--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is of first importance that the…" description: "\"It is of first importance that the military be subordinate to civilian government\" — John Rawls" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e3/john-rawls-7786_firsts_it-is-of-first-importance-that-the-milit_859761.jpg" --- # It is of first importance that the military be subordinate… ![“It is of first importance that the military be subordinate to civilian government” quote by John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e3/john-rawls-7786_firsts_it-is-of-first-importance-that-the-milit_859761.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e3/john-rawls-7786_firsts_it-is-of-first-importance-that-the-milit_859761.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e3/john-rawls-7786_firsts_it-is-of-first-importance-that-the-milit_859761.jpg) > “It is of first importance that the military be subordinate to civilian government” [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Civilian oversight of the military safeguards democracy and prevents abuse of power. **In simple terms:** Military must answer to elected leaders. Key Takeaway Ensure civilian control of armed forces. Themes democracy civilian oversight military power political theory Mood concerned serious Type political ethical When to use this quote - government policy - defense budgeting - legislative hearings - international alliances Key Concepts social contract checks and balances rule of law Questions to Reflect On - How can societies strengthen civilian oversight? - What risks arise when military autonomy grows? A Different Perspective Civilian control may be challenged by entrenched military interests. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Military](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) ## Related quotes > [I think you also understand that one of the key things that's got to be done in Iraq is to build a mentality of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-abizaid/i-think-you-also-understand-that-one-of-the-key-things-that-s-got-to/) [John Abizaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-abizaid/) > [My mission is to lead the country out of a bad situation of corruption, depression and slavery. 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Civilian planes can basically fly wherever they want in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-paglen/civilian-law-around-aviation-is-much-looser-than-those-governing/) [Trevor Paglen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-paglen/) ## More by John Rawls > [Any comprehensive doctrine, religious or secular, can be introduced into any political argument at any time, but I argue that people who do this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/any-comprehensive-doctrine-religious-or-secular-can-be-introduced/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) > [First of all, principles should be general. 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Those who suppose their judgements are always consistent are unreflective or dogmatic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/many-of-our-most-serious-conflicts-are-conflicts-within-ourselves/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) > [The idea of public reason isn't about the right answers to all these questions, but about the kinds of reasons that they ought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/the-idea-of-public-reason-isn-t-about-the-right-answers-to-all-these/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) [Explore all 87 John Rawls quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) ## More Civilian quotes > [Civilian law around aviation is much looser than those governing military. 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They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-driver/i-think-it-s-a-common-misconception-in-the-civilian-community-that/) [Adam Driver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-driver/) > [Let the soldier yield to the civilian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/let-the-soldier-yield-to-the-civilian/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [I'm a civilian, a citizen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-remnick/i-m-a-civilian-a-citizen/) [David Remnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-remnick/) > [WikiLeaks exposed corruption, war crimes, torture and cover-ups. It showed that we were lied to about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jemima-khan/wikileaks-exposed-corruption-war-crimes-torture-and-cover-ups-it/) [Jemima Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jemima-khan/) > [During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Latin America moved decisively away from military rule and toward civilian democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/during-the-late-1970s-and-early-1980s-latin-america-moved-decisively/) [Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/) > [By citing the UN Charter I indicate that the defensive party to the conflict should use only proportionate force, try to avoid civilian casualties,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhikkhu-bodhi/by-citing-the-un-charter-i-indicate-that-the-defensive-party-to-the/) [Bhikkhu Bodhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhikkhu-bodhi/) > [During my administration, our desire has been to strengthen the civilian spirit of our people. Thus, we have eliminated military ranks and salutes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scar-arias/during-my-administration-our-desire-has-been-to-strengthen-the/) [Óscar Arias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scar-arias/) > [I'm a fully trained cosmonaut and have completed 800 hours training, which has made me the No. 1 civilian reserve ready to visit the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-blessed/i-m-a-fully-trained-cosmonaut-and-have-completed-800-hours-training/) [Brian Blessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-blessed/) > [“I’ve never shot a civilian except when under orders.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-vollmann/i-ve-never-shot-a-civilian-except-when-under-orders/) [William T. Vollmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-vollmann/) > [It's important. One of the principles in the United States is civilian control of the military.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-clark/it-s-important-one-of-the-principles-in-the-united-states-is-civilian/) [Wesley Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-clark/) > [Nonetheless, Article 5 makes clear that if an Iraqi civilian who is not a member of the armed forces, has engaged in attacks on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-yoo/nonetheless-article-5-makes-clear-that-if-an-iraqi-civilian-who-is/) [John Yoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-yoo/) Browse all 108 Civilian quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is of first importance that the military be subordinate to civilian government", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Rawls" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/it-is-of-first-importance-that-the-military-be-subordinate-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Civilian" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/it-is-of-first-importance-that-the-military-be-subordinate-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e3/john-rawls-7786_firsts_it-is-of-first-importance-that-the-milit_859761.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e3/john-rawls-7786_firsts_it-is-of-first-importance-that-the-milit_859761.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e3/john-rawls-7786_firsts_it-is-of-first-importance-that-the-milit_859761.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is of first importance that the military be subordinate to civilian government” — John Rawls", "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": "John Rawls", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is of first importance that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/it-is-of-first-importance-that-the-military-be-subordinate-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/it-is-of-first-importance-that-the-military-be-subordinate-to/#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 } } ] } ```