Century Quote by Rick Perry
“Our Founding Fathers never meant for Washington, D.C. to be the fount of all wisdom. As a matter of fact they were very much afraid if that because they'd just had this experience with this far-away government that had centralized thought process and planning and what have you, and then it was actually the reason that we fought the revolution in the 16th century was to get away from that kind of onerous crown if you will.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: "Founding Fathers and Modern Governance", Texas Governors Conference, 2017
The founders feared centralized power, warning against over‑reliance on a single source of authority.
In simple terms: Beware concentrated authority.
Key Takeaway
Promote distributed decision‑making.
Themes
politics
history
centralization
freedom
Mood
cautious
analytical
Type
political
educational
When to use this quote
- policy drafting
- civic education
- community organizing
Key Concepts
constitutional theory
political philosophy
government structure
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we balance unity with decentralization?
- What safeguards prevent power concentration?
A Different Perspective
Modern complexities differ from 18th‑century concerns.
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