--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are easily deceived about government…" description: "\"We are easily deceived about government because we are inclined to accept the following fallacies: (a) Anything legal is also moral. (b) We are not ind..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/064/h-verlan-andersen-65713_accepting_we-are-easily-deceived-about-government_1391587.jpg" --- # We are easily deceived about government because we are… ![“We are easily deceived about government because we are inclined to accept the following fallacies: (a) Anything legal is also moral. (b) We are not individually responsible for government action. (c) A different moral law applies to men in concert than it does when they act alone.” quote by H. Verlan Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/064/h-verlan-andersen-65713_accepting_we-are-easily-deceived-about-government_1391587.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/064/h-verlan-andersen-65713_accepting_we-are-easily-deceived-about-government_1391587.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/064/h-verlan-andersen-65713_accepting_we-are-easily-deceived-about-government_1391587.jpg) > “We are easily deceived about government because we are inclined to accept the following fallacies: (a) Anything legal is also moral. (b) We are not individually responsible for government action. (c) A different moral law applies to men in concert than it does when they act alone.” H. Verlan Andersen ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People mistakenly equate legality with morality, shirk responsibility, and apply different ethics to groups versus individuals. **In simple terms:** Legal ≠ moral; responsibility diffused; group ethics differ. Key Takeaway Question assumptions about law and morality. Themes ethics law responsibility collective action Mood critical analytical Type philosophical political When to use this quote - voting - public policy debates - corporate decisions - activism Key Concepts political theory social psychology philosophy Questions to Reflect On - How do you hold authorities accountable? - Can individuals influence systemic change? A Different Perspective Legal frameworks can be unjust; group pressure may suppress dissent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Concerts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concerts/) [Fallacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fallacy/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Moral law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral-law/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) ## Related quotes > [“No market economy can function properly without the support of legal and moral sanctions, designed to hold individual agents to their bargains, and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/no-market-economy-can-function-properly-without-the-support-of-legal/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [The issue of prohibiting pardons shouldn't be a political one, but a legal and moral one that relates to the details of the specific…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayelet-shaked/the-issue-of-prohibiting-pardons-shouldn-t-be-a-political-one-but-a/) [Ayelet Shaked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayelet-shaked/) > [All my businesses are scrupulously legal. Not because I have any moral problems with crime. It just makes my life easier to obey the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/all-my-businesses-are-scrupulously-legal-not-because-i-have-any-moral/) [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) > [“One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/one-has-not-only-a-legal-but-a-moral-responsibility-to-obey-just-laws-2/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [We have a legal and moral obligation to rid our world of nuclear tests and nuclear weapons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ban-ki-moon/we-have-a-legal-and-moral-obligation-to-rid-our-world-of-nuclear-2/) [Ban Ki-moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ban-ki-moon/) > [Money is so unlike every other article that I believe a man has neither a legal or a moral right to take all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-cooper/money-is-so-unlike-every-other-article-that-i-believe-a-man-has/) [Peter Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-cooper/) > [Tsars and slaves, the intelligent and the obtuse, publicans and pharisees all have an identical legal and moral right to honor the memory of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/tsars-and-slaves-the-intelligent-and-the-obtuse-publicans-and/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/one-has-not-only-a-legal-but-a-moral-responsibility-to-obey-just-laws/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [“not because the moral law enjoins unselfishness, but because, given the society in which they live, it is the way in which their impulses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/not-because-the-moral-law-enjoins-unselfishness-but-because-given-the/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“But each one of us is guilty insofar as he remained inactive. The guilt of passivity is different. Impotence excuses; no moral law demands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-jaspers/but-each-one-of-us-is-guilty-insofar-as-he-remained-inactive-the/) [Karl Jaspers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-jaspers/) > [“Moral law is an invention of mankind for the disenfranchisement of the powerful in favor of the weak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/moral-law-is-an-invention-of-mankind-for-the-disenfranchisement-of/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“There is a twofold liberty, natural (I mean as our nature is now corrupt) and civil or federal. The first is common to man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/there-is-a-twofold-liberty-natural-i-mean-as-our-nature-is-now/) [Alexis De Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [“In his own way each man must struggle, lest the moral law become a far-off abstraction utterly separated from his active life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-addams/in-his-own-way-each-man-must-struggle-lest-the-moral-law-become-a-far/) [Jane Addams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-addams/) > [Music is moral law. It is the essence of order and leads to all that is good, true and beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/music-is-moral-law-it-is-the-essence-of-order-and-leads-to-all-that/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [“Against Hume, Kant has found a more proper ground for humility: “True humility follows unavoidably from our sincere and exact comparison of ourselves with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanine-grenberg/against-hume-kant-has-found-a-more-proper-ground-for-humility-true/) Jeanine Grenberg ## More by H. Verlan Andersen > [ \[T\]he central problem of government is a religious one; and anyone who assumes that he can form his political beliefs without consulting his ethics,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-verlan-andersen/t-he-central-problem-of-government-is-a-religious-one-and-anyone-who/) H. Verlan Andersen > [One who knows not what his rights are can never know when they are taken and is unable to defend them. He is like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-verlan-andersen/one-who-knows-not-what-his-rights-are-can-never-know-when-they-are/) H. Verlan Andersen > [A failure to learn about Satan's plan for man here on earth would be fatal to the full exercise of free agency. The reason…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-verlan-andersen/a-failure-to-learn-about-satan-s-plan-for-man-here-on-earth-would-be/) H. Verlan Andersen Explore all 4 H. Verlan Andersen quotes ## More Accepting quotes > [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/) [Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/) > [Laughing, laughing, laughing, laughing! It is the jester! A voice from the Void, to cheer poor Cicero! I accept your gift, dearest Night Mother.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/laughing-laughing-laughing-laughing-it-is-the-jester-a-voice-from-the/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [This duo inside of me causes the perfect opportunity to live and learn twice as fast as those who choose to accept simplicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/this-duo-inside-of-me-causes-the-perfect-opportunity-to-live-and/) [Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/we-only-enter-into-the-full-life-if-our-faith-gives-thanks-because/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [Don't be bitter. Everybody suffers. If you can accept your suffering then you will understand other people better. Be grateful for pain. Love life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/don-t-be-bitter-everybody-suffers-if-you-can-accept-your-suffering/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [It takes an unusually philosophic mind to accept that all one’s suffering might be to no end, really, in the larger scheme of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-takes-an-unusually-philosophic-mind-to-accept-that-all-one-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [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/) > [Even with clothing naked animals, there were people who wanted to send in money. A woman in Santa Barbara, California, sent a $40,000 check.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-abel/even-with-clothing-naked-animals-there-were-people-who-wanted-to-send/) [Alan Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-abel/) > [Society understands the architecture of academia and knows there are relevant qualifications in different fields, and the media accepts the idea of specialisations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/society-understands-the-architecture-of-academia-and-knows-there-are/) [Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/) > [Whatever your conscious mind assumes and believes to be true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring to pass. Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/) [Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/) > [Losing someone is easy, but accepting it is hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/losing-someone-is-easy-but-accepting-it-is-hard/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [… and so he tried to accept the ache in his heart as what Dr. Larch would call the common symptoms of normal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/and-so-he-tried-to-accept-the-ache-in-his-heart-as-what-dr-larch/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [I think what was special about 'Music by Prudence' was the classic story of the title subject's life path - from being an outcast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-think-what-was-special-about-music-by-prudence-was-the-classic/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [As my films are born at the moment when they are reflected into another person's mind and memories, there are no misconceptions. I totally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pirjo-honkasalo/as-my-films-are-born-at-the-moment-when-they-are-reflected-into/) [Pirjo Honkasalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pirjo-honkasalo/) Browse all 6,788 Accepting quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We are easily deceived about government because we are inclined to accept the following fallacies: (a) Anything legal is also moral. (b) We are not individually responsible for government action. (c) A different moral law applies to men in concert than it does when they act alone.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "H. Verlan Andersen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-verlan-andersen/we-are-easily-deceived-about-government-because-we-are-inclined-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Accepting" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-verlan-andersen/we-are-easily-deceived-about-government-because-we-are-inclined-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/064/h-verlan-andersen-65713_accepting_we-are-easily-deceived-about-government_1391587.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/064/h-verlan-andersen-65713_accepting_we-are-easily-deceived-about-government_1391587.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/064/h-verlan-andersen-65713_accepting_we-are-easily-deceived-about-government_1391587.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We are easily deceived about government because we are inclined to accept the following fallacies: (a)…” — H. Verlan Andersen", "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": "H. Verlan Andersen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-verlan-andersen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We are easily deceived about government...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-verlan-andersen/we-are-easily-deceived-about-government-because-we-are-inclined-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-verlan-andersen/we-are-easily-deceived-about-government-because-we-are-inclined-to/#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 } } ] } ```