--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our form of government does not enter…" description: "\"Our form of government does not enter into rivalry with the institutions of others. Our government does not copy our neighbors', but is an example to t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e1/pericles-11474_administration_our-form-of-government-does-not-enter-in_3036185.png" --- # Our form of government does not enter into rivalry with… ![“Our form of government does not enter into rivalry with the institutions of others. Our government does not copy our neighbors', but is an example to them. It is true that we are called a democracy, for the administration is in the hands of the many and not of the few. But while there exists equal…” quote by Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e1/pericles-11474_administration_our-form-of-government-does-not-enter-in_3036185.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e1/pericles-11474_administration_our-form-of-government-does-not-enter-in_3036185.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e1/pericles-11474_administration_our-form-of-government-does-not-enter-in_3036185.png) > “Our form of government does not enter into rivalry with the institutions of others. Our government does not copy our neighbors', but is an example to them. It is true that we are called a democracy, for the administration is in the hands of the many and not of the few. But while there exists equal justice to all and alike in their private disputes, the claim of excellence is also recognized; and when a citizen is in any way distinguished, he is preferred to the public service, not as a matter of privilege, but as the reward of merit” [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Pericles describes Athenian democracy as a model that values merit and public service over privilege, positioning it as exemplary to other states. **In simple terms:** Athenian democracy is a merit‑based example for others. Key Takeaway Emphasize merit and service in governance. Themes democracy merit leadership public service Mood proud inspirational Type political historical When to use this quote - political reform - public administration - education - civic engagement Key Concepts citizenry excellence reward equality Questions to Reflect On - How can modern societies ensure merit truly guides public roles? - What safeguards prevent favoritism? A Different Perspective Meritocracy can be undermined by entrenched elites. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Administration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/administration/) [Called Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/called-democracy-351206/) [Citizens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizens/) [Claims](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/claims/) [Copies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/copies/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Democracy Administration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy-administration-4983151/) [Disputes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disputes/) [Distinguished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distinguished/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Equal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equal/) [Equal justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equal-justice/) [Example](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/example/) [Excellence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excellence/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Form Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form-government/) [Forms of government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forms-of-government/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Institutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutions/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Merit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/merit/) [Neighbor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neighbor/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Privilege](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/privilege/) [Public service](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-service/) [Rewards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rewards/) [Rivalry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rivalry/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [Democracy is the worst form of government. It is the most inefficient, the most clumsy, the most unpractical… It reduces wisdom to impotence and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-briffault/democracy-is-the-worst-form-of-government-it-is-the-most-inefficient/) [Robert Briffault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-briffault/) > [The best form of government is one that is dying, because that means it’s giving way to something else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/the-best-form-of-government-is-one-that-is-dying-because-that-means/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [Now it is evident that the form of government is best in which every man, whoever he is, can act best and live happily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/now-it-is-evident-that-the-form-of-government-is-best-in-which-every/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [A form of government that is not the result of a long sequence of shared experiences, efforts, and endeavors can never take root.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/a-form-of-government-that-is-not-the-result-of-a-long-sequence-of/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [Without God, there would be no American form of Government, nor an American way of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/without-god-there-would-be-no-american-form-of-government-nor-an/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [Each generation has a right to choose for itself the form of government it believes most promotive of its happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/each-generation-has-a-right-to-choose-for-itself-the-form-of/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Democracy, taken in its narrower, purely political, sense, suffers from the fact that those in economic and political power possess the means for molding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/democracy-taken-in-its-narrower-purely-political-sense-suffers-from/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [All deductions having been made, democracy has done less harm, and more good, than any other form of government. It gave to human existence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/all-deductions-having-been-made-democracy-has-done-less-harm-and-more/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [We are fighting to save a great and precious form of government for ourselves and for the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt-2/we-are-fighting-to-save-a-great-and-precious-form-of-government-for/) [Franklin D Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt-2/) > [The legislator should direct his attention above all to the education of youth; for the neglect of education does harm to the constitution. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-legislator-should-direct-his-attention-above-all-to-the-education/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until a majority of voters discover that they can vote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-fraser-tytler/a-democracy-cannot-exist-as-a-permanent-form-of-government-it-can/) [Alexander Fraser Tytler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-fraser-tytler/) > [Decision by democratic majority vote is a fine form of government, but it's a stinking way to create.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/decision-by-democratic-majority-vote-is-a-fine-form-of-government-but/) [Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/) > [I and others of my sex find ourselves controlled by a form of government in the inauguration of which we had no voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-woodhull/i-and-others-of-my-sex-find-ourselves-controlled-by-a-form-of/) [Victoria Woodhull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-woodhull/) > [Any nations right to a form of government and economic system of its own choosing is inalienable. Any nations attempt to dictate to other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/any-nations-right-to-a-form-of-government-and-economic-system-of-its/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [Democracy is not a form of government. It is a political philosophy that can be embodied in various systems of government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-allen-fraser/democracy-is-not-a-form-of-government-it-is-a-political-philosophy/) [John Allen Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-allen-fraser/) ## More by Pericles > [Your great glory is not to be inferior to what you have been given by nature, and the greatest glory of a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/your-great-glory-is-not-to-be-inferior-to-what-you-have-been-given-by/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [Although only a few may originate a policy, we are all able to judge it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/although-only-a-few-may-originate-a-policy-we-are-all-able-to-judge-it/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [Time is the king of all men, he is their parent and their grave, and gives them what he will and not what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/time-is-the-king-of-all-men-he-is-their-parent-and-their-grave-and/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [She is best who is least spoken of among men, whether for good or evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/she-is-best-who-is-least-spoken-of-among-men-whether-for-good-or-evil/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/what-you-leave-behind-is-not-what-is-engraved-in-stone-monuments-but/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [For grief is felt not so much for the want of what we have never known, as for the loss of that to which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/for-grief-is-felt-not-so-much-for-the-want-of-what-we-have-never/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/just-because-you-do-not-take-an-interest-in-politics-doesn-t-mean/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [All who have taken it upon themselves to rule over others have incurred hatred and unpopularity for a time; but if one has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/all-who-have-taken-it-upon-themselves-to-rule-over-others-have/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [As for poverty, no one need be ashamed to admit it, the real shame is in not taking practical measures to escape from it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/as-for-poverty-no-one-need-be-ashamed-to-admit-it-the-real-shame-is/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [I am more afraid of our own mistakes than of our enemies' designs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/i-am-more-afraid-of-our-own-mistakes-than-of-our-enemies-designs/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [We alone regard a man who takes no interest in public affairs not as harmless but as a useless character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/we-alone-regard-a-man-who-takes-no-interest-in-public-affairs-not-as/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [“Wait for that wisest of all counselores, Time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/wait-for-that-wisest-of-all-counselores-time/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [Trees, though they are cut and loped, grow up again quickly, but if men are destroyed, it is not easy to get them again](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/trees-though-they-are-cut-and-loped-grow-up-again-quickly-but-if-men/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [Time as he grows old teaches many lessons. - Aeschylus Time is the wisest counselor of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/time-as-he-grows-old-teaches-many-lessons-aeschylus-time-is-the/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [In private matters everyone is equal before the law. In public matters, when it is a question of putting power and responsibility into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/in-private-matters-everyone-is-equal-before-the-law-in-public-matters/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) [Explore all 59 Pericles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) ## More Administration quotes > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [While the people retain their virtue and vigilance, no administration, by any extreme of wickedness or folly, can very seriously injure the government in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/while-the-people-retain-their-virtue-and-vigilance-no-administration/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [If you want to serve in a Trump administration, you're going to serve this country, not yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-spicer/if-you-want-to-serve-in-a-trump-administration-you-re-going-to-serve/) [Sean Spicer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-spicer/) > [Listen, I have a great affection and respect for Joe Biden. I think he's been a great vice president. He's taken on a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-axelrod/listen-i-have-a-great-affection-and-respect-for-joe-biden-i-think-he/) [David Axelrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-axelrod/) > [I don't believe anyone that I know in the administration ever said that Iraq had nuclear weapons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/i-don-t-believe-anyone-that-i-know-in-the-administration-ever-said/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [What was unique about me being in City Hall during the Giuliani Administration, I was the only one who wasn't an attorney. I may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lhota/what-was-unique-about-me-being-in-city-hall-during-the-giuliani/) [Joe Lhota](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lhota/) > [The Trump administration launched the cruise missile strikes in Syria, an act of war, without a U.N. resolution or Congressional authorization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/the-trump-administration-launched-the-cruise-missile-strikes-in-syria/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [The only way I'll ever run a marathon is if I'm involved in the administration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-phillips/the-only-way-i-ll-ever-run-a-marathon-is-if-i-m-involved-in-the/) [Sally Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-phillips/) > [Obama spent the first two years of his administration practicing political unilateral disarmament.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cenk-uygur/obama-spent-the-first-two-years-of-his-administration-practicing/) [Cenk Uygur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cenk-uygur/) > [The actions of the University in my case make it abundantly clear that the Administration's rhetoric about Harvard's desire to attract and retain the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-geller/the-actions-of-the-university-in-my-case-make-it-abundantly-clear/) [Margaret Geller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-geller/) > [In mid-May, the House of Representatives approved the full amount of money that the Veterans Administration said was needed for next year - plus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doc-hastings/in-mid-may-the-house-of-representatives-approved-the-full-amount-of/) [Doc Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doc-hastings/) > [In 1953, the United States played a significant role in orchestrating the overthrow of Iran's popular prime minister, Mohammed Mossadegh. The Eisenhower administration believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/in-1953-the-united-states-played-a-significant-role-in-orchestrating/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) > [The administration of George W. Bush, emboldened by the Sept. 11 attacks and the backing of a Republican Congress, has sought to further extend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/the-administration-of-george-w-bush-emboldened-by-the-sept-11-attacks/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) > [When we criticize in Iran the actions of the government, the fundamentalists say that we and the Bush Administration are in the same camp.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirin-ebadi/when-we-criticize-in-iran-the-actions-of-the-government-the/) [Shirin Ebadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirin-ebadi/) > [We will finally complete the biometric entry-exit visa tracking system, which we need desperately. For years Congress has required biometric entry-exit visa tracking systems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-will-finally-complete-the-biometric-entry-exit-visa-tracking/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) [Browse all 1,855 Administration quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/administration/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Our form of government does not enter into rivalry with the institutions of others. Our government does not copy our neighbors', but is an example to them. It is true that we are called a democracy, for the administration is in the hands of the many and not of the few. 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