--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The essence of good government is trust." description: "\"The essence of good government is trust.\" — Kathleen Sebelius" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed0/kathleen-sebelius-14525_essence_the-essence-of-good-government-is-trust_2365378.jpg" --- # The essence of good government is trust. ![“The essence of good government is trust.” quote by Kathleen Sebelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed0/kathleen-sebelius-14525_essence_the-essence-of-good-government-is-trust_2365378.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed0/kathleen-sebelius-14525_essence_the-essence-of-good-government-is-trust_2365378.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed0/kathleen-sebelius-14525_essence_the-essence-of-good-government-is-trust_2365378.jpg) > “The essence of good government is trust.” [Kathleen Sebelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-sebelius/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Good government rests on the confidence citizens place in institutions and leaders. **In simple terms:** Trust is essential for governance. Key Takeaway Build and maintain public trust. Themes politics public administration trust Mood inspirational pragmatic Type hopeful serious When to use this quote - public policy - community engagement - elections Key Concepts social contract legitimacy accountability Questions to Reflect On - How can leaders rebuild lost trust? - What mechanisms ensure accountability? A Different Perspective Trust can be eroded by scandal or opacity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Essence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essence/) [Essence Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essence-good-1304481/) [Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good/) [Good government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-government/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Government Trust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government-trust-1198907/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Trust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trust/) ## Related quotes > [“Goodness preaches constantly, wants to change humanity, to work miracles from one day to the next, makes a show of its substance, wants to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deszo-koszstolanyi/goodness-preaches-constantly-wants-to-change-humanity-to-work/) [Deszo Koszstolanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deszo-koszstolanyi/) > [The essence is, what can we do next? And will it be good?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vidal-sassoon/the-essence-is-what-can-we-do-next-and-will-it-be-good/) [Vidal Sassoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vidal-sassoon/) > [“The essence of good taste is never to be offended by bad taste.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-hewitt/the-essence-of-good-taste-is-never-to-be-offended-by-bad-taste/) [Hugh Hewitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-hewitt/) > [I feel that confidence is the essence for a good performance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sangeetha-krish/i-feel-that-confidence-is-the-essence-for-a-good-performance/) [Sangeetha Krish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sangeetha-krish/) > [Simplicity, to me, has always been the essence of good taste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cary-grant/simplicity-to-me-has-always-been-the-essence-of-good-taste/) [Cary Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cary-grant/) > [ I think \[rock'n'roll\] essence is what made it good and has a lot in common with what originally made monotheism good - it's against… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/i-think-rock-n-roll-essence-is-what-made-it-good-and-has-a-lot-in/) [Ezra Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/) > [The essence to me of all good drama is argument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-pollack/the-essence-to-me-of-all-good-drama-is-argument/) [Sydney Pollack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-pollack/) > [President Obama trusts in the wisdom of government. I put my trust in the ingenuity and creativity and commitment to hard work of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/president-obama-trusts-in-the-wisdom-of-government-i-put-my-trust-in/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [Some people trust an insurance company over the government, while others trust the government over insurance companies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-polis/some-people-trust-an-insurance-company-over-the-government-while/) [Jared Polis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-polis/) > [“The choice is yours: trust the government or trust Mother Nature.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cannell-md/the-choice-is-yours-trust-the-government-or-trust-mother-nature/) [John Cannell, MD](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cannell-md/) > [Self-certification may look like a small vision but there cannot be a greater decision for a Government to trust the honesty of the 1.25…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/self-certification-may-look-like-a-small-vision-but-there-cannot-be-a/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Our challenge is to restore both trust in Labour as a party of government and trust in democracy as the best means of delivering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-phillips/our-challenge-is-to-restore-both-trust-in-labour-as-a-party-of/) [Jess Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-phillips/) > [Anyway, why would you trust anything written down? She certainly didn't trust "Mothers of Borogravia!" and that was from the government. And if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/anyway-why-would-you-trust-anything-written-down-she-certainly-didn-t/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“And if you couldn't trust the government, who could you trust? Very nearly everyone, come to think of it...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/and-if-you-couldn-t-trust-the-government-who-could-you-trust-very/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Im feeling like what the fuck? they want my soul Like my ancestors aint enough. If I cant trust my own government, who can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-krit/im-feeling-like-what-the-fuck-they-want-my-soul-like-my-ancestors/) [Big KRIT](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-krit/) ## More by Kathleen Sebelius > [To me, part of the magic of this era is that the very same innovations, discoveries, and technologies that are allowing us to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-sebelius/to-me-part-of-the-magic-of-this-era-is-that-the-very-same-innovations/) [Kathleen Sebelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-sebelius/) > [We have an opportunity to create a future where we are actually encouraging providers to keep people away from acute care, whenever possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-sebelius/we-have-an-opportunity-to-create-a-future-where-we-are-actually/) [Kathleen Sebelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-sebelius/) > [The men and women who serve this great nation, whether they are stationed in Iraq, Fort Riley, or the Korean Peninsula, or they serve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-sebelius/the-men-and-women-who-serve-this-great-nation-whether-they-are/) [Kathleen Sebelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-sebelius/) > [But for us Democrats, Obamacare is a badge of honor. Because no matter who you are, what stage of life you're in, this law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-sebelius/but-for-us-democrats-obamacare-is-a-badge-of-honor-because-no-matter/) [Kathleen Sebelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-sebelius/) > [If you're under 26, you can stay on your parents' plan. You can go back to school or get extra training without fear of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-sebelius/if-you-re-under-26-you-can-stay-on-your-parents-plan-you-can-go-back/) [Kathleen Sebelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-sebelius/) > [A lot of the discussion about rolling back the Affordable Care Act is about dismantling the marketplaces where individuals are shopping for their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-sebelius/a-lot-of-the-discussion-about-rolling-back-the-affordable-care-act-is/) [Kathleen Sebelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-sebelius/) > [ \[I\]nstead of spending your energy attacking the parts of the president's \[health care\] proposal you don't like, you can use it to strengthen the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-sebelius/i-nstead-of-spending-your-energy-attacking-the-parts-of-the-president/) [Kathleen Sebelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-sebelius/) > [The lower income individuals, under any Republican proposal, at least that I have seen, are real losers in the framework because there is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-sebelius/the-lower-income-individuals-under-any-republican-proposal-at-least/) [Kathleen Sebelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-sebelius/) > [The way the law is written, people who are under 250 percent of poverty, who have a marketplace plan, also are eligible to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-sebelius/the-way-the-law-is-written-people-who-are-under-250-percent-of/) [Kathleen Sebelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-sebelius/) > [What we've been finding is that when you remove the barriers to innovation, you can actually hold costs down while lifting entrepreneurs up and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-sebelius/what-we-ve-been-finding-is-that-when-you-remove-the-barriers-to/) [Kathleen Sebelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-sebelius/) > [Insurance companies can no longer refuse to cover Americans with pre-existing conditions. That's what change looks like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-sebelius/insurance-companies-can-no-longer-refuse-to-cover-americans-with-pre/) [Kathleen Sebelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-sebelius/) > [More than five million seniors have already saved money on their prescription drugs, and almost 33 million have benefited from free preventive services. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-sebelius/more-than-five-million-seniors-have-already-saved-money-on-their/) [Kathleen Sebelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-sebelius/) > [American research and resources have literally changed the face of humanity, by tackling deadly and once-deadly diseases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-sebelius/american-research-and-resources-have-literally-changed-the-face-of/) [Kathleen Sebelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-sebelius/) > [I believe we all agree that, for the health of Kansas, nothing is more important than education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-sebelius/i-believe-we-all-agree-that-for-the-health-of-kansas-nothing-is-more/) [Kathleen Sebelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-sebelius/) > [We have by far the most expensive health system in the world. We spend 50 percent more per person than the next most costly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-sebelius/we-have-by-far-the-most-expensive-health-system-in-the-world-we-spend/) [Kathleen Sebelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-sebelius/) [Explore all 46 Kathleen Sebelius quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-sebelius/) ## More Essence quotes > [“THE ESSENCE OF YOUR DESIRE IS A FEELING”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-laporte/the-essence-of-your-desire-is-a-feeling/) [Danielle LaPorte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-laporte/) > [Everything in dancing is style, allusion, the essence of many thoughts and feelings. The abstraction of many moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-ailey/everything-in-dancing-is-style-allusion-the-essence-of-many-thoughts/) [Alvin Ailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-ailey/) > [Spiritually, life is a festival, a celebration. Joy is of the essence of life;](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnivesh/spiritually-life-is-a-festival-a-celebration-joy-is-of-the-essence-of/) [Agnivesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnivesh/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [It's all the unwordable things one wants to write about, just as it's all the unformable things one wants to paint - essence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-carr/it-s-all-the-unwordable-things-one-wants-to-write-about-just-as-it-s/) [Emily Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-carr/) > [In essence, I see the value of journalism as resting in a twofold mission: informing the public of accurate and vital information, and its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/in-essence-i-see-the-value-of-journalism-as-resting-in-a-twofold/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [Curiosity is the essence of human existence. 'Who are we? Where are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going?'... I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/curiosity-is-the-essence-of-human-existence-who-are-we-where-are-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The essence of worldliness is exclusion of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-jacobsen/the-essence-of-worldliness-is-exclusion-of-god/) [Henry Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-jacobsen/) > [I am alive. Up here with the song of the engine and the air whispering on my face as the sunlight and shadows play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-coonts/i-am-alive-up-here-with-the-song-of-the-engine-and-the-air-whispering/) [Stephen Coonts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-coonts/) > [The essence of Christianity...is an ever-new encounter with... the God who speaks to us, who approaches us and who befriends us!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/the-essence-of-christianity-is-an-ever-new-encounter-with-the-god-who/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [The wisdom or the essence of Guru Tattwa is a balance. Like when you maintain a plant, if you do not give it water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/the-wisdom-or-the-essence-of-guru-tattwa-is-a-balance-like-when-you/) [Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/) > [This is the pathless path - returning to where you were initially before you got lost. The deepest truth in you is where the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/this-is-the-pathless-path-returning-to-where-you-were-initially/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [Communism... is the genuine resolution of the antagonism between man and nature and between man and man; it is the true resolution of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/communism-is-the-genuine-resolution-of-the-antagonism-between-man-and/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [I'm not so much in the future as always in the present. The future always takes care of itself. What I do now with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-mekas/i-m-not-so-much-in-the-future-as-always-in-the-present-the-future/) [Jonas Mekas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-mekas/) > [The essence of the stage is concentration and penetration. Of the screen action, movement, sweep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/the-essence-of-the-stage-is-concentration-and-penetration-of-the/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) [Browse all 3,115 Essence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The essence of good government is trust.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kathleen Sebelius" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-sebelius/the-essence-of-good-government-is-trust/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Essence" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-sebelius/the-essence-of-good-government-is-trust/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed0/kathleen-sebelius-14525_essence_the-essence-of-good-government-is-trust_2365378.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed0/kathleen-sebelius-14525_essence_the-essence-of-good-government-is-trust_2365378.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed0/kathleen-sebelius-14525_essence_the-essence-of-good-government-is-trust_2365378.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The essence of good government is trust.” — Kathleen Sebelius", "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": "Kathleen Sebelius", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-sebelius/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The essence of good government is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-sebelius/the-essence-of-good-government-is-trust/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-sebelius/the-essence-of-good-government-is-trust/#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 } } ] } ```