--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The 'nations,' as they are called, with…" description: "\"The 'nations,' as they are called, with whom our pretended ambassadors, secretaries, presidents, and senators profess to make treaties, are as much myt..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ab/lysander-spooner-3260_ambassadors_the-nations-as-they-are-called-with-whom_1156897.png" --- # The 'nations,' as they are called, with whom our pretended… ![“The 'nations,' as they are called, with whom our pretended ambassadors, secretaries, presidents, and senators profess to make treaties, are as much myths as our own. On general principles of law and reason, there are no such 'nations.' ... Our pretended treaties, then, being made with no…” quote by Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ab/lysander-spooner-3260_ambassadors_the-nations-as-they-are-called-with-whom_1156897.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ab/lysander-spooner-3260_ambassadors_the-nations-as-they-are-called-with-whom_1156897.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ab/lysander-spooner-3260_ambassadors_the-nations-as-they-are-called-with-whom_1156897.png) > “The 'nations,' as they are called, with whom our pretended ambassadors, secretaries, presidents, and senators profess to make treaties, are as much myths as our own. On general principles of law and reason, there are no such 'nations.' ... Our pretended treaties, then, being made with no legitimate or bona fide nations, or representatives of nations, and being made, on our part, by persons who have no legitimate authority to act for us, have intrinsically no more validity than a pretended treaty made by the Man in the Moon with the king of the Pleiades.” [Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Sovereign entities are constructs; treaties with imagined nations lack legitimacy, similar to fanciful agreements with celestial beings. **In simple terms:** Imagined nations make invalid treaties. Key Takeaway Question the legitimacy of authority. Themes politics law sovereignty Mood critical philosophical Type political skeptical When to use this quote - diplomatic negotiations - policy making - legal analysis Key Concepts legitimacy authority international law Questions to Reflect On - Do you accept authority without proof? - What defines a legitimate nation? A Different Perspective Real‑world treaties involve recognized parties, making the analogy imperfect. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ambassadors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambassadors/) [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Bona Fide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bona-fide/) [He man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/he-man/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Individual rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual-rights/) [Individualism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individualism/) [Kings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kings/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Man in the moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-in-the-moon/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moon/) [Myth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myth/) [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [Nations Pretended](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations-pretended-3296447/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [Pretended Treaties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretended-treaties-3296448/) [Pretended Treaty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretended-treaty-3296450/) [Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Representatives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/representatives/) [Secretary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secretary/) [Senators](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/senators/) [Slavery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slavery/) [Sovereignty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sovereignty/) [Treaties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treaties/) [Treaties Legitimate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treaties-legitimate-3296451/) [Treaties Myths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treaties-myths-3296449/) [Validity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/validity/) ## Related quotes > [“Up there in the sky. 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Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Written and directed by French showman Georges Melies, 'Le Voyage' features one of the most indelible images in cinema history: the wounded Man in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kage-baker/written-and-directed-by-french-showman-georges-melies-le-voyage/) [Kage Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kage-baker/) > [And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon Little boy blue and the man in the moon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-chapin/and-the-cat-s-in-the-cradle-and-the-silver-spoon-little-boy-blue-and-2/) [Harry Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-chapin/) > [Not the man in the moon, not the groaning-board, not the speaking of friar Bacon's brazen- head, not the inspiration of mother Shipton, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-defoe/not-the-man-in-the-moon-not-the-groaning-board-not-the-speaking-of/) [Daniel Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-defoe/) > [And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon, Little boy blue and the man in the moon. 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