--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can't have the legislative and…" description: "\"You can't have the legislative and executive branch working in a parallel universe...the partisanship that has gripped Washington has prevented us from..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2dd/olympia-snowe-22161_branches_you-can-t-have-the-legislative-and-execu_2133317.png" --- # You can't have the legislative and executive branch… ![“You can't have the legislative and executive branch working in a parallel universe...the partisanship that has gripped Washington has prevented us from dealing with the issues that this country needs to grapple with to determine its future.” quote by Olympia Snowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2dd/olympia-snowe-22161_branches_you-can-t-have-the-legislative-and-execu_2133317.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2dd/olympia-snowe-22161_branches_you-can-t-have-the-legislative-and-execu_2133317.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2dd/olympia-snowe-22161_branches_you-can-t-have-the-legislative-and-execu_2133317.png) > “You can't have the legislative and executive branch working in a parallel universe...the partisanship that has gripped Washington has prevented us from dealing with the issues that this country needs to grapple with to determine its future.” [Olympia Snowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olympia-snowe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Political gridlock prevents effective governance, urging cooperation between branches to address national challenges. **In simple terms:** Partisanship blocks problem solving. Key Takeaway Seek bipartisan collaboration. Themes politics governance gridlock Mood serious urgent Type policy inspirational When to use this quote - budget negotiations - healthcare reform - climate legislation Key Concepts bipartisanship policy legislative process Questions to Reflect On - How can leaders bridge divides? - What incentives foster cooperation? A Different Perspective Compromise can be politically risky. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Branches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/branches/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Determine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/determine/) [Executive branch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/executive-branch/) [Executives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/executives/) [Issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issues/) [Legislative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legislative/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Parallel universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parallel-universe/) [Parallels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parallels/) [Partisanship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/partisanship/) [Partisanship Gripped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/partisanship-gripped-4406881/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) [Universe Partisanship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe-partisanship-4406880/) [Washington Prevented](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/washington-prevented-4406882/) ## Related quotes > [President Obama's biggest advocates believe that Americans are ready to embrace his vision for the United States: a less muscular America on the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-shapiro/president-obama-s-biggest-advocates-believe-that-americans-are-ready/) [Ben Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-shapiro/) > [I have a duty to protect the Executive Branch from legislative encroachment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-have-a-duty-to-protect-the-executive-branch-from-legislative/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Our executive branch does not believe in interfering with what the legislative branch chooses to do. We believe in federalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kellyanne-conway/our-executive-branch-does-not-believe-in-interfering-with-what-the/) [Kellyanne Conway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kellyanne-conway/) > [As President Franklin Delano Roosevelt learned when he tried to pack the Supreme Court, the three branches of government are coequal for a reason.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-pfeiffer/as-president-franklin-delano-roosevelt-learned-when-he-tried-to-pack/) [Dan Pfeiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-pfeiffer/) > [I am mindful of the difference between the executive branch and the legislative branch. I assured all four of these leaders that I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-am-mindful-of-the-difference-between-the-executive-branch-and-the/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [I've been in the legislative branch and now the executive branch and in each case I felt it was important we use our constitutional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-engler/i-ve-been-in-the-legislative-branch-and-now-the-executive-branch-and/) [John Engler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-engler/) > [There's a lot of bipartisan rancor, a lot of excessive delegation of legislative power from the legislative branch to the executive branch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-lee/there-s-a-lot-of-bipartisan-rancor-a-lot-of-excessive-delegation-of/) [Mike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-lee/) > [If I get a parking ticket, there is always a parallel universe where I didn't. On the other hand, there is yet another universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-tegmark/if-i-get-a-parking-ticket-there-is-always-a-parallel-universe-where-i/) [Max Tegmark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-tegmark/) > [I went back to DJ'ing in 1987, and it's been an incredible second career for me. Plus, it's almost a parallel universe. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boy-george/i-went-back-to-dj-ing-in-1987-and-it-s-been-an-incredible-second/) [Boy George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boy-george/) > [I went out on my own, years ago, to try to create some additional choices in a parallel universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kellyanne-conway/i-went-out-on-my-own-years-ago-to-try-to-create-some-additional/) [Kellyanne Conway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kellyanne-conway/) > [“Now, though, there was a second part, an artifact of his recent illness, as if his melancholy had, in a universe adjacent to this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-risk-hallberg/now-though-there-was-a-second-part-an-artifact-of-his-recent-illness/) [Garth Risk Hallberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-risk-hallberg/) > [There are many of us thinking of one version of parallel universe theory or another. If it's all a lot of nonsense, then it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/there-are-many-of-us-thinking-of-one-version-of-parallel-universe/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [When You Fall in Love, It's Like You Start Living in a Parallel Universe !!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron/when-you-fall-in-love-it-s-like-you-start-living-in-a-parallel/) [AaRon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron/) > [“What happens to the souls of all the babies whom are never born? Are they lost in some parallel universe? Do they go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-matthew-nespoli/what-happens-to-the-souls-of-all-the-babies-whom-are-never-born-are/) [J. Matthew Nespoli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-matthew-nespoli/) > [“If natural selection can create creationists it can manage a caterpillar with a face on its arse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zane-stumpo/if-natural-selection-can-create-creationists-it-can-manage-a/) [Zane Stumpo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zane-stumpo/) ## More by Olympia Snowe > [One difficulty in making the Senate work the way it was intended is that America's electorate is increasingly divided into red and blue states,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olympia-snowe/one-difficulty-in-making-the-senate-work-the-way-it-was-intended-is/) [Olympia Snowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olympia-snowe/) > [What motivated me to dedicate myself to public service for nearly two-thirds of my life was the chance to produce results for those people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olympia-snowe/what-motivated-me-to-dedicate-myself-to-public-service-for-nearly-two/) [Olympia Snowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olympia-snowe/) > [When my first husband died, what I tried to do is to sort of, you know, try to bring some rationale to the circumstance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olympia-snowe/when-my-first-husband-died-what-i-tried-to-do-is-to-sort-of-you-know/) [Olympia Snowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olympia-snowe/) > [I have been immeasurably honored to serve the people of Maine for nearly 40 years in public office and for the past 17 years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olympia-snowe/i-have-been-immeasurably-honored-to-serve-the-people-of-maine-for/) [Olympia Snowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olympia-snowe/) > [When history calls, history calls,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olympia-snowe/when-history-calls-history-calls/) [Olympia Snowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olympia-snowe/) > [The American spirit is stronger than stone and mortar, tougher than steel and glass, and more enduring than any pain or suffering that can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olympia-snowe/the-american-spirit-is-stronger-than-stone-and-mortar-tougher-than/) [Olympia Snowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olympia-snowe/) > [You can never solve a problem without talking to people with whom you disagree. The United States Senate is predicated and based on consensus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olympia-snowe/you-can-never-solve-a-problem-without-talking-to-people-with-whom-you/) [Olympia Snowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olympia-snowe/) > [It is time that we provide clarity for our seniors, informing them of the services available that will lower the costs of their prescription…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olympia-snowe/it-is-time-that-we-provide-clarity-for-our-seniors-informing-them-of/) [Olympia Snowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olympia-snowe/) > [The United States Senate wasn't designed to be a majority-rule institution. It was designed to include and accommodate the rights of the minority in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olympia-snowe/the-united-states-senate-wasn-t-designed-to-be-a-majority-rule/) [Olympia Snowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olympia-snowe/) > [Indeed, we must foster cost-saving competition. And that means joining the marketplace of other industrialized countries - not just for the manufacturers who sell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olympia-snowe/indeed-we-must-foster-cost-saving-competition-and-that-means-joining/) [Olympia Snowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olympia-snowe/) > [Ive never backed down from a fight and I relish a good debate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olympia-snowe/ive-never-backed-down-from-a-fight-and-i-relish-a-good-debate/) [Olympia Snowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olympia-snowe/) > [Hopefully, 21 years later, Judge Roberts possesses an openness with respect to issues of gender-based wage discrimination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olympia-snowe/hopefully-21-years-later-judge-roberts-possesses-an-openness-with/) [Olympia Snowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olympia-snowe/) > [What is the purpose of public service? It's to solve problems for the people you represent and certainly in the United States Senate, thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olympia-snowe/what-is-the-purpose-of-public-service-it-s-to-solve-problems-for-the/) [Olympia Snowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olympia-snowe/) > [I understand why so many Americans are fed up with government. The 112th Congress was almost universally derided as the worst ever. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olympia-snowe/i-understand-why-so-many-americans-are-fed-up-with-government-the/) [Olympia Snowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olympia-snowe/) > [Joining the Bipartisan Policy Center is a natural extension of my efforts to achieve results throughout my tenure in Congress, and it provides an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olympia-snowe/joining-the-bipartisan-policy-center-is-a-natural-extension-of-my/) [Olympia Snowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olympia-snowe/) [Explore all 28 Olympia Snowe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olympia-snowe/) ## More Branches quotes > [ \[States and the Federal government are\] coordinate departments of one simple and integral whole... The one is the domestic, the other the foreign branch… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/states-and-the-federal-government-are-coordinate-departments-of-one/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [In our system of government, the judicial and legislative branches have different roles. Judges are not politicians. Judges must decide cases, not champion causes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orrin-hatch/in-our-system-of-government-the-judicial-and-legislative-branches/) [Orrin Hatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orrin-hatch/) > [The sugar maple is remarkable for its clean ankle. The groves of these trees looked like vast forest sheds, their branches stoppingshort at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-sugar-maple-is-remarkable-for-its-clean-ankle-the-groves-of-these/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Where is the subject that does not branch out into infinity? For every grain of sand is a mystery; so is every daisy in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mountford/where-is-the-subject-that-does-not-branch-out-into-infinity-for-every/) [William Mountford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mountford/) > [You know how this is: if I look at the crystal moon, at the red branch of the slow autumn at my window, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/you-know-how-this-is-if-i-look-at-the-crystal-moon-at-the-red-branch/) [Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/) > [Money is made at Christmas out of holly and mistletoe, but who save the vendors would greatly care if no green branch were procurable?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-gissing/money-is-made-at-christmas-out-of-holly-and-mistletoe-but-who-save/) [George Gissing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-gissing/) > [“The branches do not support the root. But the root supports the branches.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-branches-do-not-support-the-root-but-the-root-supports-the/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [We're the only branch of government that explains itself in writing every time itmakes a decision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-white/we-re-the-only-branch-of-government-that-explains-itself-in-writing/) [Byron White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-white/) > [Certainly in the United States, you have a constituency in the form of the weapons laboratories, and you also have the branches of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/certainly-in-the-united-states-you-have-a-constituency-in-the-form-of/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [The impossibility of separating the nomenclature of a science from the science itself, is owing to this, that every branch of physical science must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-lavoisier/the-impossibility-of-separating-the-nomenclature-of-a-science-from/) [Antoine Lavoisier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-lavoisier/) > [ \[The judiciary is\] the least dangerous branch of our government. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-bickel/the-judiciary-is-the-least-dangerous-branch-of-our-government/) [Alexander Bickel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-bickel/) > [ For some unknown reason, this \[antiabortion\] branch of Christianity cherishes the unborn and hates the living person. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vine-deloria-jr/for-some-unknown-reason-this-antiabortion-branch-of-christianity/) [Vine Deloria Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vine-deloria-jr/) > [ \[W\]ar is a question, under our constitution, not of Executive, but of Legislative cognizance. It belongs to Congress to say whether the Nation shall… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/w-ar-is-a-question-under-our-constitution-not-of-executive-but-of/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [The sky is now indelible ink, The branches reft asunder; But you and I we do not shrink; We love the lovely thunder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/the-sky-is-now-indelible-ink-the-branches-reft-asunder-but-you-and-i/) [Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/) > [I have always wanted to branch off and become a fashion guru. I want to share my artistic views with the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-mclean/i-have-always-wanted-to-branch-off-and-become-a-fashion-guru-i-want/) [A. J. McLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-mclean/) [Browse all 1,228 Branches quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/branches/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You can't have the legislative and executive branch working in a parallel universe...the partisanship that has gripped Washington has prevented us from dealing with the issues that this country needs to grapple with to determine its future.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Olympia Snowe" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olympia-snowe/you-can-t-have-the-legislative-and-executive-branch-working-in-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Branches" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olympia-snowe/you-can-t-have-the-legislative-and-executive-branch-working-in-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2dd/olympia-snowe-22161_branches_you-can-t-have-the-legislative-and-execu_2133317.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2dd/olympia-snowe-22161_branches_you-can-t-have-the-legislative-and-execu_2133317.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2dd/olympia-snowe-22161_branches_you-can-t-have-the-legislative-and-execu_2133317.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You can't have the legislative and executive branch working in a parallel universe...the partisanship that…” — Olympia Snowe", "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": "Olympia Snowe", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olympia-snowe/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You can't have the legislative and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olympia-snowe/you-can-t-have-the-legislative-and-executive-branch-working-in-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olympia-snowe/you-can-t-have-the-legislative-and-executive-branch-working-in-a/#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 } } ] } ```