--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We're going to protect and honor the…" description: "\"We're going to protect and honor the Constitution, and I don't have the authority to set it aside… If I had the authority to set it aside, this would b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/117/john-ashcroft-9612_authority_we-re-going-to-protect-and-honor-the-con_1370836.jpg" --- # We're going to protect and honor the Constitution, and I… ![“We're going to protect and honor the Constitution, and I don't have the authority to set it aside… If I had the authority to set it aside, this would be a dangerous government, and I wouldn't respect it.” quote by John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/117/john-ashcroft-9612_authority_we-re-going-to-protect-and-honor-the-con_1370836.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/117/john-ashcroft-9612_authority_we-re-going-to-protect-and-honor-the-con_1370836.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/117/john-ashcroft-9612_authority_we-re-going-to-protect-and-honor-the-con_1370836.jpg) > “We're going to protect and honor the Constitution, and I don't have the authority to set it aside… If I had the authority to set it aside, this would be a dangerous government, and I wouldn't respect it.” [John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He asserts that the Constitution must be upheld and cannot be ignored, as doing so would create a dangerous government. **In simple terms:** Uphold the Constitution; never set it aside. Key Takeaway Protect constitutional integrity. Themes law government constitution Mood serious concerned Type political legal When to use this quote - political debates - legislative decisions - judicial review - executive actions Key Concepts rule of law checks and balances Questions to Reflect On - How do we ensure leaders respect constitutional limits? - What safeguards prevent abuse of power? A Different Perspective Authority can be misused, leading to authoritarianism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aside Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aside-authority-4720887/) [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Authority Set](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority-set-3744114/) [Constitution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constitution/) [Dangerous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dangerous/) [Dangerous Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dangerous-government-1145757/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Honor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honor/) [Honor Constitution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honor-constitution-2541083/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Protect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protect/) [Protect Honor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protect-honor-390297/) [Scary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scary/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) ## Related quotes > [To their duty to God, youth should realize their duty to our country. 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But what we need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashcroft/the-fbi-is-a-massive-culture-it-s-been-a-culture-that-served-america/) [John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/) > [Any citizen who's offended ... can leave the service.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashcroft/any-citizen-who-s-offended-can-leave-the-service/) [John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/) > [I feel the best way to ensure Americans' freedom is to tighten restrictions on that freedom in any way possible. 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