--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'll remind you all, however, that for…" description: "\"I'll remind you all, however, that for government, existence is a privilege, not a right.\" — L. Neil Smith" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8f/l-neil-smith-3636_existence_i-ll-remind-you-all-however-that-for-gov_55107.png" --- # I'll remind you all, however, that for government… ![“I'll remind you all, however, that for government, existence is a privilege, not a right.” quote by L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8f/l-neil-smith-3636_existence_i-ll-remind-you-all-however-that-for-gov_55107.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8f/l-neil-smith-3636_existence_i-ll-remind-you-all-however-that-for-gov_55107.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8f/l-neil-smith-3636_existence_i-ll-remind-you-all-however-that-for-gov_55107.png) > “I'll remind you all, however, that for government, existence is a privilege, not a right.” [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Government is a voluntary institution that exists only because people allow it, not because it is inherently deserved. **In simple terms:** Government is a privilege, not a right. Key Takeaway Authority requires consent. Themes political philosophy libertarianism state legitimacy individual sovereignty Mood critical skeptical thoughtful Type philosophical political maxim When to use this quote - debates on limited government - discussions of civil liberties - policy analysis on state power Key Concepts social contract voluntary association authority rights Practical Applications - advocating for smaller government - educational material on political theory Questions to Reflect On - What conditions justify governmental authority? - How does consent shape political structures? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Existence Privilege](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence-privilege-769202/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Government Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government-existence-769204/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Privilege](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/privilege/) [Privilege Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/privilege-right-282957/) [Remind Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remind-government-769203/) ## Related quotes > [By raising bread-and-butter issues, we remind the Government of the things that it may forget or ignore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pritam-singh/by-raising-bread-and-butter-issues-we-remind-the-government-of-the/) [Pritam Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pritam-singh/) > [We have tried to remind Government servants that they are servants of the public and have restored discipline in Central Government offices. I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/we-have-tried-to-remind-government-servants-that-they-are-servants-of/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [To his mind, free will was a privilege, not a right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/to-his-mind-free-will-was-a-privilege-not-a-right/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [“Privilege is a right or immunity granted as a peculiar benefit, advantage, or favor. There is racial privilege, gender (and identity) privilege, heterosexual privilege,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/privilege-is-a-right-or-immunity-granted-as-a-peculiar-benefit-2/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [When a freedom is taken away from you, I suppose, you recognize it as a privilege, not a right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/when-a-freedom-is-taken-away-from-you-i-suppose-you-recognize-it-as-a/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Playing in the NFL, it's a privilege, it's not a right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-leaf/playing-in-the-nfl-it-s-a-privilege-it-s-not-a-right/) [Ryan Leaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-leaf/) > [“Privilege is a right or immunity granted as a peculiar benefit, advantage, or favor. There is racial privilege, gender (and identity) privilege, heterosexual privilege,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/privilege-is-a-right-or-immunity-granted-as-a-peculiar-benefit/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [Health care is not a privilege. It's a right. It's a right as fundamental as civil rights. It's a right as fundamental as giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-blagojevich/health-care-is-not-a-privilege-it-s-a-right-it-s-a-right-as/) [Rod Blagojevich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-blagojevich/) > [Flip-flops are a privilege, not a right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bastian/flip-flops-are-a-privilege-not-a-right/) [Michael Bastian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bastian/) > [A privilege may not be a right, but, under the constitution of the country, I do not gather that any broad distinction is drawn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-tupper/a-privilege-may-not-be-a-right-but-under-the-constitution-of-the/) [Charles Tupper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-tupper/) > [Education is not a privilege, it is a right!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/education-is-not-a-privilege-it-is-a-right/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [Leading the party is a privilege not a right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-harman/leading-the-party-is-a-privilege-not-a-right/) [Harriet Harman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-harman/) > [After a century of trying, we declared that healthcare in America is not a privilege for a few, it is a right for everybody.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/after-a-century-of-trying-we-declared-that-healthcare-in-america-is/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The fundamental disagreement most Republicans have is they don't think health care is a right. They think it is a privilege, not a right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/the-fundamental-disagreement-most-republicans-have-is-they-don-t/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [A woman's love is a man's privilege, not his right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexia/a-woman-s-love-is-a-man-s-privilege-not-his-right/) [Alexia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexia/) ## More by L. Neil Smith > [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Great men don't 'move to the center' - great men move the center!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/great-men-don-t-move-to-the-center-great-men-move-the-center/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [I suggest due process, speedy trials, and public hangings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/i-suggest-due-process-speedy-trials-and-public-hangings/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Guns cause crime like flies cause garbage!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/guns-cause-crime-like-flies-cause-garbage/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [I have a recurring daymare that when the Glorious People's SWAT Teams smash their way in, most of us - by which I mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/i-have-a-recurring-daymare-that-when-the-glorious-people-s-swat-teams/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [I propose a Constitutional Amendment providing that, if any public official, elected or appointed, at any level of government, is caught lying to any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/i-propose-a-constitutional-amendment-providing-that-if-any-public/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Victim disarmament types are sick, sick people, who'd rather see a woman raped in an alley and strangled with her own pantyhose than see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/victim-disarmament-types-are-sick-sick-people-who-d-rather-see-a/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Money, first and foremost, is a medium of communication, conveying the information we call 'price'. Government control of the money supply is censorship, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/money-first-and-foremost-is-a-medium-of-communication-conveying-the/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [A libertarian is a person who believes that no one has the right, under any circumstances, to initiate force against another human being, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/a-libertarian-is-a-person-who-believes-that-no-one-has-the-right/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [“...occasionally I like carrying raw steel to remind myself of an important lesson. The blade's an extension of the hand, the agent--no pun intended--of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/occasionally-i-like-carrying-raw-steel-to-remind-myself-of-an/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Thanks to guys like Boss Tweed, famous for saying, 'I don't give a damn who does the voting, as long as I do the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/thanks-to-guys-like-boss-tweed-famous-for-saying-i-don-t-give-a-damn/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Taxes are a barbaric remnant of ancient times in which early farmers, tied to the land, no longer able to roam freely, unable to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/taxes-are-a-barbaric-remnant-of-ancient-times-in-which-early-farmers/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [If conservatives really believed in individual liberty, as they endlessly claim and if they used both halves of their brains then they'd be libertarians.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/if-conservatives-really-believed-in-individual-liberty-as-they/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [You cannot force me to agree with you. You can force me to act as though I agree with you but then you'll have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/you-cannot-force-me-to-agree-with-you-you-can-force-me-to-act-as/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Wear a gun to someone else's house, you're saying, 'I'll defend this home as if it were my own.' When your guests see you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/wear-a-gun-to-someone-else-s-house-you-re-saying-i-ll-defend-this/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) [Explore all 125 L. Neil Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) ## More Existence quotes > [Getting on the cover of TIME guarantees the existence of opposition in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/getting-on-the-cover-of-time-guarantees-the-existence-of-opposition/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [A lot of indigenous cultures are deeply involved in working with ancestor spirits, elemental spirits, and demons. Many of these cultures feel that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/a-lot-of-indigenous-cultures-are-deeply-involved-in-working-with/) [Daniel Pinchbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pinchbeck/) > [It does not seem to me to be sufficiently recognized everywhere among the officials that the existence or non-existence of our people and Empire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-von-hindenburg/it-does-not-seem-to-me-to-be-sufficiently-recognized-everywhere-among/) [Paul von Hindenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-von-hindenburg/) > [Quantum physics fluctuates all the time. But now the fluctuations are not just particles coming into and out of existence, which happens all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/quantum-physics-fluctuates-all-the-time-but-now-the-fluctuations-are/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. Experiencing the innermost core of our existence is very embarrassing to a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-have-a-fear-of-facing-ourselves-that-is-the-obstacle-experiencing/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/) [Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/) > [My mind rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram, or the most intricate analysis, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/my-mind-rebels-at-stagnation-give-me-problems-give-me-work-give-me/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [May God bless each of us in our calls to serve. May our faith strengthen as we serve in righteousness, faithfully keeping the commandments.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-tom-perry/may-god-bless-each-of-us-in-our-calls-to-serve-may-our-faith/) [L. Tom Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-tom-perry/) > [Never belong to a crowd; Never belong to a nation; Never belong to a religion; Never belong to a race. Belong to the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/never-belong-to-a-crowd-never-belong-to-a-nation-never-belong-to-a/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty - it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/a-knowledge-of-the-existence-of-something-we-cannot-penetrate-of-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Universities are the cathedrals of the modern age. They shouldn't have to justify their existence by utilitarian criteria.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lodge/universities-are-the-cathedrals-of-the-modern-age-they-shouldn-t-have/) [David Lodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lodge/) > [Just as everybody has the vote including women, I think children should, because as a child is conscious of itself then it has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/just-as-everybody-has-the-vote-including-women-i-think-children/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [To divide one's life by years is of course to tumble into a trap set by our own arithmetic. The calendar consents to carry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/to-divide-one-s-life-by-years-is-of-course-to-tumble-into-a-trap-set/) [Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/) > [The party in Alobar’s head, which agitation and anxiety were throwing, now was crashed by a notion: existence can be rearranged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-party-in-alobar-s-head-which-agitation-and-anxiety-were-throwing/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) [Browse all 7,646 Existence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'll remind you all, however, that for government, existence is a privilege, not a right.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "L. 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