--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And as a matter of fact, governments…" description: "\"And as a matter of fact, governments don't act, governments only react. The bankers make the decisions, and then governments decide how are we going to..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44b/robert-anton-wilson-1198_bankers_and-as-a-matter-of-fact-governments-don_1512129.jpg" --- # And as a matter of fact, governments don't act… ![“And as a matter of fact, governments don't act, governments only react. The bankers make the decisions, and then governments decide how are we going to adjust to this. Government can't do anything unless the bank gives them the money to do it.” quote by Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44b/robert-anton-wilson-1198_bankers_and-as-a-matter-of-fact-governments-don_1512129.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44b/robert-anton-wilson-1198_bankers_and-as-a-matter-of-fact-governments-don_1512129.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44b/robert-anton-wilson-1198_bankers_and-as-a-matter-of-fact-governments-don_1512129.jpg) > “And as a matter of fact, governments don't act, governments only react. The bankers make the decisions, and then governments decide how are we going to adjust to this. Government can't do anything unless the bank gives them the money to do it.” [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Governments are reactive, dependent on banks for resources, limiting true autonomy **In simple terms:** Power lies with banks, not governments Key Takeaway Question financial influence on policy Themes politics economics power dependency Mood critical analytical Type political economic When to use this quote - policy making - budget crises - bank bailouts - public protests Key Concepts financial systems political theory institutional critique Questions to Reflect On - How does financial dependence shape governance? - What alternatives exist for fiscal independence? A Different Perspective Banks may also be regulated, limiting their control ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bankers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bankers/) [Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Governments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/governments/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) ## Related quotes > [“Governments never react well, but they always over-react very well.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-rainer/governments-never-react-well-but-they-always-over-react-very-well/) [Marc Rainer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-rainer/) > [Governments decide they know best and they're going to tell you what to do. The trouble is that education doesn't go on in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/governments-decide-they-know-best-and-they-re-going-to-tell-you-what/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The question, then, for Western companies, as much as for Western governments, is to decide whose side they are on: the Chinese officials who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-buruma/the-question-then-for-western-companies-as-much-as-for-western/) [Ian Buruma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-buruma/) > [Parents, not governments, should decide what is best for their family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-grenell/parents-not-governments-should-decide-what-is-best-for-their-family/) [Richard Grenell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-grenell/) > [Governments don't control things. A government can't control the economy without controlling people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/governments-don-t-control-things-a-government-can-t-control-the/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [We're not going to meddle in the internal life of other peoples and other governments, because we don't want them meddling in ours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andres-manuel-lopez-obrador/we-re-not-going-to-meddle-in-the-internal-life-of-other-peoples-and/) [Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andres-manuel-lopez-obrador/) > [Governments don't control people like they used to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/governments-don-t-control-people-like-they-used-to/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I cannot be any clearer, minority governments don't work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annastacia-palaszczuk/i-cannot-be-any-clearer-minority-governments-don-t-work/) [Annastacia Palaszczuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annastacia-palaszczuk/) > [“Governments don't protect people, people protect governments." 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They just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-breslin/governments-mostly-don-t-do-much-and-you-ve-also-got-to-understand/) [Jimmy Breslin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-breslin/) > [“governments don't produce economic growth people do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/governments-don-t-produce-economic-growth-people-do/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Governments don't reduce deficits by raising taxes on the people; governments reduce deficits by controlling spending and stimulating new wealth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/governments-don-t-reduce-deficits-by-raising-taxes-on-the-people/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Governments don't want a population capable of critical thinking, they want obedient workers, people just smart enough to run the machines and just dumb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/governments-don-t-want-a-population-capable-of-critical-thinking-they/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) ## More by Robert Anton Wilson > [Every fact of science was once Damned. Every invention was considered impossible. Every discovery was a nervous shock to some orthodoxy. Every artistic innovation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/every-fact-of-science-was-once-damned-every-invention-was-considered/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [The only way to stave off boredom, in a complex domesticated primate like humankind, is to increase one's intelligence. 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