--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Government should enforce rule of law. It…" description: "\"Government should enforce rule of law. It should enforce contracts, it should protect people bodily from being attacked by criminals. And when the gove..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/452/grover-norquist-3806_attacked_government-should-enforce-rule-of-law-it_2087725.png" --- # Government should enforce rule of law. It should enforce… ![“Government should enforce rule of law. It should enforce contracts, it should protect people bodily from being attacked by criminals. And when the government does those things, it is facilitating liberty. When it goes beyond those things, it becomes destructive to both human happiness and human…” quote by Grover Norquist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/452/grover-norquist-3806_attacked_government-should-enforce-rule-of-law-it_2087725.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/452/grover-norquist-3806_attacked_government-should-enforce-rule-of-law-it_2087725.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/452/grover-norquist-3806_attacked_government-should-enforce-rule-of-law-it_2087725.png) > “Government should enforce rule of law. It should enforce contracts, it should protect people bodily from being attacked by criminals. And when the government does those things, it is facilitating liberty. When it goes beyond those things, it becomes destructive to both human happiness and human liberty.” [Grover Norquist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-norquist/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Government's core duties are enforcing law, contracts, and personal safety; beyond that, it can threaten freedom and happiness. **In simple terms:** Government protects liberty by enforcing law and safety; excess harms freedom. Key Takeaway Limit government to law, contracts, safety. Themes law freedom government rights security Mood cautious analytical Type political philosophical When to use this quote - policy making - legislative drafting - civil rights advocacy - public safety planning Key Concepts Rule of law contract enforcement personal safety liberty human happiness Questions to Reflect On - What duties should a government prioritize? - How to balance security and liberty? A Different Perspective Overreach can erode trust and autonomy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being/) [Criminals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminals/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Human happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-happiness/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Rule of law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rule-of-law/) ## Related quotes > [I am the Police, and I am here to arrest you. You have broken the law. I did not write the law, I may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-the-police-and-i-am-here-to-arrest-you-you-have-broken-the-law-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is a mistake to assume that the law should always enforce morality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/it-is-a-mistake-to-assume-that-the-law-should-always-enforce-morality/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [I think it's a fundamental responsibility of the federal government to enforce our nation's borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-toomey/i-think-it-s-a-fundamental-responsibility-of-the-federal-government/) [Pat Toomey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-toomey/) > [I would absolutely never use the federal government to enforce the law of using marijuana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/i-would-absolutely-never-use-the-federal-government-to-enforce-the/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [Because of the failure of the federal government to enforce federal law, we now have 'banks too big to fail,' unregulated Internet monopoly, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-craig-roberts/because-of-the-failure-of-the-federal-government-to-enforce-federal/) [Paul Craig Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-craig-roberts/) > [If the federal government will not enforce the immigration laws, our state and local law enforcement should be empowered to do so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-tuberville/if-the-federal-government-will-not-enforce-the-immigration-laws-our/) [Tommy Tuberville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-tuberville/) > [The American people don't trust the Federal Government to enforce our immigration laws, and we will not be able to do anything on immigration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/the-american-people-don-t-trust-the-federal-government-to-enforce-our/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [The government cannot enforce its mountain of laws and regulations without voluntary compliance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-murray/the-government-cannot-enforce-its-mountain-of-laws-and-regulations/) [Charles Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-murray/) > [I believe in only one thing and that thing is human liberty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/i-believe-in-only-one-thing-and-that-thing-is-human-liberty/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [The idea of God implies the abdication of human reason and justice; it is the most decisive negation of human liberty and necessarily ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/the-idea-of-god-implies-the-abdication-of-human-reason-and-justice-it/) [Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/) > [“spiritual wants and instincts are as various in the human family as are physical appetites, complexions, and features, and a man is only at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/spiritual-wants-and-instincts-are-as-various-in-the-human-family-as/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [The Universal Declaration of Human Rights... stands as a landmark achievement in the history of human liberty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/the-universal-declaration-of-human-rights-stands-as-a-landmark/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [“One of the bravest, grandest champions of human liberty the world has ever seen. {Darrow on the great Robert Ingersoll }”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-darrow/one-of-the-bravest-grandest-champions-of-human-liberty-the-world-has/) [Clarence Darrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-darrow/) > [I stand on this rostrum with a sense of deep humility and great pride - humility in the weight of those great American architects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-macarthur/i-stand-on-this-rostrum-with-a-sense-of-deep-humility-and-great-pride/) [Douglas MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-macarthur/) > [ “Thomas Jefferson High School \[..\] His high school was named after a slave owner who was also one of the world’s greatest theoreticians on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/thomas-jefferson-high-school-his-high-school-was-named-after-a-slave/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## More by Grover Norquist > [When I became 21, I decided that nobody learned anything about politics after the age of 21.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-norquist/when-i-became-21-i-decided-that-nobody-learned-anything-about/) [Grover Norquist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-norquist/) > [If you feel the government should leave you alone, you're a Republican. If you think the job of the government is to go push…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-norquist/if-you-feel-the-government-should-leave-you-alone-you-re-a-republican/) [Grover Norquist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-norquist/) > [Spending should be transparent. All spending by the Pentagon should be online. Every check. Exceptions should be made for legitimate national security issues. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-norquist/spending-should-be-transparent-all-spending-by-the-pentagon-should-be/) [Grover Norquist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-norquist/) > [Twenty-five years ago, I created the Taxpayer Protection Pledge at the federal level. Then I brought it to the state and local level. About…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-norquist/twenty-five-years-ago-i-created-the-taxpayer-protection-pledge-at-the/) [Grover Norquist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-norquist/) > [Could I ask if there’s anything in between Step One and Step Two? ‘Oh ye of little faith.’](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-norquist/could-i-ask-if-there-s-anything-in-between-step-one-and-step-two-oh/) [Grover Norquist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-norquist/) > [We will make it so that a Democrat cannot govern as a Democrat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-norquist/we-will-make-it-so-that-a-democrat-cannot-govern-as-a-democrat/) [Grover Norquist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-norquist/) > [Spending is not caring. Spending is what politicians do instead of caring. Spending more does not guarantee success. Politicians like to measure spending because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-norquist/spending-is-not-caring-spending-is-what-politicians-do-instead-of/) [Grover Norquist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-norquist/) > [I know the activists I deal with, we sort of try and check each other to make sure that we haven't gone native, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-norquist/i-know-the-activists-i-deal-with-we-sort-of-try-and-check-each-other/) [Grover Norquist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-norquist/) > [I was an anti-communist before I was political in other ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-norquist/i-was-an-anti-communist-before-i-was-political-in-other-ways/) [Grover Norquist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-norquist/) > [Historically, opposition to immigration in the United States has been racially and religiously motivated in the ugliest, nastiest way possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-norquist/historically-opposition-to-immigration-in-the-united-states-has-been/) [Grover Norquist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-norquist/) > [The important thing about tax reform is you make the tax code less complicated, easier for people to understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-norquist/the-important-thing-about-tax-reform-is-you-make-the-tax-code-less/) [Grover Norquist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-norquist/) > [Not continuing a tax cut is not technically a tax increase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-norquist/not-continuing-a-tax-cut-is-not-technically-a-tax-increase/) [Grover Norquist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-norquist/) > [People who say that there's a vote within the Republican Party that moves against immigrants is just factually not accurate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-norquist/people-who-say-that-there-s-a-vote-within-the-republican-party-that/) [Grover Norquist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-norquist/) > [We want to reduce the size of government in half as a percentage of GNP over the next 25 years. We want to reduce…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-norquist/we-want-to-reduce-the-size-of-government-in-half-as-a-percentage-of/) [Grover Norquist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-norquist/) > [The welfare state creates its own victim/client constituency. By making individuals free and independent, we reduce the need for 'charity' to those truly needy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-norquist/the-welfare-state-creates-its-own-victim-client-constituency-by/) [Grover Norquist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-norquist/) [Explore all 121 Grover Norquist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-norquist/) ## More Attacked quotes > [It is truly vital for the United States to assure that it is not attacked with weapons of mass destruction; to prevent wars in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/it-is-truly-vital-for-the-united-states-to-assure-that-it-is-not/) [Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/) > [It turns out that this part of the brain is one of the first areas that's attacked by Alzheimer's disease. So we can now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-keefe/it-turns-out-that-this-part-of-the-brain-is-one-of-the-first-areas/) [John O'Keefe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-keefe/) > [With what all these people are saying, do you think that anybody wants to be around me? They all think that I did this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-wallice/with-what-all-these-people-are-saying-do-you-think-that-anybody-wants/) [Marc Wallice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-wallice/) > [Nine out of every 10 large corporations and government agencies have been attacked by computer intruders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mitnick/nine-out-of-every-10-large-corporations-and-government-agencies-have/) [Kevin Mitnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mitnick/) > [I just put myself in a hotel and was smoking coke for a while. Then I met up with the wrong people. I ended…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-wallice/i-just-put-myself-in-a-hotel-and-was-smoking-coke-for-a-while-then-i/) [Marc Wallice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-wallice/) > [“Do you mean you were attacked from behind?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christa-faust/do-you-mean-you-were-attacked-from-behind/) [Christa Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christa-faust/) > [I am one of the most attacked persons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jair-bolsonaro/i-am-one-of-the-most-attacked-persons/) [Jair Bolsonaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jair-bolsonaro/) > [I'm always ready to be attacked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-votto/i-m-always-ready-to-be-attacked/) [Joey Votto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-votto/) > [I prefer to be at home with my husband and children than attacked by photographers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-princess-of-hanover/i-prefer-to-be-at-home-with-my-husband-and-children-than-attacked-by/) [Caroline, Princess of Hanover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-princess-of-hanover/) > [When Gingrich attacked CNN's John King for bringing up his alleged proposal of an open marriage to his second wife, Gingrich accused him of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/when-gingrich-attacked-cnn-s-john-king-for-bringing-up-his-alleged/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [Progress is always relative: to the oppressed, it can only be viewed as an all or nothing deal - if oppression continues, even in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/progress-is-always-relative-to-the-oppressed-it-can-only-be-viewed-as/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [ \[On her seven-month-old son:\] When people see me carrying him in the street they think I'm being attacked by a short, bald man. But… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hurley/on-her-seven-month-old-son-when-people-see-me-carrying-him-in-the/) [Elizabeth Hurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hurley/) > [I have been attacked and mistreated for my skin colour since I was a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/i-have-been-attacked-and-mistreated-for-my-skin-colour-since-i-was-a/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [Therefore, if you are attacked, retaliate instantly. Be sudden. Be quick. Speed is your salvation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-cooper/therefore-if-you-are-attacked-retaliate-instantly-be-sudden-be-quick/) [Jeff Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-cooper/) > [“His life was a constant war with insensate objects that fell apart, or attacked him, or refused to function, or viciously got themselves lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/his-life-was-a-constant-war-with-insensate-objects-that-fell-apart-or/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) Browse all 244 Attacked quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Government should enforce rule of law. It should enforce contracts, it should protect people bodily from being attacked by criminals. And when the government does those things, it is facilitating liberty. 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