--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The authorities? The authorities?” I…" description: "\"“The authorities? The authorities?” I laughed. “Why is it people think the authorities are some form of gods with either great justice or great, cunnin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fc/richard-ben-sapir-47895_authorities_the-authorities-the-authorities-i-laughe_3037087.jpg" --- # The authorities? The authorities?” I laughed. “Why is it… ![“The authorities? The authorities?” I laughed. “Why is it people think the authorities are some form of gods with either great justice or great, cunning evil, rather than the same plodding fools they see in their daily lives, and most of all in their mirrors?” quote by Richard Ben Sapir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fc/richard-ben-sapir-47895_authorities_the-authorities-the-authorities-i-laughe_3037087.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fc/richard-ben-sapir-47895_authorities_the-authorities-the-authorities-i-laughe_3037087.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fc/richard-ben-sapir-47895_authorities_the-authorities-the-authorities-i-laughe_3037087.jpg) > ““The authorities? The authorities?” I laughed. “Why is it people think the authorities are some form of gods with either great justice or great, cunning evil, rather than the same plodding fools they see in their daily lives, and most of all in their mirrors?”” [Richard Ben Sapir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ben-sapir/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People view authorities as omnipotent beings, but they are ordinary and flawed like everyone else. **In simple terms:** Authorities are just ordinary people. Key Takeaway Question idealized views of power. Themes power perception human fallibility Mood critical skeptical Type philosophical political When to use this quote - political discourse - media analysis - leadership evaluation Key Concepts social psychology critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - Why do we mythologize leaders? - How can we hold authority accountable? A Different Perspective Authority can still wield real influence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) ## Related quotes > [“Did you bite someone?' Jack enquired. 'I laughed at people, which is much worse. My laughter has sharper teeth than any dog. It tears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isobelle-carmody/did-you-bite-someone-jack-enquired-i-laughed-at-people-which-is-much/) [Isobelle Carmody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isobelle-carmody/) > [In fact, when I first came to the Senate, people laughed. I had people telling me, 'There's no way you're going to get a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/in-fact-when-i-first-came-to-the-senate-people-laughed-i-had-people/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [ I was like, wow, this guy's \[Donald Trump \] going to do well. And I remember people laughed at me. 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Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [ “all \[the authorities\] did was to guard the distant and invisible interests of distant and invisible masters” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/all-the-authorities-did-was-to-guard-the-distant-and-invisible/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [Well, I think In Love and War, which had a wonderful performance by Sandy, Sandra Bullock, who the authorities and, the supposed authorities, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-attenborough/well-i-think-in-love-and-war-which-had-a-wonderful-performance-by/) [Richard Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-attenborough/) > [The Icesave matter is complex and it is understandable that the issue has been oversimplified by many. Unfortunately some of the basic facts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-siguroardottir/the-icesave-matter-is-complex-and-it-is-understandable-that-the-issue/) [Johanna Siguroardottir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-siguroardottir/) > [We will defend ourselves, and we have full rights to do so. If the authorities try to destroy us, we have the right to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-udaltsov/we-will-defend-ourselves-and-we-have-full-rights-to-do-so-if-the/) Sergei Udaltsov ## More by Richard Ben Sapir > [“I was too rich to get honesty and too poor to change the order of the Roman world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ben-sapir/i-was-too-rich-to-get-honesty-and-too-poor-to-change-the-order-of-the/) [Richard Ben Sapir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ben-sapir/) > [“they spoke well of Rome, for the taxes did not appear heavy, compared to the previous great taxes demanded by robber bands”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ben-sapir/they-spoke-well-of-rome-for-the-taxes-did-not-appear-heavy-compared/) [Richard Ben Sapir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ben-sapir/) > [“An iron plow instead of wood meant you lived past thirty. It changed more than the depth of a furrow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ben-sapir/an-iron-plow-instead-of-wood-meant-you-lived-past-thirty-it-changed/) [Richard Ben Sapir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ben-sapir/) > [“Woman, so often you have said that even in the darkest night there still exists a sunlight so bright we cannot look at it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ben-sapir/woman-so-often-you-have-said-that-even-in-the-darkest-night-there/) [Richard Ben Sapir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ben-sapir/) > [“whatever was down there was only an issue to fight over. The fight was really between men.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ben-sapir/whatever-was-down-there-was-only-an-issue-to-fight-over-the-fight-was/) [Richard Ben Sapir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ben-sapir/) > [“She had everything to recommend her but a heart. 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Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“The authorities are excellent at amassing facts, though they do not always use them to advantage.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/the-authorities-are-excellent-at-amassing-facts-though-they-do-not/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [No state on earth can afford to allow several authorities to co-exist next to one another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-abbas/no-state-on-earth-can-afford-to-allow-several-authorities-to-co-exist/) [Mahmoud Abbas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-abbas/) > [As an independent person, I find it difficult being dependent for everything, for even my food and medicine, to the prison authorities. I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asif-ali-zardari/as-an-independent-person-i-find-it-difficult-being-dependent-for/) [Asif Ali Zardari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asif-ali-zardari/) > [Trade wars aren't started by countries appealing to respected, independent trade authorities. Rather, trade wars begin when one country decides to violate international trade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-wyden/trade-wars-aren-t-started-by-countries-appealing-to-respected/) [Ron Wyden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-wyden/) > [I acknowledge the right of the authorities and the press to satisfy themselves as to whether I am the anthrax mailer. This does not,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-hatfill/i-acknowledge-the-right-of-the-authorities-and-the-press-to-satisfy/) [Steven Hatfill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-hatfill/) > [Polling only works in a country without a depressed, frightened populace. Where the public trusts authorities enough to tell them the truth without fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/polling-only-works-in-a-country-without-a-depressed-frightened/) [Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/) > [Ultimate authority in a global system remains with sovereigns. Governments will not have it any other way: politicians face instant rejection from their electorate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/ultimate-authority-in-a-global-system-remains-with-sovereigns/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [We operate under the law. Covert action authorities are communicated in a memorandum of notification.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cofer-black/we-operate-under-the-law-covert-action-authorities-are-communicated/) [Cofer Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cofer-black/) > [In Gujarat, we had the world record of largest number of chess games in a single venue - 20,500 - and in Tamil Nadu,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viswanathan-anand/in-gujarat-we-had-the-world-record-of-largest-number-of-chess-games/) [Viswanathan Anand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viswanathan-anand/) Browse all 65 Authorities quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The authorities? 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