--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The mistake our politicians so often make…" description: "\"The mistake our politicians so often make with these industry leaders is in thinking they are interested in, or respectful of, the power of government...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75d/matt-taibbi-2257_approval_the-mistake-our-politicians-so-often-mak_1641040.jpg" --- # The mistake our politicians so often make with these… ![“The mistake our politicians so often make with these industry leaders is in thinking they are interested in, or respectful of, the power of government. All they want is to keep stealing. If you can offer them the government’s seal of approval on that, they’ll take it. But if you can’t, well…” quote by Matt Taibbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75d/matt-taibbi-2257_approval_the-mistake-our-politicians-so-often-mak_1641040.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75d/matt-taibbi-2257_approval_the-mistake-our-politicians-so-often-mak_1641040.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75d/matt-taibbi-2257_approval_the-mistake-our-politicians-so-often-mak_1641040.jpg) > “The mistake our politicians so often make with these industry leaders is in thinking they are interested in, or respectful of, the power of government. All they want is to keep stealing. If you can offer them the government’s seal of approval on that, they’ll take it. But if you can’t, well, they’ll take that too.” [Matt Taibbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-taibbi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Politicians exploit industry leaders, offering approval seals to legitimize theft; without approval, they still exploit. **In simple terms:** Politicians use approval to enable theft, even without it. Key Takeaway Beware of political approval as a cover for exploitation. Themes politics corruption industry Mood cautious critical Type political analytical When to use this quote - policy making - corporate lobbying - regulation Key Concepts Power dynamics government approval Questions to Reflect On - How can transparency reduce exploitation? - What safeguards protect against misuse of approval? A Different Perspective Not all politicians act corruptly; context matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Approval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approval/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leader/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [Politician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politician/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Respectful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respectful/) [Seals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seals/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [I don't want anyone stealing you away, how will I live if that should happen? 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