--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For liberals in particular, the idea that…" description: "\"For liberals in particular, the idea that government is only hypocrisy and dysfunction is self-defeating and nihilistic.\" — Jamelle Bouie" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67b/jamelle-bouie-5467_europe_for-liberals-in-particular-the-idea-that_309561.jpg" --- # For liberals in particular, the idea that government is… ![“For liberals in particular, the idea that government is only hypocrisy and dysfunction is self-defeating and nihilistic.” quote by Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67b/jamelle-bouie-5467_europe_for-liberals-in-particular-the-idea-that_309561.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67b/jamelle-bouie-5467_europe_for-liberals-in-particular-the-idea-that_309561.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67b/jamelle-bouie-5467_europe_for-liberals-in-particular-the-idea-that_309561.jpg) > “For liberals in particular, the idea that government is only hypocrisy and dysfunction is self-defeating and nihilistic.” [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Critiques the view that government is wholly corrupt, arguing it undermines constructive reform. **In simple terms:** Calls out cynical government narratives. Key Takeaway Seek realistic political engagement. Themes politics criticism optimism Mood analytical concerned Type political critical When to use this quote - voting decisions - policy debates - community organizing - media consumption Key Concepts civic responsibility public policy media discourse Questions to Reflect On - What constructive changes can be pursued? - How to balance skepticism with participation? A Different Perspective Risk of dismissing all institutions can breed apathy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Hypocrisy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hypocrisy/) [Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea/) [Liberals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberals/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) ## Related quotes > [“The people are committed to ruinous policies, all without noticing. They have neither the experience nor the time to study all these laws and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/the-people-are-committed-to-ruinous-policies-all-without-noticing/) [Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/) > [The liberals in the House strongly resemble liberals I have known through the last two decades in the civil rights conflict. When it comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/the-liberals-in-the-house-strongly-resemble-liberals-i-have-known/) [Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/) > [Too often in the post-9/11 world, when the time has come to translate the moral, and essentially progressive, roots of foreign policy idealism into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-just/too-often-in-the-post-9-11-world-when-the-time-has-come-to-translate/) Richard Just > [Liberals have to get more comfortable with dealing with the poor as they actually are. I admire their refusal to look down on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance-2/liberals-have-to-get-more-comfortable-with-dealing-with-the-poor-as/) [J. D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance-2/) > [ I'm wary of government. Part of \[the Tea Party\] impulse is to dislike and be worried about the rich. I'm that way too. So… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/i-m-wary-of-government-part-of-the-tea-party-impulse-is-to-dislike/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [American views today are weak, confused, and divided. On one side, many progressive liberals still think that we humans are essentially good and getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/american-views-today-are-weak-confused-and-divided-on-one-side-many/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [Liberals can always be trusted to see God in Mumia Abu-Jamal and the devil in the Pope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/liberals-can-always-be-trusted-to-see-god-in-mumia-abu-jamal-and-the/) [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) > [When contemplating college liberals, you really regret once again that John Walker is not getting the death penalty.We need to execute people like John…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/when-contemplating-college-liberals-you-really-regret-once-again-that/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [Liberals worry that what's best for the individual might not be better for the public at large. But that philosophy assumes something vicious about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-west/liberals-worry-that-what-s-best-for-the-individual-might-not-be/) [Allen West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-west/) > [Liberals tell amazing lies about guns and everything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/liberals-tell-amazing-lies-about-guns-and-everything-else/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [Liberalism's fatal flaw,... is that it has no permanent norms, only a succession of enthusiasms espoused by minor prophets. Each of these seems like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sobran/liberalism-s-fatal-flaw-is-that-it-has-no-permanent-norms-only-a/) [Joseph Sobran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-sobran/) > [When liberals say 'family', they mean 'Big Brother in Washington.' When we say 'family,' we mean 'honor thy father and mother.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/when-liberals-say-family-they-mean-big-brother-in-washington-when-we/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [It's not that liberals aren't smart, it's just that so much of what they know isn't so](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/it-s-not-that-liberals-aren-t-smart-it-s-just-that-so-much-of-what/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [I want to reclaim 'liberal.' I'm a liberal, and I think most Americans are liberals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/i-want-to-reclaim-liberal-i-m-a-liberal-and-i-think-most-americans/) [Al Franken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-franken/) > [Except for talk radio, liberals pretty much control the culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-goldberg/except-for-talk-radio-liberals-pretty-much-control-the-culture/) [Bernard Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-goldberg/) ## More by Jamelle Bouie > [The 2020 presidential election was arguably the most secure - and among the most scrutinized - in American history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/the-2020-presidential-election-was-arguably-the-most-secure-and-among/) [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) > [Racial hysteria has been a part of many winning campaigns in our country. But it's rarely the only part.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/racial-hysteria-has-been-a-part-of-many-winning-campaigns-in-our/) [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) > [Texas's official hostility toward gender nonconforming children has had the predictable effect of pushing families out of the state in search of less hostile…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/texas-s-official-hostility-toward-gender-nonconforming-children-has/) [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) > [Trump was not helped by either of his impeachments, and there's no reason other than his own mythology to think that a trial and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/trump-was-not-helped-by-either-of-his-impeachments-and-there-s-no/) [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) > [If 'The Lord of the Rings' is a cautionary tale about the desire for power and the use of power, then it is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/if-the-lord-of-the-rings-is-a-cautionary-tale-about-the-desire-for/) [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) > [By no means is Trump the first president or even the first Republican president to abuse the power of the office in an effort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/by-no-means-is-trump-the-first-president-or-even-the-first-republican/) [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) > [Nineteenth-century American politics were notoriously raucous, with frequent violence in and around elections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/nineteenth-century-american-politics-were-notoriously-raucous-with/) [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) > [Trump did not win the 2016 presidential election solely on the votes of his base; he won it after he consolidated wavering Republicans and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/trump-did-not-win-the-2016-presidential-election-solely-on-the-votes/) [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) > [Trump's authoritarian instincts - his refusal to accept or even learn the rules of the constitutional system - are a huge part of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/trump-s-authoritarian-instincts-his-refusal-to-accept-or-even-learn/) [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) > [Americans tend to focus on external threats to our democracy: foreign adversaries wielding disinformation and subversion. But the most serious dangers have always come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/americans-tend-to-focus-on-external-threats-to-our-democracy-foreign/) [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) > [Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach is notorious for his efforts to secure 'election integrity' through voter purges and other efforts to shrink the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/kansas-secretary-of-state-kris-kobach-is-notorious-for-his-efforts-to/) [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) > [To vote in the United States, you can't simply go cast a ballot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/to-vote-in-the-united-states-you-can-t-simply-go-cast-a-ballot/) [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) > [The ring, in 'The Lord of the Rings,' represents power in all of its terrible glory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/the-ring-in-the-lord-of-the-rings-represents-power-in-all-of-its/) [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) > [As long as voting is voluntary, young people will likely always vote at lower rates than their older counterparts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/as-long-as-voting-is-voluntary-young-people-will-likely-always-vote/) [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) > [Hillary Clinton made plenty of tactical and strategic missteps in her bid for the White House.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/hillary-clinton-made-plenty-of-tactical-and-strategic-missteps-in-her/) [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) [Explore all 100 Jamelle Bouie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) ## More Europe quotes > [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [Few political debates have been as divisive as the European one. I fought as hard as I could on the Remain side, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-green/few-political-debates-have-been-as-divisive-as-the-european-one-i/) [Damian Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-green/) > [Bayern is always a team that can win the Champions League title in Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lothar-matthaus/bayern-is-always-a-team-that-can-win-the-champions-league-title-in/) [Lothar Matthaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lothar-matthaus/) > [Perhaps our own opposition to even the level of European integration we have now, let alone any more, is well known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-farage/perhaps-our-own-opposition-to-even-the-level-of-european-integration/) [Nigel Farage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-farage/) > [Liberalism is the philosophy for our time, because it does not try to conserve every tradition of the past, because it does not apply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/liberalism-is-the-philosophy-for-our-time-because-it-does-not-try-to/) [Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/) > [Conservatism is not about leaving people behind. Conservatism is about empowering people to catch up, to give them the tools at their disposable that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/conservatism-is-not-about-leaving-people-behind-conservatism-is-about/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [“Conservatism aims to maintain in working order the loyalties of the community to perceived truths and also to those truths which in their judgment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr-2/conservatism-aims-to-maintain-in-working-order-the-loyalties-of-the/) [William F. Buckley Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr-2/) > [I'm from Europe, England, and I actually lived in Italy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adewale-akinnuoye-agbaje/i-m-from-europe-england-and-i-actually-lived-in-italy/) [Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adewale-akinnuoye-agbaje/) > [Europe is creating the flight of refugees that's tearing it apart politically, and leading rightwing nationalist parties to gain power to withdraw from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hudson/europe-is-creating-the-flight-of-refugees-that-s-tearing-it-apart/) [Michael Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hudson/) > [We witness anti-Semitic attacks in the heart of Europe. We hear anti-Semitic slanders in European media. We feel anti-Semitic hatred in the continent that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayelet-shaked/we-witness-anti-semitic-attacks-in-the-heart-of-europe-we-hear-anti/) [Ayelet Shaked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayelet-shaked/) > [Conservatives are people who look at a tree and feel instinctively that it is more beautiful than anything they can name. But when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/conservatives-are-people-who-look-at-a-tree-and-feel-instinctively/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [With the Truman book, I wrote the entire account of his experiences in World War I before going over to Europe to follow his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/with-the-truman-book-i-wrote-the-entire-account-of-his-experiences-in/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [A man accustomed to American food and American domestic cookery would not starve to death suddenly in Europe, but I think he would gradually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/a-man-accustomed-to-american-food-and-american-domestic-cookery-would/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Yes, across Europe, this wall will fall. For it cannot withstand faith; it cannot withstand truth. The wall cannot withstand freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/yes-across-europe-this-wall-will-fall-for-it-cannot-withstand-faith/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [I became an MP in 2017 and have been around to watch Liberal Democrat party membership soar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layla-moran/i-became-an-mp-in-2017-and-have-been-around-to-watch-liberal-democrat/) [Layla Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layla-moran/) [Browse all 7,565 Europe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For liberals in particular, the idea that government is only hypocrisy and dysfunction is self-defeating and nihilistic.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jamelle Bouie" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/for-liberals-in-particular-the-idea-that-government-is-only-hypocrisy/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Europe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/for-liberals-in-particular-the-idea-that-government-is-only-hypocrisy/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67b/jamelle-bouie-5467_europe_for-liberals-in-particular-the-idea-that_309561.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67b/jamelle-bouie-5467_europe_for-liberals-in-particular-the-idea-that_309561.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67b/jamelle-bouie-5467_europe_for-liberals-in-particular-the-idea-that_309561.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For liberals in particular, the idea that government is only hypocrisy and dysfunction is self-defeating and…” — Jamelle Bouie", "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": "Jamelle Bouie", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "For liberals in particular, the idea...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/for-liberals-in-particular-the-idea-that-government-is-only-hypocrisy/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/for-liberals-in-particular-the-idea-that-government-is-only-hypocrisy/#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 } } ] } ```