---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every government is run by liars and…"
description: "\"Every government is run by liars and nothing they say should be believed.\" — I. F. Stone"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c6/i-f-stone-23982_government_every-government-is-run-by-liars-and-not_1219329.png"
---

#  Every government is run by liars and nothing they say…

![“Every government is run by liars and nothing they say should be believed.” quote by I. F. Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c6/i-f-stone-23982_government_every-government-is-run-by-liars-and-not_1219329.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c6/i-f-stone-23982_government_every-government-is-run-by-liars-and-not_1219329.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c6/i-f-stone-23982_government_every-government-is-run-by-liars-and-not_1219329.png)

> “Every government is run by liars and nothing they say should be believed.”

[I. F. Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-f-stone/)

## About This Quote

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

Governments often conceal truth, so skepticism is warranted.

**In simple terms:** Governments lie.

Key Takeaway

Question official narratives.

Themes

politics trust skepticism

Mood

critical inquisitive

Type

political analytical

When to use this quote

- voting
- media consumption
- policy debate
- activism

Key Concepts

propaganda information control

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you verify information?
- What sources do you trust?

A Different Perspective

Some governments are transparent.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Government Run](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government-run-647854/) [Liars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liars/) [Liars Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liars-say-2864469/) [Nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothing/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Run Liars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/run-liars-2933915/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [They say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/they-say/)

## Related quotes

> [“Every government is run by liars. Nothing they say should be believed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-f-stone-2/every-government-is-run-by-liars-nothing-they-say-should-be-believed/)

[I.F. Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-f-stone-2/)

> [All governments are run by liars and nothing they say should be believed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-f-stone/all-governments-are-run-by-liars-and-nothing-they-say-should-be/)

[I. F. Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-f-stone/)

> [“You are liars,' I say. 'All of you. You don't lie with words, but your intent is ever to deceive.' Franco grabs the empty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-carson/you-are-liars-i-say-all-of-you-you-don-t-lie-with-words-but-your/)

[Rae Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-carson/)

> [I've studied pathological liars, and anything they say, they believe, and that's one of the reasons they're so convincing, because they have no connection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-velez-mitchell/i-ve-studied-pathological-liars-and-anything-they-say-they-believe/)

[Jane Velez-Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-velez-mitchell/)

> [“When it comes down to it, government is simply an abandonment of responsibility on the assumption that there are people, other than ourselves, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-watts/when-it-comes-down-to-it-government-is-simply-an-abandonment-of/)

[Alan W. Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-w-watts/)

> [The purpose of government is for those who run it to plunder those who do not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dilorenzo/the-purpose-of-government-is-for-those-who-run-it-to-plunder-those/)

[Thomas DiLorenzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dilorenzo/)

> [The government adoption of AI will not bring about a government being run by robots. Instead, our government will continue to be run by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-hurd/the-government-adoption-of-ai-will-not-bring-about-a-government-being/)

[Will Hurd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-hurd/)

> [To make crime unprofitable, let the government run it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irene-peter/to-make-crime-unprofitable-let-the-government-run-it/)

[Irene Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irene-peter/)

> [Half the population hold that the government is run by a few big interests looking out for themselves, as polls regularly show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/half-the-population-hold-that-the-government-is-run-by-a-few-big/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [I'm going to be honest with you - I don't know a lot about Cuba's healthcare system. Is it a government-run system?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/i-m-going-to-be-honest-with-you-i-don-t-know-a-lot-about-cuba-s/)

[John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/)

> [Democrats would pull the ladder from aspiring Americans and create a permanent status of government-run mediocrity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hagerty/democrats-would-pull-the-ladder-from-aspiring-americans-and-create-a/)

[Bill Hagerty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hagerty/)

> [There ought to be a better way than government to run the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashleigh-brilliant/there-ought-to-be-a-better-way-than-government-to-run-the-world/)

[Ashleigh Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashleigh-brilliant/)

> [One way to make sure crime doesn't pay would be to let the government run it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/one-way-to-make-sure-crime-doesn-t-pay-would-be-to-let-the-government/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [I don't run a woman government. I run a government of people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-johnson-sirleaf/i-don-t-run-a-woman-government-i-run-a-government-of-people/)

[Ellen Johnson Sirleaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-johnson-sirleaf/)

> [A government run by billionaires for billionaires is an affront to freedom and morality and humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moore/a-government-run-by-billionaires-for-billionaires-is-an-affront-to/)

[Michael Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moore/)

## More by I. F. Stone

> [You have to take the long view. First, when Moses came down from Mt. Sinai, man has already progressed to the point where a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-f-stone/you-have-to-take-the-long-view-first-when-moses-came-down-from-mt/)

[I. F. Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-f-stone/)

> [The difference between burlesque and the newspapers is that the former never pretended to be performing a public service by exposure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-f-stone/the-difference-between-burlesque-and-the-newspapers-is-that-the/)

[I. F. Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-f-stone/)

> [If God, as some now say, is dead, He no doubt died of trying to find an equitable solution to the Arab-Jewish problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-f-stone/if-god-as-some-now-say-is-dead-he-no-doubt-died-of-trying-to-find-an/)

[I. F. Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-f-stone/)

> [Every emancipation has in it the seeds of a new slavery, and every truth easily becomes a lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-f-stone/every-emancipation-has-in-it-the-seeds-of-a-new-slavery-and-every/)

[I. F. Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-f-stone/)

> [The arms race is based on an optimistic view of technology and a pessimistic view of man. It assumes there is no limit to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-f-stone/the-arms-race-is-based-on-an-optimistic-view-of-technology-and-a/)

[I. F. Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-f-stone/)

> [If you live long enough, you get accused of things you never did and praised for virtues you never had.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-f-stone/if-you-live-long-enough-you-get-accused-of-things-you-never-did-and/)

[I. F. Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-f-stone/)

> [You've really got to wear a chastity belt in Washington to preserve your journalistic virginity. Once the secretary of state invites you to lunch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-f-stone/you-ve-really-got-to-wear-a-chastity-belt-in-washington-to-preserve/)

[I. F. Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-f-stone/)

> [The only social justice movements worth fighting for are the struggles for justice where you lose, you lose, you lose- until you win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-f-stone/the-only-social-justice-movements-worth-fighting-for-are-the/)

[I. F. Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-f-stone/)

> [There must be renewed recognition that societies are kept stable and healthy by reform, not by thought police; this means there must be free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-f-stone/there-must-be-renewed-recognition-that-societies-are-kept-stable-and/)

[I. F. Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-f-stone/)

> [If you want to know about governments, all you need to know is two words: Governments lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-f-stone/if-you-want-to-know-about-governments-all-you-need-to-know-is-two/)

[I. F. Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-f-stone/)

> [The only thing God didn't do to Job was give him a computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-f-stone/the-only-thing-god-didn-t-do-to-job-was-give-him-a-computer/)

[I. F. Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-f-stone/)

> [All governments are run by liars and nothing they say should be believed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-f-stone/all-governments-are-run-by-liars-and-nothing-they-say-should-be/)

[I. F. Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-f-stone/)

> [When you're young, you get blamed for crimes that you didn't commit. When you are old, you get credit for virtues that you never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-f-stone/when-you-re-young-you-get-blamed-for-crimes-that-you-didn-t-commit/)

[I. F. Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-f-stone/)

> [History is a tragedy, not a morality tale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-f-stone/history-is-a-tragedy-not-a-morality-tale/)

[I. F. Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-f-stone/)

> [Victor Serge died in exile and obscurity, apparently no more than a splinter of a splinter in the Marxist movement. But with the passage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-f-stone/victor-serge-died-in-exile-and-obscurity-apparently-no-more-than-a/)

[I. F. Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-f-stone/)

[Explore all 25 I. F. Stone quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-f-stone/)

## More Government quotes

> [We could form a government of national unity fighting corruption. The ordinary Afghan is sick and tired of it, because it's she or he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashraf-ghani/we-could-form-a-government-of-national-unity-fighting-corruption-the/)

[Ashraf Ghani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashraf-ghani/)

> [For the Scottish government, the practice of having meetings in different parts of the country is well established, but for the U.K. government, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-sturgeon/for-the-scottish-government-the-practice-of-having-meetings-in/)

[Nicola Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-sturgeon/)

> [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/)

[Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/)

> [Right now we're concerned about budget. Right now we're concerned about the prospect of interest rate rise. We're concerned about government corruption, government handing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amity-shlaes/right-now-we-re-concerned-about-budget-right-now-we-re-concerned/)

[Amity Shlaes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amity-shlaes/)

> [One of the worst things to come out of the Consumer Protection Board's misleading claims is the impression that government resources are to hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-lesko/one-of-the-worst-things-to-come-out-of-the-consumer-protection-board/)

[Matthew Lesko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-lesko/)

> [It is afraid of an informed, angry public demanding the constitutional government it was promised - and it should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/it-is-afraid-of-an-informed-angry-public-demanding-the-constitutional/)

[Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/)

> [Louisiana's spicy, colorful politics have saddled our state with a reputation for tolerating lax ethical standards in government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kennedy/louisiana-s-spicy-colorful-politics-have-saddled-our-state-with-a/)

[John Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kennedy/)

> [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/)

[Greg Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-perry/)

> [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/)

[Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/)

> [He is almost a statesman. He lies well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/he-is-almost-a-statesman-he-lies-well/)

[Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/)

> [If you believe in democracy, why shouldn't you know what the government is doing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/if-you-believe-in-democracy-why-shouldn-t-you-know-what-the/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [I mean those people who are interested in good government will certainly contribute in order to make certain there's some counter-balance to those whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-breyer/i-mean-those-people-who-are-interested-in-good-government-will/)

[Stephen Breyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-breyer/)

> [We can't have a government that will collapse in three months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-varadkar/we-can-t-have-a-government-that-will-collapse-in-three-months/)

[Leo Varadkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-varadkar/)

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

[Browse all 21,248 Government quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Every government is run by liars and nothing they say should be believed.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "I. F. Stone"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-f-stone/every-government-is-run-by-liars-and-nothing-they-say-should-be/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Government"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-f-stone/every-government-is-run-by-liars-and-nothing-they-say-should-be/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c6/i-f-stone-23982_government_every-government-is-run-by-liars-and-not_1219329.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c6/i-f-stone-23982_government_every-government-is-run-by-liars-and-not_1219329.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c6/i-f-stone-23982_government_every-government-is-run-by-liars-and-not_1219329.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Every government is run by liars and nothing they say should be believed.” — I. F. Stone",
                "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": "I. F. Stone",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-f-stone/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Every government is run by liars...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-f-stone/every-government-is-run-by-liars-and-nothing-they-say-should-be/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-f-stone/every-government-is-run-by-liars-and-nothing-they-say-should-be/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
