--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is a significant Latin proverb; to…" description: "\"There is a significant Latin proverb; to wit: Who will guard the guards?\" — Josh Billings" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/949/josh-billings-777_caution_there-is-a-significant-latin-proverb-to_2587630.png" --- # There is a significant Latin proverb; to wit: Who will… ![“There is a significant Latin proverb; to wit: Who will guard the guards?” quote by Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/949/josh-billings-777_caution_there-is-a-significant-latin-proverb-to_2587630.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/949/josh-billings-777_caution_there-is-a-significant-latin-proverb-to_2587630.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/949/josh-billings-777_caution_there-is-a-significant-latin-proverb-to_2587630.png) > “There is a significant Latin proverb; to wit: Who will guard the guards?” [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The question of who monitors those in power highlights the need for oversight and accountability. **In simple terms:** Who watches the watchers? Key Takeaway Demand accountability from leaders. Themes power oversight trust ethics Mood critical concerned Type political philosophical When to use this quote - government - corporate governance - media - civil society - law enforcement Key Concepts political theory social contract transparency Questions to Reflect On - How can societies enforce checks on authority? - What mechanisms best prevent abuse? A Different Perspective Power structures often resist scrutiny. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Caution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caution/) [Latin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/latin/) [Latin proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/latin-proverb/) [Proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proverb/) [Vigilance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vigilance/) [Wit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wit/) ## Related quotes > [I am always nearest to myself," says the Latin proverb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-b-macaulay/i-am-always-nearest-to-myself-says-the-latin-proverb/) [Thomas B. Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-b-macaulay/) > [Believe! An old Latin proverb reads: "Believe that you have it and you have it."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilferd-peterson/believe-an-old-latin-proverb-reads-believe-that-you-have-it-and-you/) [Wilferd Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilferd-peterson/) > [Alea iacta est. The die has been cast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-lawhead/alea-iacta-est-the-die-has-been-cast/) [Stephen R. Lawhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-lawhead/) > [One hand washes the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/one-hand-washes-the-other/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [Festina lente. Make haste slowly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-rollins/festina-lente-make-haste-slowly/) [James Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-rollins/) > [Every one excels in something in which another fails.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/publilius-syrus/every-one-excels-in-something-in-which-another-fails/) [Publilius Syrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/publilius-syrus/) > [Silent enim leges inter arma (Laws are silent in times of war).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/silent-enim-leges-inter-arma-laws-are-silent-in-times-of-war/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [“Integrity is the noblest possession. -Latin Proverb.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adair/integrity-is-the-noblest-possession-latin-proverb/) [John Adair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adair/) > [The Latin proverb, homo homini lupus — man is a wolf to man—... is a libel on the wolf, which is a gentle animal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-gorer/the-latin-proverb-homo-homini-lupus-man-is-a-wolf-to-man-is-a-libel/) Geoffrey Gorer > [A God in the hand is worth two in the bush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/a-god-in-the-hand-is-worth-two-in-the-bush/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [Even a god finds it hard to love and be wise at the same time. -Amare et sapere vix deo conceditur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/publilius-syrus/even-a-god-finds-it-hard-to-love-and-be-wise-at-the-same-time-amare/) [Publilius Syrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/publilius-syrus/) > [Carpe diem. (Seize the day.)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/carpe-diem-seize-the-day/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [I shall either find a way, or make one (attributed)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/i-shall-either-find-a-way-or-make-one-attributed/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [To rule yourself is the ultimate power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/to-rule-yourself-is-the-ultimate-power/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [While the people retain their virtue and vigilance, no administration, by any extreme of wickedness or folly, can very seriously injure the government in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/while-the-people-retain-their-virtue-and-vigilance-no-administration/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) ## More by Josh Billings > [It ain't because lovers are so sensitive that they quarrel so often; it is because there is so much fun n the making up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/it-ain-t-because-lovers-are-so-sensitive-that-they-quarrel-so-often/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [Man was created a little lower than the angels and has been getting a little lower ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/man-was-created-a-little-lower-than-the-angels-and-has-been-getting-a/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [There is only one good substitute for the endearments of a sister, and that is the endearments of some other fellow's sister.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/there-is-only-one-good-substitute-for-the-endearments-of-a-sister-and/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [Life is a grindstone, and whether it grinds a man down or polishes him up depends on the stuff he's made of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/life-is-a-grindstone-and-whether-it-grinds-a-man-down-or-polishes-him/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [Its harly my dog A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/its-harly-my-dog-a-dog-is-the-only-thing-on-earth-that-loves-you-more/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [Perseverance is king.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/perseverance-is-king/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [Unless we put heart and soul into our labor we but brutify our actions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/unless-we-put-heart-and-soul-into-our-labor-we-but-brutify-our-actions/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [A secret ceases to be a secret if it is once confided - it is like a dollar bill, once broken, it is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/a-secret-ceases-to-be-a-secret-if-it-is-once-confided-it-is-like-a/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [If a man is right, he can't be too radical; if he is wrong, he can't be too conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/if-a-man-is-right-he-can-t-be-too-radical-if-he-is-wrong-he-can-t-be/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [As a general rule, if you want to get at the truth - hear both sides and believe neither.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/as-a-general-rule-if-you-want-to-get-at-the-truth-hear-both-sides-and/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [Economy is a savings-bank, into which men drop pennies, and get dollars in return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/economy-is-a-savings-bank-into-which-men-drop-pennies-and-get-dollars/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [Self-made men are most always apt to be a little too proud of the job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/self-made-men-are-most-always-apt-to-be-a-little-too-proud-of-the-job/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [Poverty is one of them kind of misfortunes that we all of us dread but none of us pity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/poverty-is-one-of-them-kind-of-misfortunes-that-we-all-of-us-dread/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [If the world despises a hypocrite, what must they think of him in heaven?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/if-the-world-despises-a-hypocrite-what-must-they-think-of-him-in/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [The man who gets bit twice by the same dog is better adapted for that kind of business than any other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/the-man-who-gets-bit-twice-by-the-same-dog-is-better-adapted-for-that/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) [Explore all 372 Josh Billings quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) ## More Caution quotes > [Popular culture as a whole is popular, but in today's fragmented market it's a jostle of competing unpopular popular cultures. As the critic Stanley…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/popular-culture-as-a-whole-is-popular-but-in-today-s-fragmented/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [Ancient eyes had stared at me, filled with ancient grief. And something more. Something so alien and unexpected that I'd almost burst into tears.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/ancient-eyes-had-stared-at-me-filled-with-ancient-grief-and-something/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [It requires as much to tell the truth as to conceal it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baltasar-gracian/it-requires-as-much-to-tell-the-truth-as-to-conceal-it/) [Baltasar Gracian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baltasar-gracian/) > [“…there’s nothing in this world that demands more caution than the truth. To tell the truth is like leeching one’s own heart...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/there-s-nothing-in-this-world-that-demands-more-caution-than-the/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [ \[D\]on't grow old. With age comes caution, which is another name for cowardice… Whatever else you do in life, don't cultivate a conscience. Without… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesketh-pearson/d-on-t-grow-old-with-age-comes-caution-which-is-another-name-for/) [Hesketh Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesketh-pearson/) > [When I became successful, I put up a caution. I didn't think it was fair to have the shadow of that kind of success…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-redford/when-i-became-successful-i-put-up-a-caution-i-didn-t-think-it-was/) [Robert Redford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-redford/) > [There is one stark fact facing us: three quarters of all crime that results in a caution or sentence happens because of reoffending. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gauke/there-is-one-stark-fact-facing-us-three-quarters-of-all-crime-that/) [David Gauke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gauke/) > [The four cautions: Beware a woman in front of you, beware a horse behind of you, beware a cart beside of you, and beware…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-o-neill/the-four-cautions-beware-a-woman-in-front-of-you-beware-a-horse/) [Jamie O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-o-neill/) > [“Oh ... why not?' he smiled. "This valley is a pleasant spot for meditation. I like New England... it is here that I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/oh-why-not-he-smiled-this-valley-is-a-pleasant-spot-for-meditation-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Fear and caution are two different things. Be cautious - be conscious - but do not be fearful. Fear only paralyzes, while consciousness mobilizes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/fear-and-caution-are-two-different-things-be-cautious-be-conscious/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) > [ “\[U\]se extreme caution, and please remember that 451 degrees Fahrenheit is more than just a book a title…” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ammon-shea/u-se-extreme-caution-and-please-remember-that-451-degrees-fahrenheit/) [Ammon Shea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ammon-shea/) > [I often found myself in situations where I had, without thinking, said too much to too many with too little caution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-corey-whaley/i-often-found-myself-in-situations-where-i-had-without-thinking-said/) [John Corey Whaley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-corey-whaley/) > [The future is inherently full of discontinuities, and lessons of the past must be applied with enormous caution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zbigniew-brzezinski/the-future-is-inherently-full-of-discontinuities-and-lessons-of-the/) [Zbigniew Brzezinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zbigniew-brzezinski/) > [Every human being has, like Socrates, an attendant spirit; and wise are they who obey its signals. If it does not always tell us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-m-child/every-human-being-has-like-socrates-an-attendant-spirit-and-wise-are/) [Lydia M. Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-m-child/) > [“Love everyone but chose your friends with caution.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mensah-oteh/love-everyone-but-chose-your-friends-with-caution/) [Mensah Oteh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mensah-oteh/) [Browse all 640 Caution quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caution/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is a significant Latin proverb; to wit: Who will guard the guards?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Josh Billings" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/there-is-a-significant-latin-proverb-to-wit-who-will-guard-the-guards/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Caution" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/there-is-a-significant-latin-proverb-to-wit-who-will-guard-the-guards/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/949/josh-billings-777_caution_there-is-a-significant-latin-proverb-to_2587630.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/949/josh-billings-777_caution_there-is-a-significant-latin-proverb-to_2587630.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/949/josh-billings-777_caution_there-is-a-significant-latin-proverb-to_2587630.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is a significant Latin proverb; to wit: Who will guard the guards?” — Josh Billings", "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": "Josh Billings", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There is a significant Latin proverb;...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/there-is-a-significant-latin-proverb-to-wit-who-will-guard-the-guards/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/there-is-a-significant-latin-proverb-to-wit-who-will-guard-the-guards/#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 } } ] } ```