--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What is really shocking in America isn't…" description: "\"What is really shocking in America isn't what's done in and by Washington that is illegal by that what is done in and by Washington that's legal.\" — Ge..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91d/george-will-1177_america_what-is-really-shocking-in-america-isn-t_1325358.jpg" --- # What is really shocking in America isn't what's done in… ![“What is really shocking in America isn't what's done in and by Washington that is illegal by that what is done in and by Washington that's legal.” quote by George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91d/george-will-1177_america_what-is-really-shocking-in-america-isn-t_1325358.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91d/george-will-1177_america_what-is-really-shocking-in-america-isn-t_1325358.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91d/george-will-1177_america_what-is-really-shocking-in-america-isn-t_1325358.jpg) > “What is really shocking in America isn't what's done in and by Washington that is illegal by that what is done in and by Washington that's legal.” [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights the paradox of legal actions by powerful entities that are morally questionable, contrasting them with illegal acts by ordinary people. **In simple terms:** Powerful legal actions can be morally wrong. Key Takeaway Question legality versus morality. Themes politics ethics power law hypocrisy Mood critical skeptical Type analytical commentary When to use this quote - Political analysis - journalism - public policy debates - activism - legal reform Key Concepts Legalism moral relativism elite accountability Questions to Reflect On - How do we hold powerful actors accountable? - When should legality be challenged? A Different Perspective Legal actions by elites may still be unethical. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) ## Related quotes > [Marijuana was made illegal because of William Randolph Hearst, the big newspaper guy. He owned thousands of acres of timberland and he didn't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ventura/marijuana-was-made-illegal-because-of-william-randolph-hearst-the-big/) [Jesse Ventura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ventura/) > [“America isn’t perfect but there’s not a better place in the world for people of any faith.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/america-isn-t-perfect-but-there-s-not-a-better-place-in-the-world-for/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [“America isn't a country; it's a marketplace. The more you sell, the more at home you'll feel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iimani-david/america-isn-t-a-country-it-s-a-marketplace-the-more-you-sell-the-more/) [Iimani David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iimani-david/) > [It don't take a weather man to look around and see the weather, Jeb said he'd deliver Florida folks and boy did he ever,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ani-difranco/it-don-t-take-a-weather-man-to-look-around-and-see-the-weather-jeb/) [Ani DiFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ani-difranco/) > [America isn't Congress. America isn't Washington. America is the striving immigrant who starts a business, or the mom who works two low-wage jobs to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/america-isn-t-congress-america-isn-t-washington-america-is-the/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [America isn't as lucky as you guys (Europeans), who for the most part have this quality of food that keeps you slim. We're over-eaters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-travolta/america-isn-t-as-lucky-as-you-guys-europeans-who-for-the-most-part/) [John Travolta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-travolta/) > [One of the benefits of training in America is that we can go out and there isn't that hype.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-moir/one-of-the-benefits-of-training-in-america-is-that-we-can-go-out-and/) [Scott Moir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-moir/) > [America isn't ready for President Hillary Clinton. It should never be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-norris/america-isn-t-ready-for-president-hillary-clinton-it-should-never-be/) [Chuck Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-norris/) > [America isn't Wollman Rink, but I think almost everybody watching, and certainly the people who voted for him, have had frustrating experiences with bureaucrats…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-solman/america-isn-t-wollman-rink-but-i-think-almost-everybody-watching-and/) [Paul Solman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-solman/) > [The problem in America isn't so much what people don't know; the problem is what people think they know that just ain't so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/the-problem-in-america-isn-t-so-much-what-people-don-t-know-the/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [We want our children to live in an America...that isn't threatened by the destructive power of a warming planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-want-our-children-to-live-in-an-america-that-isn-t-threatened-by/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The globalists, the establishment, they think America isn't particularly exceptional and should be no different than any other state in the world, subject to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-globalists-the-establishment-they-think-america-isn-t/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [“But maybe rural America isn't dying so much as it's Shucker-ing: adjusting, adapting, becoming something new, getting a new outdoor sign and adding jalapeno…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-hesse/but-maybe-rural-america-isn-t-dying-so-much-as-it-s-shucker-ing/) [Monica Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-hesse/) > [We want our children to live in an America that isn't burdened by debt, that isn't weakened by inequality, that isn't threatened by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-want-our-children-to-live-in-an-america-that-isn-t-burdened-by/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [“This country is what you make it. You understand that? It isn’t good and it isn’t bad. It’s just what you make it. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-b-miller/this-country-is-what-you-make-it-you-understand-that-it-isn-t-good/) [Derek B. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-b-miller/) ## More by George Will > [The average American expends more time becoming informed about choosing a car than choosing a candidate. But, then, the consequences of the former choice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/the-average-american-expends-more-time-becoming-informed-about/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [Pettiness is the tendency of people without large purposes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/pettiness-is-the-tendency-of-people-without-large-purposes/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [A politician's words reveal less about what he thinks about his subject than what he thinks about his audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/a-politician-s-words-reveal-less-about-what-he-thinks-about-his/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [As has been said, standards are always out of date - that is why we call them standards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/as-has-been-said-standards-are-always-out-of-date-that-is-why-we-call/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [Hart is still like that little tub of vaguely milklike gunk that comes with airline coffee. It is labeled a "nondairy" product. Fine: we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/hart-is-still-like-that-little-tub-of-vaguely-milklike-gunk-that/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [The realistic way to reduce the amount of money in politics is to reduce the amount of politics in money -- the importance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/the-realistic-way-to-reduce-the-amount-of-money-in-politics-is-to/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [It is important that Miers not be confirmed unless, in her 61st year, she suddenly and unexpectedly is found to have hitherto undisclosed interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/it-is-important-that-miers-not-be-confirmed-unless-in-her-61st-year/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [Greek philosophers considered sport a religious and civic-in a word, moral-undertaking. Sport, they said, is morally serious because mankind's noblest aim is the loving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/greek-philosophers-considered-sport-a-religious-and-civic-in-a-word/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [The cultivation - even celebration - of victimhood by intellectuals, tort lawyers, politicians and the media is both cause and effect of today's culture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/the-cultivation-even-celebration-of-victimhood-by-intellectuals-tort/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [When I'm in my car, I'm listening to books, audio books, always.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/when-i-m-in-my-car-i-m-listening-to-books-audio-books-always/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [Just as the common law derives from ancient precedents - judges' decisions - rather than statutes, baseball's codes are the game's distilled mores. Their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/just-as-the-common-law-derives-from-ancient-precedents-judges/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [“Football combines two of the worst things in American life. It is violence punctuated by committee meetings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/football-combines-two-of-the-worst-things-in-american-life-it-is/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [I've lived in Washington now for 44 years, and that's a lot of folly to witness up close. Whatever confidence and optimism I felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/i-ve-lived-in-washington-now-for-44-years-and-that-s-a-lot-of-folly/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [The business of America is not business. Neither is it war. The business of america is justice and securing the blessings of liberty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/the-business-of-america-is-not-business-neither-is-it-war-the/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [Freedom is not only the absence of external restraints. It is also the absence of irresistible internal compulsions, unmanageable passion, and uncensorable highlights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/freedom-is-not-only-the-absence-of-external-restraints-it-is-also-the/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) [Explore all 279 George Will quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) [Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What is really shocking in America isn't what's done in and by Washington that is illegal by that what is done in and by Washington that's legal.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Will" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/what-is-really-shocking-in-america-isn-t-what-s-done-in-and-by/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "America" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/what-is-really-shocking-in-america-isn-t-what-s-done-in-and-by/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91d/george-will-1177_america_what-is-really-shocking-in-america-isn-t_1325358.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91d/george-will-1177_america_what-is-really-shocking-in-america-isn-t_1325358.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91d/george-will-1177_america_what-is-really-shocking-in-america-isn-t_1325358.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What is really shocking in America isn't what's done in and by Washington that is illegal by that what is…” — George Will", "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 Will", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What is really shocking in America...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/what-is-really-shocking-in-america-isn-t-what-s-done-in-and-by/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/what-is-really-shocking-in-america-isn-t-what-s-done-in-and-by/#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 } } ] } ```