--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One of the (many) problems with…" description: "\"“One of the (many) problems with government is that they are usually so preoccupied with whether or not they can do something that they fail to conside..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae1/michel-templet-11969_government_one-of-the-many-problems-with-government_2859136.jpg" --- # One of the (many) problems with government is that they… ![“One of the (many) problems with government is that they are usually so preoccupied with whether or not they can do something that they fail to consider whether or not they should.” quote by Michel Templet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae1/michel-templet-11969_government_one-of-the-many-problems-with-government_2859136.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae1/michel-templet-11969_government_one-of-the-many-problems-with-government_2859136.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae1/michel-templet-11969_government_one-of-the-many-problems-with-government_2859136.jpg) > ““One of the (many) problems with government is that they are usually so preoccupied with whether or not they can do something that they fail to consider whether or not they should.”” [Michel Templet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-templet/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Governments often focus on capability, neglecting whether actions are ethically or practically appropriate. **In simple terms:** Policy should ask “should we?” not just “can we?” Key Takeaway Prioritize ethical deliberation in decision‑making. Themes ethics policy governance Mood critical thoughtful Type philosophical political When to use this quote - legislation drafting - budget allocation - technology deployment Key Concepts consequentialism public good Questions to Reflect On - What criteria determine if a capability should be used? - How can societies embed “should” checks? A Different Perspective Capability without purpose can cause harm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) ## Related quotes > [Do not entertain, think about, or talk about the possibilities that you'll fail. Do not even consider the possibility of failure to succeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senora-roy/do-not-entertain-think-about-or-talk-about-the-possibilities-that-you/) [Senora Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senora-roy/) > [“One of the (many) problems with government is not that power corrupts or even that it is magnetic to corruptible people; rather, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-templet/one-of-the-many-problems-with-government-is-not-that-power-corrupts/) [Michel Templet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-templet/) > [People's position on immigration, once they get "sophisticated," and they rise to the higher levels of commentary or government, it's usually determined solely by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-helprin/people-s-position-on-immigration-once-they-get-sophisticated-and-they/) [Mark Helprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-helprin/) > [Government usually doesn't work. It doesn't work because it is political. People who are wise, good, smart, skillful, or hardworking don't need politics, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/government-usually-doesn-t-work-it-doesn-t-work-because-it-is/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [The 20th century shows that the form of government that we take for granted, a constitutional democratic republic with checks and balances and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-d-snyder/the-20th-century-shows-that-the-form-of-government-that-we-take-for/) [Timothy D. Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-d-snyder/) > [When asked if I miss being in government, I usually try to lighten the moment by responding that I awake most days, read the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hayden/when-asked-if-i-miss-being-in-government-i-usually-try-to-lighten-the/) [Michael Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hayden/) > [But in the end our government usually - not unfailingly - is responsive to the people; and usually - not always - will try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-h-hamilton/but-in-the-end-our-government-usually-not-unfailingly-is-responsive/) [Lee H. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-h-hamilton/) > [“When in doubt, the Founding Fathers preferred that our government do nothing. We’re usually safest when it does. The scariest words someone can hear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bolling/when-in-doubt-the-founding-fathers-preferred-that-our-government-do/) [Eric Bolling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bolling/) > [The US government is usually on the wrong side against the poor and downtrodden, because the wrong side is the right side, given the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/the-us-government-is-usually-on-the-wrong-side-against-the-poor-and/) [Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/) > [Obamacare arrived also because Republicans failed to persuade the public that we could address the avalanche of problems government had already created by decades…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-sasse/obamacare-arrived-also-because-republicans-failed-to-persuade-the/) [Ben Sasse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-sasse/) > [I think most people realize that our problems are our government, not me and you individually, except that we can - must have some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-nelson/i-think-most-people-realize-that-our-problems-are-our-government-not/) [Willie Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-nelson/) > [Your government has problems...my government has problems. I can't be a judge. All I can do is be an ambassador of love. I'm a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meshell-ndegeocello/your-government-has-problems-my-government-has-problems-i-can-t-be-a/) [Meshell Ndegeocello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meshell-ndegeocello/) > ["Free markets" is a very general term. There are all sorts of problems that will emerge. Free markets work best when the transaction between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/free-markets-is-a-very-general-term-there-are-all-sorts-of-problems/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [My experiences building Palantir and running Addepar made me aware of serious problems with government and inspired me to build a non-profit to look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lonsdale/my-experiences-building-palantir-and-running-addepar-made-me-aware-of/) [Joe Lonsdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lonsdale/) > [If we could have but one generation of properly born, trained, educated, and healthy children, a thousand other problems of government would vanish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hoover/if-we-could-have-but-one-generation-of-properly-born-trained-educated/) [Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/) ## More by Michel Templet > [“Every adversity is just another opportunity to excel a little more.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-templet/every-adversity-is-just-another-opportunity-to-excel-a-little-more/) [Michel Templet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-templet/) > [“To speak only one language is to do yourself a great injustice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-templet/to-speak-only-one-language-is-to-do-yourself-a-great-injustice/) [Michel Templet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-templet/) > [“There is no such thing as a victimless crime, and people should be allowed to do as they please with their own bodies and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-templet/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-victimless-crime-and-people-should-be/) [Michel Templet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-templet/) > [“Presidents are not elected anymore; they are hired.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-templet/presidents-are-not-elected-anymore-they-are-hired/) [Michel Templet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-templet/) > [“We have a problem when the same people who make the law get to decide whether or not they themselves have broken the law.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-templet/we-have-a-problem-when-the-same-people-who-make-the-law-get-to-decide/) [Michel Templet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-templet/) > [“I find it significant that most military veterans become pacifists.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-templet/i-find-it-significant-that-most-military-veterans-become-pacifists/) [Michel Templet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-templet/) > [“We live in a nation where education and free thought are tantamount to treason, and I have to ask, under these circumstances, is treason…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-templet/we-live-in-a-nation-where-education-and-free-thought-are-tantamount/) [Michel Templet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-templet/) > [“Patriotism is racism for the modern era.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-templet/patriotism-is-racism-for-the-modern-era/) [Michel Templet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-templet/) > [“Obama's plan for "change": Let's do everything Bush did, only with more suck! Because it just didn't suck badly enough the first time!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-templet/obama-s-plan-for-change-let-s-do-everything-bush-did-only-with-more/) [Michel Templet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-templet/) > [“Always remember, if you have been diagnosed with PTSD, it is not a sign of weakness; rather, it is proof of your strength, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-templet/always-remember-if-you-have-been-diagnosed-with-ptsd-it-is-not-a-sign/) [Michel Templet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-templet/) > [“Why am I a socialist? Simple: Because I believe in freedom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-templet/why-am-i-a-socialist-simple-because-i-believe-in-freedom/) [Michel Templet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-templet/) > [“On 11 September 2001, a bunch of Saudis killed almost 3000 US civilians, which led to the construction of a monument in New York…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-templet/on-11-september-2001-a-bunch-of-saudis-killed-almost-3000-us/) [Michel Templet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-templet/) > [“Is it morally acceptable to murder one hundred innocent people in the process of catching a serial killer who has murdered ten people? If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-templet/is-it-morally-acceptable-to-murder-one-hundred-innocent-people-in-the/) [Michel Templet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-templet/) > [“Barack Obama is an even worse president than George W. Bush, because an evil bastard who knows what he's doing is far more dangerous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-templet/barack-obama-is-an-even-worse-president-than-george-w-bush-because-an/) [Michel Templet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-templet/) > [“Presenting a rational argument to a person who has forsaken the use of reason is like asking a vegetarian to eat a cheeseburger.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-templet/presenting-a-rational-argument-to-a-person-who-has-forsaken-the-use/) [Michel Templet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-templet/) [Explore all 57 Michel Templet quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-templet/) ## More Government quotes > [We could form a government of national unity fighting corruption. The ordinary Afghan is sick and tired of it, because it's she or he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashraf-ghani/we-could-form-a-government-of-national-unity-fighting-corruption-the/) [Ashraf Ghani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashraf-ghani/) > [For the Scottish government, the practice of having meetings in different parts of the country is well established, but for the U.K. government, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-sturgeon/for-the-scottish-government-the-practice-of-having-meetings-in/) [Nicola Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-sturgeon/) > [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [Right now we're concerned about budget. Right now we're concerned about the prospect of interest rate rise. We're concerned about government corruption, government handing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amity-shlaes/right-now-we-re-concerned-about-budget-right-now-we-re-concerned/) [Amity Shlaes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amity-shlaes/) > [One of the worst things to come out of the Consumer Protection Board's misleading claims is the impression that government resources are to hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-lesko/one-of-the-worst-things-to-come-out-of-the-consumer-protection-board/) [Matthew Lesko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-lesko/) > [It is afraid of an informed, angry public demanding the constitutional government it was promised - and it should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/it-is-afraid-of-an-informed-angry-public-demanding-the-constitutional/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [Louisiana's spicy, colorful politics have saddled our state with a reputation for tolerating lax ethical standards in government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kennedy/louisiana-s-spicy-colorful-politics-have-saddled-our-state-with-a/) [John Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kennedy/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) Greg Perry > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [He is almost a statesman. He lies well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/he-is-almost-a-statesman-he-lies-well/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [If you believe in democracy, why shouldn't you know what the government is doing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/if-you-believe-in-democracy-why-shouldn-t-you-know-what-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I mean those people who are interested in good government will certainly contribute in order to make certain there's some counter-balance to those whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-breyer/i-mean-those-people-who-are-interested-in-good-government-will/) [Stephen Breyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-breyer/) > [We can't have a government that will collapse in three months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-varadkar/we-can-t-have-a-government-that-will-collapse-in-three-months/) [Leo Varadkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-varadkar/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) [Browse all 21,248 Government quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“One of the (many) problems with government is that they are usually so preoccupied with whether or not they can do something that they fail to consider whether or not they should.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michel Templet" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-templet/one-of-the-many-problems-with-government-is-that-they-are-usually-so/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Government" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-templet/one-of-the-many-problems-with-government-is-that-they-are-usually-so/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae1/michel-templet-11969_government_one-of-the-many-problems-with-government_2859136.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae1/michel-templet-11969_government_one-of-the-many-problems-with-government_2859136.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae1/michel-templet-11969_government_one-of-the-many-problems-with-government_2859136.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“One of the (many) problems with government is that they are usually so preoccupied with whether or not they…” — Michel Templet", "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": "Michel Templet", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-templet/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“One of the (many) problems with...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-templet/one-of-the-many-problems-with-government-is-that-they-are-usually-so/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-templet/one-of-the-many-problems-with-government-is-that-they-are-usually-so/#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 } } ] } ```