--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Being 'at the mercy of legislative…" description: "\"Being 'at the mercy of legislative majorities' is merely another way of describing the basic American plan: representative democracy.\" — Robert Bork" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a9/robert-bork-16437_another-way_being-at-the-mercy-of-legislative-majori_2949563.jpg" --- # Being 'at the mercy of legislative majorities' is merely… ![“Being 'at the mercy of legislative majorities' is merely another way of describing the basic American plan: representative democracy.” quote by Robert Bork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a9/robert-bork-16437_another-way_being-at-the-mercy-of-legislative-majori_2949563.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a9/robert-bork-16437_another-way_being-at-the-mercy-of-legislative-majori_2949563.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a9/robert-bork-16437_another-way_being-at-the-mercy-of-legislative-majori_2949563.jpg) > “Being 'at the mercy of legislative majorities' is merely another way of describing the basic American plan: representative democracy.” [Robert Bork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bork/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Representative democracy subjects individuals to the whims of majority rule, which can dominate legislative outcomes. **In simple terms:** Democracy can be ruled by majority whims. Key Takeaway Stay informed and engage in civic processes. Themes politics democracy majority rule governance Mood analytical serious Type political philosophical When to use this quote - elections - policy debates - community meetings Key Concepts civic engagement political theory Questions to Reflect On - How can minorities protect their interests? - What reforms could balance majority rule? A Different Perspective Majority may suppress minority rights. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Mercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mercy/) ## Related quotes > [In states where Republicans have gerrymandered themselves into nearly impenetrable legislative majorities, they have also taken steps to try to close the paths the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/in-states-where-republicans-have-gerrymandered-themselves-into-nearly/) [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) > [Majorities and minorities cannot rightfully be taken at all into account in deciding questions of justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/majorities-and-minorities-cannot-rightfully-be-taken-at-all-into/) [Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/) > [Majorities are generally wrong, if only in their reasons for being right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saintsbury/majorities-are-generally-wrong-if-only-in-their-reasons-for-being/) [George Saintsbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saintsbury/) > [The minorities are sometimes right. The majorities never.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-minorities-are-sometimes-right-the-majorities-never/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Climate change may not be the most important issue to every American, but strong majorities do consider it a major problem, and they aren't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-whitehouse/climate-change-may-not-be-the-most-important-issue-to-every-american/) [Sheldon Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-whitehouse/) > [They're still a subject beholden to special interests, but at least they have a national constituency. At least they have to think about national…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shields/they-re-still-a-subject-beholden-to-special-interests-but-at-least/) [Mark Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shields/) > [Majorities, of course, start with minorities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-moses/majorities-of-course-start-with-minorities/) [Robert Moses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-moses/) > [Majorities are of two sorts: (1) communal majority and (2) political majority. A political majority is changeable in its class composition. A political majority…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-r-ambedkar/majorities-are-of-two-sorts-1-communal-majority-and-2-political/) [B. R. Ambedkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-r-ambedkar/) > [The fact disclosed by a survey of the past that majorities have been wrong must not blind us to the complementary fact that majorities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/the-fact-disclosed-by-a-survey-of-the-past-that-majorities-have-been/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [Great innovations should not be forced on slender majorities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/great-innovations-should-not-be-forced-on-slender-majorities/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [“...so bear in mind that majorities, especially respectable ones, are nine times out of ten in the wrong; and that if you see man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hughes/so-bear-in-mind-that-majorities-especially-respectable-ones-are-nine/) [Thomas Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hughes/) > [Decision by majorities is as much an expedient as lighting by gas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-e-gladstone/decision-by-majorities-is-as-much-an-expedient-as-lighting-by-gas/) [William E. Gladstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-e-gladstone/) > [The parliamentary principle of decision by majorities only appears during quite short periods of history, and those are always periods of decadence in nations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/the-parliamentary-principle-of-decision-by-majorities-only-appears/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [Majorities, as such, afford no guarantees for justice. They are men of the same nature as minorities. They have the same passions for fame,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/majorities-as-such-afford-no-guarantees-for-justice-they-are-men-of/) [Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/) > [You know, a lot of the people that are running. We want to go in; we want to have majorities. It's very important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/you-know-a-lot-of-the-people-that-are-running-we-want-to-go-in-we/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) ## More by Robert Bork > [Those who made and endorsed our Constitution knew man's nature, and it is to their ideas, rather than to the temptations of utopia, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bork/those-who-made-and-endorsed-our-constitution-knew-man-s-nature-and-it/) [Robert Bork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bork/) > [ \[The current governing judicial philosophy is:\] If you want something passionately enough, it is guaranteed by the Constitution. No need to fiddle around gathering… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bork/the-current-governing-judicial-philosophy-is-if-you-want-something/) [Robert Bork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bork/) > [The major obstacle to a religious renewal is the intellectual classes, who are highly influential and tend to view religion as primitive superstition. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bork/the-major-obstacle-to-a-religious-renewal-is-the-intellectual-classes/) [Robert Bork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bork/) > [The Federalist Society has done more for the health of the law than any organization I have witnessed in my career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bork/the-federalist-society-has-done-more-for-the-health-of-the-law-than/) [Robert Bork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bork/) > [Reporters treat religion as beneath mention, as personally distasteful, or as a clear and present threat to the American way of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bork/reporters-treat-religion-as-beneath-mention-as-personally-distasteful/) [Robert Bork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bork/) > [“Now, however, the educational system has become the weapon of choice for modern liberals in their project of dismantling American culture.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bork/now-however-the-educational-system-has-become-the-weapon-of-choice/) [Robert Bork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bork/) > [ When a judge goes beyond \[his proper function\] and reads entirely new values into the Constitution, values the framers and ratifiers did not put… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bork/when-a-judge-goes-beyond-his-proper-function-and-reads-entirely-new/) [Robert Bork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bork/) > [I don't think the Constitution is studied almost anywhere, including law schools. In law schools, what they study is what the court said about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bork/i-don-t-think-the-constitution-is-studied-almost-anywhere-including/) [Robert Bork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bork/) > [If the children already born each have only two children themselves ... in twenty-seven to thirty-five years the population of the world will double.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bork/if-the-children-already-born-each-have-only-two-children-themselves/) [Robert Bork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bork/) > [In a constitutional democracy the moral content of law must be given by the morality of the framer or legislator, never by the morality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bork/in-a-constitutional-democracy-the-moral-content-of-law-must-be-given/) [Robert Bork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bork/) > [As the courts keep pushing religion out of sight, the press either ignores it or treats it as some sort of emotional affliction. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bork/as-the-courts-keep-pushing-religion-out-of-sight-the-press-either/) [Robert Bork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bork/) > [No church that panders to the zeitgeist deserves respect, and very shortly it will not get respect, except from those who find it politically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bork/no-church-that-panders-to-the-zeitgeist-deserves-respect-and-very/) [Robert Bork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bork/) > [The National Rifle Association is always arguing that the Second Amendment determines the right to bear arms. But I think it really is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bork/the-national-rifle-association-is-always-arguing-that-the-second/) [Robert Bork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bork/) > [The purpose that brought the fourteenth amendment into being was equality before the law, and equality, not separation, was written into the law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bork/the-purpose-that-brought-the-fourteenth-amendment-into-being-was/) [Robert Bork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bork/) > [One evening at a hotel in New York I flipped around the television channels. Suddenly there on the public access channel was a voluptuous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bork/one-evening-at-a-hotel-in-new-york-i-flipped-around-the-television/) [Robert Bork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bork/) [Explore all 40 Robert Bork quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bork/) ## More Another way quotes > [Cooking brings me so much joy. I love everything, down to the execution of the plate to picking out fresh ingredients at the market.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-budig/cooking-brings-me-so-much-joy-i-love-everything-down-to-the-execution/) [Kathryn Budig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-budig/) > [Social media is not just another way to connect feminist and activist voices - it amplifies our messages as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-valenti/social-media-is-not-just-another-way-to-connect-feminist-and-activist/) [Jessica Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-valenti/) > [I've got the public. I don't care about the critics. I did at one time. I don't any more. I did when I needed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-neiman/i-ve-got-the-public-i-don-t-care-about-the-critics-i-did-at-one-time/) [LeRoy Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-neiman/) > [... we need to interrogate "reverence," for idolization can be another way one is objectified and not really taken seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/we-need-to-interrogate-reverence-for-idolization-can-be-another-way/) [Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/) > [And after hearing what our Church can say, If still our reason runs another way, That private reason 'tis more just to curb, Than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/and-after-hearing-what-our-church-can-say-if-still-our-reason-runs/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [I'm really fascinated and you know I've been wondering about that usage of language, various breathing techniques and why in these practices language is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-acker/i-m-really-fascinated-and-you-know-i-ve-been-wondering-about-that/) [Kathy Acker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-acker/) > [The fact that you are not sure means that it is possible that there is another way someday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/the-fact-that-you-are-not-sure-means-that-it-is-possible-that-there/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [Congress decides who becomes a citizen and how. To automatically say the 14th Amendment grants birthright citizenship, no, we can't change that. Amending the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/congress-decides-who-becomes-a-citizen-and-how-to-automatically-say/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Just because somebody swings one way and I swing another way doesn't mean he's better than me or I'm better than him ... Does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-pedroia/just-because-somebody-swings-one-way-and-i-swing-another-way-doesn-t/) [Dustin Pedroia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-pedroia/) > [The spirit of Christianity proclaims the brotherhood of the race and the meaning of that strong word has not been left to guesswork, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-spirit-of-christianity-proclaims-the-brotherhood-of-the-race-and/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Suffering, if you're a Christian, suffering is a part of life. And it's not a bad thing, it is an essential thing in life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/suffering-if-you-re-a-christian-suffering-is-a-part-of-life-and-it-s/) [Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/) > [Rather than admit a mistake, nations have gone to war, families have separated, and good people have sacrificed everything dear to them. Admitting that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-ward/rather-than-admit-a-mistake-nations-have-gone-to-war-families-have/) [Don Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-ward/) > [Painting is the most magical of mediums. The transcendence is truly amazing to me every time I go to a museum and I see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/painting-is-the-most-magical-of-mediums-the-transcendence-is-truly/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [I don't know about forgiving, but it's an "I'm still here." And it's not just because I have nowhere else to go. It's because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudia-rankine/i-don-t-know-about-forgiving-but-it-s-an-i-m-still-here-and-it-s-not/) [Claudia Rankine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudia-rankine/) > [There is no finer way to demonstrate love of God than by serving Him in the positions to which we may be called. 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