dark whimsy to retina-blast shock…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-robert-johnson/with-this-blistering-salvo-of-poetic-gutshots-lawson-has-proven/)

[Jeremy Robert Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-robert-johnson/)

Browse all 437 Blast quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The situation of the general government, if it can be called a government, is shaken to its foundation, and liable to be overturned by every blast.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "George Washington"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-situation-of-the-general-government-if-it-can-be-called-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Blast"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-situation-of-the-general-government-if-it-can-be-called-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21b/george-washington-257_blast_the-situation-of-the-general-government_2070594.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21b/george-washington-257_blast_the-situation-of-the-general-government_2070594.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21b/george-washington-257_blast_the-situation-of-the-general-government_2070594.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The situation of the general government, if it can be called a government, is shaken to its foundation, and…” — George Washington",
                "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 Washington",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The situation of the general government,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-situation-of-the-general-government-if-it-can-be-called-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-situation-of-the-general-government-if-it-can-be-called-a/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
