--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And as far as doing God's work, I think…" description: "\"And as far as doing God's work, I think the bankers who took government money and then gave out obscene bonuses are the same self-interested sorts Jesu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64f/maureen-dowd-6927_bankers_and-as-far-as-doing-god-s-work-i-think-t_430624.jpg" --- # And as far as doing God's work, I think the bankers who… ![“And as far as doing God's work, I think the bankers who took government money and then gave out obscene bonuses are the same self-interested sorts Jesus threw out of the temple.” quote by Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64f/maureen-dowd-6927_bankers_and-as-far-as-doing-god-s-work-i-think-t_430624.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64f/maureen-dowd-6927_bankers_and-as-far-as-doing-god-s-work-i-think-t_430624.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64f/maureen-dowd-6927_bankers_and-as-far-as-doing-god-s-work-i-think-t_430624.jpg) > “And as far as doing God's work, I think the bankers who took government money and then gave out obscene bonuses are the same self-interested sorts Jesus threw out of the temple.” [Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She compares bankers who misused bailout funds to the moneylenders Jesus expelled, calling them selfish. **In simple terms:** Bankers acted selfishly like biblical moneylenders. Key Takeaway Beware of self‑interest in crisis aid. Themes economics ethics politics Mood critical skeptical Type opinion commentary When to use this quote - financial bailouts - regulatory reform - public outrage Key Concepts moral hazard public trust Questions to Reflect On - What safeguards prevent abuse of public funds? - Do all crises demand similar moral judgments? A Different Perspective Not all financial actors are equally culpable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bankers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bankers/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Temple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/temple/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [How could you justify giving Holland twice the amount of money that you gave Belgium? Well, finally, I put it up to them. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-averell-harriman/how-could-you-justify-giving-holland-twice-the-amount-of-money-that/) [W. Averell Harriman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-averell-harriman/) > [The first thing, when I got the money, I knew I would support somebody. And the person I supported was my family. Because we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-schumacher/the-first-thing-when-i-got-the-money-i-knew-i-would-support-somebody/) [Michael Schumacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-schumacher/) > [I think the single biggest thing that money gave me-and obviously I came from a place where I was a single mother and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/i-think-the-single-biggest-thing-that-money-gave-me-and-obviously-i/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [The people gave their money and they gave their screams, but the Beatles gave their nervous systems, which is a much more difficult thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-harrison/the-people-gave-their-money-and-they-gave-their-screams-but-the/) [George Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-harrison/) > [I know Anbu Chezhiyan for 6 years. When I wanted to produce, I went and asked him for money. He was the one who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-antony/i-know-anbu-chezhiyan-for-6-years-when-i-wanted-to-produce-i-went-and/) [Vijay Antony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-antony/) > [“Money had no name, of course. And if it did have a name, it would no longer be money. What gave money its true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/money-had-no-name-of-course-and-if-it-did-have-a-name-it-would-no/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [The most important truths always appear first as blasphemies or obscenities. That's why every great innovator is persecuted. And the sacraments look obscene, too,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/the-most-important-truths-always-appear-first-as-blasphemies-or/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [The First Amendment is not an altar on which we must sacrifice our children, families, and community standards. Obscene material that is not protected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orrin-hatch/the-first-amendment-is-not-an-altar-on-which-we-must-sacrifice-our/) [Orrin Hatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orrin-hatch/) > [“The worst possible sexual education: a taboo imposed by the Catholic church plus romantic literature elevating love to unreal heights plus the obscene language…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/czeslaw-milosz/the-worst-possible-sexual-education-a-taboo-imposed-by-the-catholic/) [Czeslaw Milosz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/czeslaw-milosz/) > [Whether my acting was obscene, or whether it was distasteful, well, Judge Rehnquist, who just recently passed away couldn't define pornography. His comment on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-reems/whether-my-acting-was-obscene-or-whether-it-was-distasteful-well/) [Harry Reems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-reems/) > [The main hangup in the world today is hypocrisy and insecurity. If people can't face up to the fact of other people being naked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/the-main-hangup-in-the-world-today-is-hypocrisy-and-insecurity-if/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > ['Nobody goes to jail.' This is the mantra of the financial-crisis era, one that saw virtually every major bank and financial company on Wall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-taibbi/nobody-goes-to-jail-this-is-the-mantra-of-the-financial-crisis-era/) [Matt Taibbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-taibbi/) > [The only thing that is obscene is censorship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-thing-that-is-obscene-is-censorship/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Women should be obscene and not heard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/women-should-be-obscene-and-not-heard/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) > [When the commission finds that a pig has entered the parlor, the exercise of its regulatory power does not depend on proof that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-paul-stevens/when-the-commission-finds-that-a-pig-has-entered-the-parlor-the/) [John Paul Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-paul-stevens/) ## More by Maureen Dowd > [If there's one thing white men have never had a problem with in this clubby, white marble enclave of Washington, it's getting pulled up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/if-there-s-one-thing-white-men-have-never-had-a-problem-with-in-this/) [Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/) > [When you're young, and even at times when you're older, it's hard to fathom this: What needs to be nurtured is the stuff that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/when-you-re-young-and-even-at-times-when-you-re-older-it-s-hard-to/) [Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/) > [“Who knows? If women all end up with the same face and body, men may gravitate toward the quirky. Then the chicks with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/who-knows-if-women-all-end-up-with-the-same-face-and-body-men-may/) [Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/) > [Why can't Google, which likes to see itself as a 'Don't Be Evil' benevolent force in society, just write us a big check for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/why-can-t-google-which-likes-to-see-itself-as-a-don-t-be-evil/) [Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/) > [“Materialism has defeated feminism as well. In a sign of the times, Gloria Steinem was on the picket line when the first American DeBeers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/materialism-has-defeated-feminism-as-well-in-a-sign-of-the-times/) [Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/) > [“Romantic googling can be as dangerous as drunk text messaging. Of course hell hath no fury like a woman who Google-bombs her old flames…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/romantic-googling-can-be-as-dangerous-as-drunk-text-messaging-of/) [Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/) > [Paul Ryan, who teamed up with Akin in the House to sponsor harsh anti-abortion bills, may look young and hip and new generation, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/paul-ryan-who-teamed-up-with-akin-in-the-house-to-sponsor-harsh-anti/) [Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/) > [Obama invented himself against all odds and repeated parental abandonment, and he worked hard to regiment his emotions. But now that can come across…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/obama-invented-himself-against-all-odds-and-repeated-parental/) [Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/) > [Feminism died in 1998 when Hillary allowed henchlings and Democrats to demonize Monica as an unbalanced stalker, and when Gloria Steinem defended Mr. Clinton…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/feminism-died-in-1998-when-hillary-allowed-henchlings-and-democrats/) [Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/) > [President Obama thinks he can use emotion to bring pressure on Congress. But that's not how adults with power respond to things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/president-obama-thinks-he-can-use-emotion-to-bring-pressure-on/) [Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/) > [ Now that Hillary \[Clinton\] has won Pennsylvania, it will take a village to help Obama escape from the suffocating embrace of his rival. Certainly… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/now-that-hillary-clinton-has-won-pennsylvania-it-will-take-a-village/) [Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/) > [I don't understand men. I don't even understand what I don't understand about men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/i-don-t-understand-men-i-don-t-even-understand-what-i-don-t/) [Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/) > [Good and evil are not like the Redskins and the Cowboys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/good-and-evil-are-not-like-the-redskins-and-the-cowboys/) [Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/) > [It is men's worst fear, personally and professionally, that women will pin the sin on them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/it-is-men-s-worst-fear-personally-and-professionally-that-women-will/) [Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/) > [The C.E.O. of Google doesn't look like a Dick Cheney World Domination sort whom we should worry about as Google ogles our houses, our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/the-c-e-o-of-google-doesn-t-look-like-a-dick-cheney-world-domination/) [Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/) [Explore all 96 Maureen Dowd quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/) ## More Bankers quotes > ['Inequality' has become the political theme/slogan of our time in both Europe and the U.S., yet political leaders do not even bother to consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-singer/inequality-has-become-the-political-theme-slogan-of-our-time-in-both/) [Paul Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-singer/) > [The socially redeeming aspect of golf lies in the vast number of lawyers and bankers and managers who play it, and when you think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/the-socially-redeeming-aspect-of-golf-lies-in-the-vast-number-of/) [Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) > [What Wall Street and credit card companies are doing is really not much different from what gangsters and loan sharks do who make predatory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/what-wall-street-and-credit-card-companies-are-doing-is-really-not/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [When a government is dependent upon bankers for money, they and not the leaders of the government control the situation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/when-a-government-is-dependent-upon-bankers-for-money-they-and-not/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [3 people get stranded on a remote Island A Banker, a Daily Mail reader & an Asylum seeker All they have to eat is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-brookmyre/3-people-get-stranded-on-a-remote-island-a-banker-a-daily-mail-reader/) [Christopher Brookmyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-brookmyre/) > [“After analyzing our current crisis and studying well-established historical precedents, I must conclude that the global bankers have only three possible cards left to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-k-abdelnour/after-analyzing-our-current-crisis-and-studying-well-established/) [Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/) > [“Suckers think that you cure greed with money, addiction with substances, expert problems with experts, banking with bankers, economics with economists, and debt crises…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/suckers-think-that-you-cure-greed-with-money-addiction-with/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [ What I think is bugging this guy \[Steven Lerner\] is the belief that debt - forced debt upon middle-class people, students (i.e., student loans… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/what-i-think-is-bugging-this-guy-steven-lerner-is-the-belief-that/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [If you owe your bank manager a thousand pounds, you are at his mercy. If you owe him a million pounds, he is at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/if-you-owe-your-bank-manager-a-thousand-pounds-you-are-at-his-mercy/) [John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/) > [It's a topsy-turvy world in which a country can import the same amount of ice-cream, toilet paper and other goods to trading partners as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-simms/it-s-a-topsy-turvy-world-in-which-a-country-can-import-the-same/) [Andrew Simms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-simms/) > [Why is it possible to rescue S&L buccaneers in the early '90s and provide guidance to levered Wall Street investment bankers during the 1998…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gross/why-is-it-possible-to-rescue-s-l-buccaneers-in-the-early-90s-and/) [Bill Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gross/) > [There is too much sour grapes for my taste in the present American attitude. The time to denounce the bankers was when we were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/there-is-too-much-sour-grapes-for-my-taste-in-the-present-american/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [Argentina is a marvelous place. Argentines are great bankers of information. They import information; if someone sneezes in Milan or in New York, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emilio-ambasz/argentina-is-a-marvelous-place-argentines-are-great-bankers-of/) [Emilio Ambasz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emilio-ambasz/) > [Now it's of peculiar interest to an Arab country that there is a company and a certain set of bankers who also finance the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/now-it-s-of-peculiar-interest-to-an-arab-country-that-there-is-a/) [L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/) > [The bankers just got a good cussing by everybody for loaning too much money. Well, they got some awful nice buildings. So when a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/the-bankers-just-got-a-good-cussing-by-everybody-for-loaning-too-much/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) [Browse all 464 Bankers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bankers/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "And as far as doing God's work, I think the bankers who took government money and then gave out obscene bonuses are the same self-interested sorts Jesus threw out of the temple.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Maureen Dowd" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/and-as-far-as-doing-god-s-work-i-think-the-bankers-who-took/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bankers" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/and-as-far-as-doing-god-s-work-i-think-the-bankers-who-took/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64f/maureen-dowd-6927_bankers_and-as-far-as-doing-god-s-work-i-think-t_430624.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64f/maureen-dowd-6927_bankers_and-as-far-as-doing-god-s-work-i-think-t_430624.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64f/maureen-dowd-6927_bankers_and-as-far-as-doing-god-s-work-i-think-t_430624.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“And as far as doing God's work, I think the bankers who took government money and then gave out obscene…” — Maureen Dowd", "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": "Maureen Dowd", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "And as far as doing God's...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/and-as-far-as-doing-god-s-work-i-think-the-bankers-who-took/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/and-as-far-as-doing-god-s-work-i-think-the-bankers-who-took/#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 } } ] } ```