--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The people are committed to ruinous…" description: "\"“The people are committed to ruinous policies, all without noticing. They have neither the experience nor the time to study all these laws and so they ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f3/mikhail-bakunin-3075_democracy_the-people-are-committed-to-ruinous-poli_2462557.png" --- # The people are committed to ruinous policies, all without… ![“The people are committed to ruinous policies, all without noticing. They have neither the experience nor the time to study all these laws and so they leave everything to their elected representatives. These naturally promote the interests of their class rather than the prosperity of the people…” quote by Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f3/mikhail-bakunin-3075_democracy_the-people-are-committed-to-ruinous-poli_2462557.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f3/mikhail-bakunin-3075_democracy_the-people-are-committed-to-ruinous-poli_2462557.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f3/mikhail-bakunin-3075_democracy_the-people-are-committed-to-ruinous-poli_2462557.png) > ““The people are committed to ruinous policies, all without noticing. They have neither the experience nor the time to study all these laws and so they leave everything to their elected representatives. These naturally promote the interests of their class rather than the prosperity of the people, and their greatest talent is to sugarcoat their bitter measures, to render them more palatable to the populace. Representative government is a system of hypocrisy and perpetual falsehood. Its success rests on the stupidity of the people and the corruption of the public mind.”” [Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He argues that elected officials, lacking expertise, enact policies that serve elite interests, while the public remains uninformed, leading to systemic hypocrisy. **In simple terms:** Governments often serve elites, not the people. Key Takeaway Demand informed, accountable representation. Themes politics hypocrisy elite control Mood cautious reflective Type analysis philosophical When to use this quote - Policy making - civic education - media literacy - activism Key Concepts Democracy class interests public ignorance Questions to Reflect On - How can citizens become more politically literate? - What mechanisms ensure representatives act in the public interest? A Different Perspective Complex issues cannot be reduced to simple blame; solutions require systemic change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Government Hypocrisy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government-hypocrisy-672738/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Populace Representative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/populace-representative-672737/) [Representative government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/representative-government/) [Representative-democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/representative-democracy-157761/) [Representatives Naturally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/representatives-naturally-672740/) [Ruinous Policies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ruinous-policies-672739/) ## Related quotes > [“Representative democracy, however, harmonizes marvelously with the capitalist economic system. 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I mean, this could be one of the great achievements of this administration. You're going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/i-am-very-optimistic-about-about-iraq-i-mean-this-could-be-one-of-the/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [“As long as you have broad representation from many parts of society, representative government works extremely well. And it works even better when the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-carson/as-long-as-you-have-broad-representation-from-many-parts-of-society/) [Ben Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-carson/) > [Tyranny is the political corollary of socialism, as representative government is the political corollary of the market economy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/tyranny-is-the-political-corollary-of-socialism-as-representative/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [Unless bureaucracy is constantly resisted, it breaks down representative government and overwhelms democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/unless-bureaucracy-is-constantly-resisted-it-breaks-down/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Consequently, citizen legislators, rotating back to their communities after a short period of public service—considered an indispensable and routine characteristic and design of representative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/consequently-citizen-legislators-rotating-back-to-their-communities/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Mikhail Bakunin > [It clearly follows that to make men moral it is necessary to make their social environment moral. And that can be done in only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/it-clearly-follows-that-to-make-men-moral-it-is-necessary-to-make/) [Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/) > [There are but three ways for the populace to escape its wretched lot. The first two are by the routes of the wine-shop or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/there-are-but-three-ways-for-the-populace-to-escape-its-wretched-lot/) [Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/) > [Whoever says State necessarily says domination, and, consequently, slavery; a State without slavery, open or concealed, is inconceivable: that is why we are enemies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/whoever-says-state-necessarily-says-domination-and-consequently/) [Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/) > [“Does it follow that I reject all authority? Perish the thought. In the matter of boots, I defer to the authority of the bootmaker;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/does-it-follow-that-i-reject-all-authority-perish-the-thought-in-the/) [Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/) > [I am sure that, on the one hand, the Rothschilds appreciate the merits of Marx, and that on the other hand, Marx feels an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/i-am-sure-that-on-the-one-hand-the-rothschilds-appreciate-the-merits/) [Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/) > [Throw a theory into the fire; it only spoils life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/throw-a-theory-into-the-fire-it-only-spoils-life/) [Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/) > [People go to church for the same reasons they go to a tavern: to stupefy themselves, to forget their misery, to imagine themselves, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/people-go-to-church-for-the-same-reasons-they-go-to-a-tavern-to/) [Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/) > [The privilege of ruling would be in the hands of the skilled and the learned, with a wide scope left for profitable crooked deals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/the-privilege-of-ruling-would-be-in-the-hands-of-the-skilled-and-the/) [Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/) > [I am not myself free or human until or unless I recognize the freedom and humanity of all my fellowmen... I am truly free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/i-am-not-myself-free-or-human-until-or-unless-i-recognize-the-freedom/) [Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/) > [In antiquity slaves were, in all honesty called slaves. In the middle ages, they took the name of serfs. Nowadays they are called wage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/in-antiquity-slaves-were-in-all-honesty-called-slaves-in-the-middle/) [Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/) > [He who desires to worship God must harbor no childish illusions about the matter but bravely renounce his liberty and humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/he-who-desires-to-worship-god-must-harbor-no-childish-illusions-about/) [Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/) > [They maintain that only a dictatorship - their dictatorship, of course - can create the will of the people, while our answer to this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/they-maintain-that-only-a-dictatorship-their-dictatorship-of-course/) [Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/) > [“The masses, on admitting their own incapacity to govern themselves, have elected me as their head By doing so, they have clearly proclaimed their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/the-masses-on-admitting-their-own-incapacity-to-govern-themselves/) [Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/) > [We must overthrow the material and moral conditions of our present-day life. . . . We must first purify our atmosphere and completely transform…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/we-must-overthrow-the-material-and-moral-conditions-of-our-present/) [Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/) > [The right to unite freely and to separate freely is the first and most important of all political rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/the-right-to-unite-freely-and-to-separate-freely-is-the-first-and/) [Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/) [Explore all 140 Mikhail Bakunin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/) ## More Democracy quotes > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. 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But right now, as of October 17, 2014, the Republican Senate candidates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-continetti/there-is-plenty-of-time-for-republicans-to-have-a-macaca-moment-but/) [Matthew Continetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-continetti/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [ Vote for Donald Trump. You're going to see something and you'll be so happy, you'll be so thrilled. 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