--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The nearest thing to immortality in this…" description: "\"The nearest thing to immortality in this world is a government bureau.\" — Hugh S. Johnson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d9/hugh-s-johnson-55327_bureau_the-nearest-thing-to-immortality-in-this_100350.jpg" --- # The nearest thing to immortality in this world is a… ![“The nearest thing to immortality in this world is a government bureau.” quote by Hugh S. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d9/hugh-s-johnson-55327_bureau_the-nearest-thing-to-immortality-in-this_100350.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d9/hugh-s-johnson-55327_bureau_the-nearest-thing-to-immortality-in-this_100350.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d9/hugh-s-johnson-55327_bureau_the-nearest-thing-to-immortality-in-this_100350.jpg) > “The nearest thing to immortality in this world is a government bureau.” [Hugh S. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-s-johnson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Bureaucracies can grant a form of lasting influence, as their decisions endure beyond individual lifespans, resembling a kind of institutional immortality. **In simple terms:** Government agencies outlive people. Key Takeaway Bureaucracy offers enduring legacy. Themes government bureaucracy legacy power institution Mood wry critical Type satirical observation political commentary When to use this quote - policy drafting - regulatory compliance - public administration careers Key Concepts institutional continuity organizational inertia Practical Applications - Engage with long‑term policy planning - Leverage institutional memory Questions to Reflect On - What responsibilities come with lasting institutional impact? - How can bureaucracies stay adaptable over time? A Different Perspective Bureaucratic inertia can stifle innovation and accountability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bureau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bureau/) [Bureaucracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bureaucracy/) [Bureaucrats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bureaucrats/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Immortality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immortality/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/no-government-ever-voluntarily-reduces-itself-in-size-government/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The nearest approach to immortality on earth is a government bureau.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-f-byrnes/the-nearest-approach-to-immortality-on-earth-is-a-government-bureau/) [James F. Byrnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-f-byrnes/) > [“I told you there was no such thing as immortality, not even for dragons.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-s-thornton/i-told-you-there-was-no-such-thing-as-immortality-not-even-for-dragons/) Stanley S. Thornton > [“Falling in love with a writer is a dangerous thing, isn't it? The only thing you get out of it sometimes is immortality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darnell-lamont-walker/falling-in-love-with-a-writer-is-a-dangerous-thing-isn-t-it-the-only/) [Darnell Lamont Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darnell-lamont-walker/) > [“...love was the closest thing to immortality that men would ever know and that the only--and best--answer to death is loving. Loving.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/love-was-the-closest-thing-to-immortality-that-men-would-ever-know/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“The nice thing about immortality is that you have plenty of time to figure out how to get rid of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-kingfisher/the-nice-thing-about-immortality-is-that-you-have-plenty-of-time-to/) [T. Kingfisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-kingfisher/) > [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/) > [Bureaucrats live on the fat of the land, while the rest of us stay skinny laboring to pay their salaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-e-mckenzie/bureaucrats-live-on-the-fat-of-the-land-while-the-rest-of-us-stay/) [Charles E. McKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-e-mckenzie/) > [I'm a novelist, and idle speculation is what novelists do. How odd to spend one's life trying to pretend that non-existent people are real:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-m-a-novelist-and-idle-speculation-is-what-novelists-do-how-odd-to/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [We'll always have bureaucracies, but bureaucracies led by bureaucrats might be too much of a bad thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sununu/we-ll-always-have-bureaucracies-but-bureaucracies-led-by-bureaucrats/) [John Sununu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sununu/) > [ In Stalin each \[Soviet bureaucrat\] easily finds himself. But Stalin also finds in each one a small part of his own spirit. Stalin is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/in-stalin-each-soviet-bureaucrat-easily-finds-himself-but-stalin-also/) [Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/) > [In a bureaucracy, they shoot the bull, pass the buck, and make seven copies of everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-e-mckenzie/in-a-bureaucracy-they-shoot-the-bull-pass-the-buck-and-make-seven/) [Charles E. McKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-e-mckenzie/) > [“In our time... a man whose enemies are faceless bureaucrats almost never wins. It is our equivalent to the anger of the gods in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaim-potok/in-our-time-a-man-whose-enemies-are-faceless-bureaucrats-almost-never/) [Chaim Potok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaim-potok/) > [One of the enduring truths of the nation's capital is that bureaucrats survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-r-ford/one-of-the-enduring-truths-of-the-nation-s-capital-is-that/) [Gerald R. Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-r-ford/) > [“Plato argued that good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will always find a way around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-howard/plato-argued-that-good-people-do-not-need-laws-to-tell-them-to-act/) [Philip K. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-howard/) ## More by Hugh S. Johnson > [The earnings have been pretty good so far, but there's an ambiguity in the market about them, because you'll see Amazon or Microsoft disappointing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-s-johnson/the-earnings-have-been-pretty-good-so-far-but-there-s-an-ambiguity-in/) [Hugh S. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-s-johnson/) > [When it appears as though the governors of the Federal Reserve believe that the end of the rate increases is near, that's very good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-s-johnson/when-it-appears-as-though-the-governors-of-the-federal-reserve/) [Hugh S. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-s-johnson/) > [The election is another element of ambiguity, .. and oil remains the crucial variable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-s-johnson/the-election-is-another-element-of-ambiguity-and-oil-remains-the/) [Hugh S. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-s-johnson/) > [The more I have learned about wine ... the more I have realized that it weaves in with human history from its very beginning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-s-johnson/the-more-i-have-learned-about-wine-the-more-i-have-realized-that-it/) [Hugh S. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-s-johnson/) > [Tomorrow, the market will probably continue upward driven by the dollar, but it won't go up much because of caution before the employment figures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-s-johnson/tomorrow-the-market-will-probably-continue-upward-driven-by-the/) [Hugh S. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-s-johnson/) [Explore all 6 Hugh S. Johnson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-s-johnson/) ## More Bureau quotes > [“Well, you better look out. They got a new bureau in the guvamint files. It’s called U.W. Stands for Useless Wimmen. Tha’s secret plans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/well-you-better-look-out-they-got-a-new-bureau-in-the-guvamint-files/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [If President Barack Obama had not been in the White House, we would not have the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/if-president-barack-obama-had-not-been-in-the-white-house-we-would/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [I went to the Missing Persons Bureau but no one was there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-went-to-the-missing-persons-bureau-but-no-one-was-there/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [Economists at the National Bureau of Economic Research and University of Chicago persuasively argue that one of the biggest reasons for the nation's current…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/economists-at-the-national-bureau-of-economic-research-and-university/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [I grew up with J. Edgar Hoover. He was the G-man, a hero to everybody, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation was the big,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/i-grew-up-with-j-edgar-hoover-he-was-the-g-man-a-hero-to-everybody/) [Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/) > [In late 2009, I returned to Baghdad after a lengthy absence. I was living alone, in the Hamra Hotel, the twice bombed-out de facto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/in-late-2009-i-returned-to-baghdad-after-a-lengthy-absence-i-was/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [“the Bureau acquired the nickname “The Department of Easy Virtue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/the-bureau-acquired-the-nickname-the-department-of-easy-virtue/) [Bryan Burrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/) > [The long view of the Census bureau allows some changes that are taken for granted to be studied in more detail. Everyone knows, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-dedman/the-long-view-of-the-census-bureau-allows-some-changes-that-are-taken/) [Bill Dedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-dedman/) > [“When you were making excuses someone else was making enterprise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/when-you-were-making-excuses-someone-else-was-making-enterprise/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [Once a bureau is created, its staff becomes a tenacious political interest group, well placed to defend its budget and to make a case…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-higgs/once-a-bureau-is-created-its-staff-becomes-a-tenacious-political/) [Robert Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-higgs/) > [We at the Bureau have the most exciting and satisfying jobs in the world. In a society that stresses individual achievement - where you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-wilhelm-joseph-schelling/we-at-the-bureau-have-the-most-exciting-and-satisfying-jobs-in-the/) [Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-wilhelm-joseph-schelling/) > [I first met Kim Dae Jung when he was a Korean dissident whose life was threatened by the military regime ruling in Seoul. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/i-first-met-kim-dae-jung-when-he-was-a-korean-dissident-whose-life/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [The U.S. Census Bureau acknowledged this fact when it reported that those with a bachelor's degree earn on average $1 million more over their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elijah-cummings/the-u-s-census-bureau-acknowledged-this-fact-when-it-reported-that/) [Elijah Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elijah-cummings/) > [“That is what the Bureau -- and the entire government, probably -- is doing: conditioning people to be happy under its thumb.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/that-is-what-the-bureau-and-the-entire-government-probably-is-doing/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [Frazier is so ugly that he should donate his face to the U.S. Bureau of Wild Life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/frazier-is-so-ugly-that-he-should-donate-his-face-to-the-u-s-bureau/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) [Browse all 29 Bureau quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bureau/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The nearest thing to immortality in this world is a government bureau.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hugh S. 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