--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In a perfect world, nothing will happen…" description: "\"In a perfect world, nothing will happen to Obergefell. And as long as that remains the case, the Respect for Marriage Act would be little more than the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/225/jonathan-capehart-4932_disaster_in-a-perfect-world-nothing-will-happen-t_2487823.jpg" --- # In a perfect world, nothing will happen to Obergefell. And… ![“In a perfect world, nothing will happen to Obergefell. And as long as that remains the case, the Respect for Marriage Act would be little more than the legislative equivalent of insurance. It's not the most comprehensive policy. But it's better to have half a safeguard than nothing at all if…” quote by Jonathan Capehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/225/jonathan-capehart-4932_disaster_in-a-perfect-world-nothing-will-happen-t_2487823.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/225/jonathan-capehart-4932_disaster_in-a-perfect-world-nothing-will-happen-t_2487823.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/225/jonathan-capehart-4932_disaster_in-a-perfect-world-nothing-will-happen-t_2487823.jpg) > “In a perfect world, nothing will happen to Obergefell. And as long as that remains the case, the Respect for Marriage Act would be little more than the legislative equivalent of insurance. It's not the most comprehensive policy. But it's better to have half a safeguard than nothing at all if disaster strikes.” [Jonathan Capehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-capehart/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He contends that the Act is a partial safeguard, better than none, despite not being comprehensive. **In simple terms:** Partial protection is better than none. Key Takeaway Support incremental legal protections. Themes LGBTQ rights legislation risk management Mood thoughtful analytical Type policy commentary When to use this quote - legal advocacy - community planning - policy lobbying Key Concepts insurance analogy policy compromise Questions to Reflect On - Is half a safeguard sufficient? - What are the risks of incomplete legislation? A Different Perspective May give false sense of security. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Disaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disaster/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Perfect world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfect-world/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [I have a lot of respect for marriage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-monaghan/i-have-a-lot-of-respect-for-marriage/) [Dominic Monaghan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-monaghan/) > [“We say that the most dangerous criminal now is the entirely lawless modern philosopher. Compared to him, burglars and bigamists are essentially moral men;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/we-say-that-the-most-dangerous-criminal-now-is-the-entirely-lawless/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [I respect marriage, and I think it's beautiful that people do it. But for me, more important than anything is having a peaceful life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camila-alves/i-respect-marriage-and-i-think-it-s-beautiful-that-people-do-it-but/) [Camila Alves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camila-alves/) > [When I was in law school at Harvard, the Defence of Marriage Act (DOMA) in the U.S. was a big thing. I remember the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ory-okolloh/when-i-was-in-law-school-at-harvard-the-defence-of-marriage-act-doma/) [Ory Okolloh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ory-okolloh/) > [I believe in traditional marriage and I believe in the Defense of Marriage Act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-cain/i-believe-in-traditional-marriage-and-i-believe-in-the-defense-of/) [Herman Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-cain/) > [Marriage is not an act of services. It is a comfort man or woman seeks for himself or herself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/marriage-is-not-an-act-of-services-it-is-a-comfort-man-or-woman-seeks/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [If I were in Congress in 1996, I would have voted for the Defense of Marriage Act, which used Congress's constitutional authority to define…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/if-i-were-in-congress-in-1996-i-would-have-voted-for-the-defense-of/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [There was a very strong bipartisan coalition in Congress under President Bill Clinton that passed the Defense of Marriage Act. And you've had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-scalise/there-was-a-very-strong-bipartisan-coalition-in-congress-under/) [Steve Scalise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-scalise/) > [I rise today in support of Bill C-38, the Civil Marriage Act. I rise in support of a Canada in which liberties are safeguarded,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-martin/i-rise-today-in-support-of-bill-c-38-the-civil-marriage-act-i-rise-in/) [Paul Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-martin/) > [Marriage is an act of will that signifies and involves a mutual gift, which unites the spouses and binds them to their eventual souls,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/marriage-is-an-act-of-will-that-signifies-and-involves-a-mutual-gift/) [Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/) > [The Clintons opposed gay marriage. They did don't ask, don't tell. They did the Defense of Marriage Act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/the-clintons-opposed-gay-marriage-they-did-don-t-ask-don-t-tell-they/) [Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/) > [We are wide open and vulnerable and in all likelihood an activist judge will strike down our Defense of Marriage Act, our state law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michele-bachmann/we-are-wide-open-and-vulnerable-and-in-all-likelihood-an-activist/) [Michele Bachmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michele-bachmann/) > [I voted for the Defense of Marriage Act but I do not believe we should institutionalize a form of discrimination against any minority by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-nighthorse-campbell/i-voted-for-the-defense-of-marriage-act-but-i-do-not-believe-we/) [Ben Nighthorse Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-nighthorse-campbell/) > [The so-called Defense of Marriage Act is a valueless tradition that, like laws against interracial marriage that were finally overturned by the Supreme Court…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-polis/the-so-called-defense-of-marriage-act-is-a-valueless-tradition-that/) [Jared Polis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-polis/) > [I applaud the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act. This was discrimination enshrined in law. It treated loving, committed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-applaud-the-supreme-court-s-decision-to-strike-down-the-defense-of/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) ## More by Jonathan Capehart > [Caught in a racial uproar, people make all sorts of promises to make amends. Whatever they do tends to be heavy on symbolism and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-capehart/caught-in-a-racial-uproar-people-make-all-sorts-of-promises-to-make/) [Jonathan Capehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-capehart/) > [I know I'm more forgiving than most African Americans when it comes to second chances for White people who not only commit a racial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-capehart/i-know-i-m-more-forgiving-than-most-african-americans-when-it-comes/) [Jonathan Capehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-capehart/) > [Look, as an institutionalist who recognizes the power of incrementalism in the slow but steady march to equality, I'm used to seeing the forest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-capehart/look-as-an-institutionalist-who-recognizes-the-power-of/) [Jonathan Capehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-capehart/) > [Our Declaration of Independence declares that democracies derive their power from the 'consent of the governed.' But this democracy will fail if only some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-capehart/our-declaration-of-independence-declares-that-democracies-derive/) [Jonathan Capehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-capehart/) > [In 1940, Hattie McDaniel became the first African American to be nominated for and to win an Oscar. It was a step forward, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-capehart/in-1940-hattie-mcdaniel-became-the-first-african-american-to-be/) [Jonathan Capehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-capehart/) > [Woke supremacy' ranks up there with that tired crutch of the right known as 'cancel culture.' The purpose of both phrases is to shield…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-capehart/woke-supremacy-ranks-up-there-with-that-tired-crutch-of-the-right/) [Jonathan Capehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-capehart/) > [One of the burdens of being a black male is carrying the heavy weight of other people’s suspicions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-capehart/one-of-the-burdens-of-being-a-black-male-is-carrying-the-heavy-weight/) [Jonathan Capehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-capehart/) > [I love taking photos of the American flag fluttering in the wind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-capehart/i-love-taking-photos-of-the-american-flag-fluttering-in-the-wind/) [Jonathan Capehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-capehart/) > [We'll never understand this country as long as book banning, tip lines and legislation to bubble-wrap the tender White souls among us continue to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-capehart/we-ll-never-understand-this-country-as-long-as-book-banning-tip-lines/) [Jonathan Capehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-capehart/) > [Scapegoating is as American as apple pie. And because there's almost always a racial or ethnic dynamic to it in our country, scapegoating is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-capehart/scapegoating-is-as-american-as-apple-pie-and-because-there-s-almost/) [Jonathan Capehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-capehart/) > [The fight for women's rights is all our fight. It always has been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-capehart/the-fight-for-women-s-rights-is-all-our-fight-it-always-has-been/) [Jonathan Capehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-capehart/) > [The harsh truth is that 'respectability' is the exorbitant tax we African Americans are forced to pay daily as we try to live out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-capehart/the-harsh-truth-is-that-respectability-is-the-exorbitant-tax-we/) [Jonathan Capehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-capehart/) > [One of the best strategies to learn something new during an interview is to ask the subject if there was a question they wished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-capehart/one-of-the-best-strategies-to-learn-something-new-during-an-interview/) [Jonathan Capehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-capehart/) > [If you've been to a pride parade, you know it's a celebration of acceptance and inclusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-capehart/if-you-ve-been-to-a-pride-parade-you-know-it-s-a-celebration-of/) [Jonathan Capehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-capehart/) > [In our system of equal branches of government, whatever plan the advocates are demanding from Biden will have to stand on its own in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-capehart/in-our-system-of-equal-branches-of-government-whatever-plan-the/) [Jonathan Capehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-capehart/) [Explore all 105 Jonathan Capehart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-capehart/) ## More Disaster quotes > [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [One of the undervalued contributors to Trump's stunning 2016 victory was the masterful performance Pence had in his debate against Hillary Clinton running mate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mollie-hemingway/one-of-the-undervalued-contributors-to-trump-s-stunning-2016-victory/) [Mollie Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mollie-hemingway/) > [You know, we can't beat ISIS. We can't do anything. We can't take care of our vets. We can't have good health care. "Obama…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/you-know-we-can-t-beat-isis-we-can-t-do-anything-we-can-t-take-care/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [My mind shrank from the menace sweeping down on us, as children's do from belief in death and misfortune, vainly clinging to the fancy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-pankhurst/my-mind-shrank-from-the-menace-sweeping-down-on-us-as-children-s-do/) [Sylvia Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-pankhurst/) > [The compensations of calamity are made apparent to the understanding also, after long intervals of time. A fever, a mutilation, a cruel disappointment, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-compensations-of-calamity-are-made-apparent-to-the-understanding/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [You can't have people making decisions about the future of the world who are scientifically illiterate. That's a recipe for disaster. And I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/you-can-t-have-people-making-decisions-about-the-future-of-the-world/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [“She was—of course—perfectly normal— quiet and polite and reasonably intelligent and...normal and self destructive and lonely and terrified of every thing And she loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tah-the-trickster/she-was-of-course-perfectly-normal-quiet-and-polite-and-reasonably/) Tah the Trickster > [Obviously, it's my goal to be the top scorer in the Bundesliga, but it wouldn't be a disaster if I didn't achieve that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-gomez/obviously-it-s-my-goal-to-be-the-top-scorer-in-the-bundesliga-but-it/) [Mario Gomez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-gomez/) > [Yes, life in Chechnya so far looks more like a life after a natural disaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/yes-life-in-chechnya-so-far-looks-more-like-a-life-after-a-natural/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [Even disasters -- there are always disasters when you travel -- can be turned into adventures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/even-disasters-there-are-always-disasters-when-you-travel-can-be/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [We are always just one successful terrorist attack away from a nuclear disaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-thompson/we-are-always-just-one-successful-terrorist-attack-away-from-a/) [Fred Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-thompson/) > [WHANGDEPOOTENAWAH, n. In the Ojibwa tongue, disaster; an unexpected affliction that strikes hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/whangdepootenawah-n-in-the-ojibwa-tongue-disaster-an-unexpected/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Architects mostly work for privileged people, people who have money and power, Power and money are invisible, so people hire us to visualize their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shigeru-ban/architects-mostly-work-for-privileged-people-people-who-have-money/) [Shigeru Ban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shigeru-ban/) > [The only aspect of our travels that is interesting to others is disaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-gellmanmartha-gellman/the-only-aspect-of-our-travels-that-is-interesting-to-others-is/) Martha GellmanMartha Gellman [Browse all 2,239 Disaster quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disaster/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In a perfect world, nothing will happen to Obergefell. 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