--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Dependency is the highest political good…" description: "\"Dependency is the highest political good - at least for politicians. Since the 1930s, politicians have striven to leave no vote unbought.\" — James Bovard" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/james-bovard-9090_1930s_dependency-is-the-highest-political-good_527327.png" --- # Dependency is the highest political good - at least for… ![“Dependency is the highest political good - at least for politicians. Since the 1930s, politicians have striven to leave no vote unbought.” quote by James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/james-bovard-9090_1930s_dependency-is-the-highest-political-good_527327.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/james-bovard-9090_1930s_dependency-is-the-highest-political-good_527327.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/james-bovard-9090_1930s_dependency-is-the-highest-political-good_527327.png) > “Dependency is the highest political good - at least for politicians. Since the 1930s, politicians have striven to leave no vote unbought.” [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Politicians view buying votes as a primary goal, making political influence a commodity. **In simple terms:** Politicians treat votes as a marketable good. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge vote‑buying practices. Themes politics corruption vote buying power dynamics Mood cautionary analytical Type political critical When to use this quote - election monitoring - voter education - policy reform Key Concepts public choice theory ethics campaign finance Questions to Reflect On - How does vote buying affect democracy? - What safeguards can reduce it? A Different Perspective Vote‑buying can be hidden and hard to detect. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dependency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dependency/) [Good politicians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-politicians/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Politician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politician/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Vote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vote/) ## Related quotes > [Independence, the freedom of a self-governing nation, is in my estimation the highest political good, for which any disadvantage, if need be, and any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enoch-powell/independence-the-freedom-of-a-self-governing-nation-is-in-my/) [Enoch Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enoch-powell/) > [Now the good of political life is a great political good. It is not a secular good specified by a comprehensive doctrine like those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/now-the-good-of-political-life-is-a-great-political-good-it-is-not-a/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) > [Every political good carried to the extreme must be productive of evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft/every-political-good-carried-to-the-extreme-must-be-productive-of-evil/) [Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft/) > [The American political system is not good at trading sacrifice now to prevent crises later.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-klein/the-american-political-system-is-not-good-at-trading-sacrifice-now-to/) [Ezra Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-klein/) > [Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/liberty-is-not-a-means-to-a-higher-political-end-it-is-itself-the-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“liberty is not a means to a higher end, it is itself the highest political end.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/liberty-is-not-a-means-to-a-higher-end-it-is-itself-the-highest/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end. It is not for the sake of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-acton/liberty-is-not-a-means-to-a-higher-political-end-it-is-itself-the/) [Lord Acton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-acton/) > [The highest political buzz word is not liberty, equality, fraternity or solidarity; it is service.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hugh-clough/the-highest-political-buzz-word-is-not-liberty-equality-fraternity-or/) [Arthur Hugh Clough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hugh-clough/) > [I don't know if I am a very good politician. I'm not a good hater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-xenophon/i-don-t-know-if-i-am-a-very-good-politician-i-m-not-a-good-hater/) [Nick Xenophon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-xenophon/) > [Nothing corrupts a politician quite as much as friendship. 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A good politician goes through everything in terms of mission and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/politics-is-different-because-the-mission-is-always-to-get-the/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [I suppose it's part of being a good politician to be able to spot the most important men in any group without outside assistance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-ford/i-suppose-it-s-part-of-being-a-good-politician-to-be-able-to-spot-the/) [Leslie Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-ford/) ## More by James Bovard > [Some of the folks on both sides might be sincere, but it does seem as if it is only the opposition that cares about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/some-of-the-folks-on-both-sides-might-be-sincere-but-it-does-seem-as/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [The vision that the founding fathers had of rule of law and equality before the law and no one above the law, that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/the-vision-that-the-founding-fathers-had-of-rule-of-law-and-equality/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [People are so docile right now. It is almost as if good government means when the politicians lie to us for our own good,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/people-are-so-docile-right-now-it-is-almost-as-if-good-government/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [It is important to recognize and politics positive thinking is often the slaves' virtue - something that people do to con themselves about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/it-is-important-to-recognize-and-politics-positive-thinking-is-often/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [If so many Americans are looking for the government to save them, then it is hard to have a dignified search for a shepherd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/if-so-many-americans-are-looking-for-the-government-to-save-them-then/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [Its contempt for citizens ... is so routine, and so unlimited, that the agency has become a kind of Frankenstein, running wild and terrorizing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/its-contempt-for-citizens-is-so-routine-and-so-unlimited-that-the/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [The key question for many voters is: How much is the candidate offering for my vote?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/the-key-question-for-many-voters-is-how-much-is-the-candidate/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [The Federal Government is exploiting public fear to redefine the relationship between the rulers and the American people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/the-federal-government-is-exploiting-public-fear-to-redefine-the/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [Once freedom is equated with a certain material standard of living, confiscation becomes the path to liberation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/once-freedom-is-equated-with-a-certain-material-standard-of-living/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [Government aid programs have been endlessly expanded, and the government has sought to maximize the number of people willing to accept handouts… Roughly half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/government-aid-programs-have-been-endlessly-expanded-and-the/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [America needs fewer laws, not more prisons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/america-needs-fewer-laws-not-more-prisons/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [The more freedoms Americans lose, the more dangerous government becomes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/the-more-freedoms-americans-lose-the-more-dangerous-government-becomes/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [The more powerful government becomes, the more abuses it commits and the more lies it must tell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/the-more-powerful-government-becomes-the-more-abuses-it-commits-and/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [Not only has the number of government employees multiplied in recent decades, but the rise of government unions further stacks the political odds against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/not-only-has-the-number-of-government-employees-multiplied-in-recent/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [How many McDonald's gift certificates would it take to sway a lot of Americans to pledge to never publicly criticize the U.S, President?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/how-many-mcdonald-s-gift-certificates-would-it-take-to-sway-a-lot-of/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) [Explore all 75 James Bovard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) ## More 1930s quotes > [Physicist Isador Isaac Rabi, who won a Nobel Prize for inventing a technique that permitted scientists to probe the structure of atoms and molecules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-saul-wurman/physicist-isador-isaac-rabi-who-won-a-nobel-prize-for-inventing-a/) [Richard Saul Wurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-saul-wurman/) > [My grandmother was a minister as well, which was not that common in the 1930s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-firth/my-grandmother-was-a-minister-as-well-which-was-not-that-common-in/) [Colin Firth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-firth/) > [It reminds me in some ways of the debate taking place in this country and around the world in the late 1930s. 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Since then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-m-taylor/in-the-immediate-postwar-era-financial-crises-in-advanced-countries/) [Alan M. Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-m-taylor/) > [I would not say that Harvard possesses any sort of absolute dominance. And I personally do not take the rankings of schools all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rosovsky/i-would-not-say-that-harvard-possesses-any-sort-of-absolute-dominance/) [Henry Rosovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rosovsky/) > [In the 1930s one was aware of two great evils - mass unemployment and the threat of war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-meade/in-the-1930s-one-was-aware-of-two-great-evils-mass-unemployment-and/) [James Meade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-meade/) > [When comics came along in the 1930s there was a talent pool waiting. 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