--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To make fun of an administration, to make…" description: "\"To make fun of an administration, to make fun of anything, Mark Twain said, is the last defense of democracy.\" — Robin Williams" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/060/robin-williams-682_administration_to-make-fun-of-an-administration-to-make_151300.jpg" --- # To make fun of an administration, to make fun of anything… ![“To make fun of an administration, to make fun of anything, Mark Twain said, is the last defense of democracy.” quote by Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/060/robin-williams-682_administration_to-make-fun-of-an-administration-to-make_151300.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/060/robin-williams-682_administration_to-make-fun-of-an-administration-to-make_151300.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/060/robin-williams-682_administration_to-make-fun-of-an-administration-to-make_151300.jpg) > “To make fun of an administration, to make fun of anything, Mark Twain said, is the last defense of democracy.” [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Mark Twain said that satirizing an administration is a final safeguard of democracy. **In simple terms:** Satire protects democracy as a last defense. Key Takeaway Use humor to hold power accountable. Themes democracy satire politics freedom of speech Mood witty defensive Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - political commentary - comedy shows - social media - public debates Key Concepts civic engagement media criticism public discourse Questions to Reflect On - How effective is satire in modern politics? - What limits satire’s impact? A Different Perspective Satire can be misinterpreted or censored. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Administration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/administration/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fun/) [Management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/management/) ## Related quotes > [“Mark Twain said, two people can keep a secret if one of them is dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaje-harper/mark-twain-said-two-people-can-keep-a-secret-if-one-of-them-is-dead/) [Kaje Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaje-harper/) > [“Mark Twain said that Adam was the only man who, when he said a good thing, knew that nobody had said it before.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/mark-twain-said-that-adam-was-the-only-man-who-when-he-said-a-good/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“Ben smiled back, 'Mark Twain said a novel was a confession to everything by a man who had never done anything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/ben-smiled-back-mark-twain-said-a-novel-was-a-confession-to/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Mark Twain once said, “I can live for two months on a good compliment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-chapman/mark-twain-once-said-i-can-live-for-two-months-on-a-good-compliment/) [Gary Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-chapman/) > [I think it was Mark Twain who said, “Get your facts straight, and then you can distort them as much as you like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lanyon/i-think-it-was-mark-twain-who-said-get-your-facts-straight-and-then/) [Josh Lanyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lanyon/) > [“Mark Twain said “it ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble, but what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-callery/mark-twain-said-it-ain-t-what-you-don-t-know-that-gets-you-into/) [Terence Callery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-callery/) > [“History may not repeat itself but, as Mark Twain said, it does rhyme.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kriwaczek/history-may-not-repeat-itself-but-as-mark-twain-said-it-does-rhyme/) [Paul Kriwaczek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kriwaczek/) > [“Mark Twain said a century ago, “It’s not what you don’t know that gets you into trouble, it’s what you know for sure that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-kelley/mark-twain-said-a-century-ago-it-s-not-what-you-don-t-know-that-gets/) [Tom Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-kelley/) > [Those who have heard me speak from time to time know that quite often I cite the observation of that great American author, Mark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-hayworth/those-who-have-heard-me-speak-from-time-to-time-know-that-quite-often/) [J. D. Hayworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-hayworth/) > [Mark Twain once said that history doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-laszlo-barabasi/mark-twain-once-said-that-history-doesn-t-repeat-itself-but-it-does/) Albert-Laszlo Barabasi > [They said you had to take what the defense gave you. No, we are going to take what we want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-davis/they-said-you-had-to-take-what-the-defense-gave-you-no-we-are-going/) [Al Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-davis/) > [“Mark Twain said, "Humor is mankind's greatest blessing." Dorsey Bing said, "I'll take womankind's greatest blessing: more wine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cece-osgood/mark-twain-said-humor-is-mankind-s-greatest-blessing-dorsey-bing-said/) CeCe Osgood > [“We are so identified with who we think we are that it limits how we can be, determines how we live, and conditions how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lama-surya-das/we-are-so-identified-with-who-we-think-we-are-that-it-limits-how-we/) [Lama Surya Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lama-surya-das/) > [“Mark Twain said that, outside of Vienna, all coffee was merely liquid poverty," Sarah commented.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magnus-flyte/mark-twain-said-that-outside-of-vienna-all-coffee-was-merely-liquid/) [Magnus Flyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magnus-flyte/) > [“LEARN FROM THE MASTERS: Mark Twain once said, “Show, don’t tell.” This is an incredibly important lesson for writers to remember; never get such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-nissan/learn-from-the-masters-mark-twain-once-said-show-don-t-tell-this-is/) [Colin Nissan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-nissan/) ## More by Robin Williams > [On stage you're free. You can say and do things that if you said and did any place else, you'd be arrested.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/on-stage-you-re-free-you-can-say-and-do-things-that-if-you-said-and/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [Humor is a great defense, and an offense too. Usually the recipient isn't too happy about it, but the people around are laughing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/humor-is-a-great-defense-and-an-offense-too-usually-the-recipient-isn/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [What's wrong with death sir? What are we so mortally afraid of? Why can't we treat death with a certain amount of humanity and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/what-s-wrong-with-death-sir-what-are-we-so-mortally-afraid-of-why-can/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [Spring is nature's way of saying, 'Let's party!'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/spring-is-nature-s-way-of-saying-let-s-party/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [I had sex with a prostitute when I was 21, I was so bad, she gave me a refund.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/i-had-sex-with-a-prostitute-when-i-was-21-i-was-so-bad-she-gave-me-a/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [We were talking briefly about cocaine... yeah. Anything that makes you paranoid and impotent, give me more of that!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/we-were-talking-briefly-about-cocaine-yeah-anything-that-makes-you/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [In America they really do mythologise people when they die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/in-america-they-really-do-mythologise-people-when-they-die/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [I always thought the idea of education was to learn to think for yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/i-always-thought-the-idea-of-education-was-to-learn-to-think-for/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [I was a serious method actor until I visited this site.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/i-was-a-serious-method-actor-until-i-visited-this-site/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [I'm history! No, I'm mythology! Nah, I don't care what I am, I'm free!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/i-m-history-no-i-m-mythology-nah-i-don-t-care-what-i-am-i-m-free/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [But only in their dreams can men be truly free. It was always thus and always thus will be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/but-only-in-their-dreams-can-men-be-truly-free-it-was-always-thus-and/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [People say satire is dead. It's not dead; it's alive and living in the White House.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/people-say-satire-is-dead-it-s-not-dead-it-s-alive-and-living-in-the/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [For me, comedy starts as a spew, a kind of explosion, and then you sculpt it from there, if at all. It comes out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/for-me-comedy-starts-as-a-spew-a-kind-of-explosion-and-then-you/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [Carpe per diem - seize the check.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/carpe-per-diem-seize-the-check/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [Cable is not bound because people pay for it. It's literally a choice, that's the operative word. If you don't like the language, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/cable-is-not-bound-because-people-pay-for-it-it-s-literally-a-choice/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) [Explore all 413 Robin Williams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) ## 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": "To make fun of an administration, to make fun of anything, Mark Twain said, is the last defense of democracy.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robin Williams" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/to-make-fun-of-an-administration-to-make-fun-of-anything-mark-twain/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Administration" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/to-make-fun-of-an-administration-to-make-fun-of-anything-mark-twain/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/060/robin-williams-682_administration_to-make-fun-of-an-administration-to-make_151300.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/060/robin-williams-682_administration_to-make-fun-of-an-administration-to-make_151300.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/060/robin-williams-682_administration_to-make-fun-of-an-administration-to-make_151300.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To make fun of an administration, to make fun of anything, Mark Twain said, is the last defense of democracy.” — Robin Williams", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Robin Williams", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "To make fun of an administration,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/to-make-fun-of-an-administration-to-make-fun-of-anything-mark-twain/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/to-make-fun-of-an-administration-to-make-fun-of-anything-mark-twain/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```