--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are a nation that has a government-not…" description: "\"We are a nation that has a government-not the other way around. And that makes us special among the nations of the earth.\" — Ronald Reagan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df8/ronald-reagan-119_consent-of-the-gover_we-are-a-nation-that-has-a-government-no_2867021.jpg" --- # We are a nation that has a government-not the other way… ![“We are a nation that has a government-not the other way around. And that makes us special among the nations of the earth.” quote by Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df8/ronald-reagan-119_consent-of-the-gover_we-are-a-nation-that-has-a-government-no_2867021.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df8/ronald-reagan-119_consent-of-the-gover_we-are-a-nation-that-has-a-government-no_2867021.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df8/ronald-reagan-119_consent-of-the-gover_we-are-a-nation-that-has-a-government-no_2867021.jpg) > “We are a nation that has a government-not the other way around. And that makes us special among the nations of the earth.” [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The government exists to serve the people, not the other way around, making the nation unique. **In simple terms:** Government serves people, not vice versa. Key Takeaway Respect the role of government. Themes democracy citizenship government Mood proud reflective Type political inspirational When to use this quote - voting - public policy - civic engagement - community organizing Key Concepts social contract political philosophy Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure government accountability? - What responsibilities do citizens have? A Different Perspective Assumes all governments act in citizens' interests, which may not hold. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Consent of the governed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consent-of-the-governed/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Nation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nation/) [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) ## Related quotes > [We are a nation that has a government - not the other way around. 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But these are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jay-lifton/there-are-people-who-believe-that-there-should-be-a-standard/) [Robert Jay Lifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jay-lifton/) > [You can't fool all of the people all of the time. But it isn't necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/you-can-t-fool-all-of-the-people-all-of-the-time-but-it-isn-t/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [The only thing we have to fear is fear itself-and possibly teh bogey man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-paulsen/the-only-thing-we-have-to-fear-is-fear-itself-and-possibly-teh-bogey/) [Pat Paulsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-paulsen/) > [We the people tell the government what to do, it doesn't tell us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/we-the-people-tell-the-government-what-to-do-it-doesn-t-tell-us/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [All I want is the same thing you want. To have a nation with a government that is as good and honest and decent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/all-i-want-is-the-same-thing-you-want-to-have-a-nation-with-a/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [“You need to live in a nation whose government values the search to understand humanity’s place in the universe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/you-need-to-live-in-a-nation-whose-government-values-the-search-to/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [You better believe that I want to build a Christian nation, because the only option is a pagan nation. 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What I hate is that we don't speak up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-winstone/almost-all-politicians-drive-me-insane-these-people-are-supposed-to/) [Ray Winstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-winstone/) > [Now we are in the second term of the government of a united nation and the government has done very well. One thing they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/now-we-are-in-the-second-term-of-the-government-of-a-united-nation/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [I stand with the Navajo Nation and call upon the U.S. Government to do what is right and clean up this mess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-brockovich/i-stand-with-the-navajo-nation-and-call-upon-the-u-s-government-to-do/) [Erin Brockovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-brockovich/) ## More by Ronald Reagan > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [You know, by the time you reach my age, you've made plenty of mistakes if you've lived your life properly. So you learn. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/you-know-by-the-time-you-reach-my-age-you-ve-made-plenty-of-mistakes/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Yes, across Europe, this wall will fall. For it cannot withstand faith; it cannot withstand truth. The wall cannot withstand freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/yes-across-europe-this-wall-will-fall-for-it-cannot-withstand-faith/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Simple fairness dictates that government must not raise taxes on families struggling to pay their bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/simple-fairness-dictates-that-government-must-not-raise-taxes-on/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The time has come to turn to God and reassert our trust in Him for the healing of America - our country is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/the-time-has-come-to-turn-to-god-and-reassert-our-trust-in-him-for/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Professional politicians like to talk about the value of experience in government. Nuts! The only experience you gain in politics is how to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/professional-politicians-like-to-talk-about-the-value-of-experience/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The WPA was one of the most productive elements of FDR's alphabet soup of agencies because it put people to work building roads, bridges,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/the-wpa-was-one-of-the-most-productive-elements-of-fdr-s-alphabet/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Where there's liberty, art succeeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/where-there-s-liberty-art-succeeds/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Since I came to the White House, I got two hearing aids, a colon operation, skin cancer, a prostate operation, and I was shot.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/since-i-came-to-the-white-house-i-got-two-hearing-aids-a-colon/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [A moment I've been dreading. George brought his ne're-do-well son around this morning and asked me to find the kid a job. Not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/a-moment-i-ve-been-dreading-george-brought-his-ne-re-do-well-son/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [On Father's Day, we pay tribute to all in our society who have taken on the responsibilitie s and joys of fatherhood. Whether our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/on-father-s-day-we-pay-tribute-to-all-in-our-society-who-have-taken/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [There is no limit to the amount of good you can do if you don't care who gets the credit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/there-is-no-limit-to-the-amount-of-good-you-can-do-if-you-don-t-care/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [It's not that liberals aren't smart, it's just that so much of what they know isn't so](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/it-s-not-that-liberals-aren-t-smart-it-s-just-that-so-much-of-what/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Love your country, not for her power or wealth, but for her selflessness and her idealism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/love-your-country-not-for-her-power-or-wealth-but-for-her/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) [Explore all 1,244 Ronald Reagan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) ## More Consent of the governed quotes > [“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/we-hold-these-truths-to-be-self-evident-that-all-men-are-created/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Our Declaration of Independence declares that democracies derive their power from the 'consent of the governed.' But this democracy will fail if only some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-capehart/our-declaration-of-independence-declares-that-democracies-derive/) [Jonathan Capehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-capehart/) > [The mass of the citizens is the safest depositary of their own rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-mass-of-the-citizens-is-the-safest-depositary-of-their-own-rights/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Let the Democrates go on making its case for more government control over every aspect of our lives. More taxes to pay. More debt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ryan/let-the-democrates-go-on-making-its-case-for-more-government-control/) [Paul Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ryan/) > [“Fortunately, there was government by consent of the governed in America—but just as unfortunately, such governments dearly hate to admit a mistake.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-r-fehrenbach/fortunately-there-was-government-by-consent-of-the-governed-in/) [T. R. Fehrenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-r-fehrenbach/) > [From the day of its birth, the anomaly of slavery plagued a nation which asserted the equality of all men, and sought to derive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/from-the-day-of-its-birth-the-anomaly-of-slavery-plagued-a-nation/) [W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/) > [We are a nation that has a government - not the other way around. And this makes us special among the nations of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/we-are-a-nation-that-has-a-government-not-the-other-way-around-and/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The public needs to know the kinds of things a government does in its name, or the 'consent of the governed' is meaningless... The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/the-public-needs-to-know-the-kinds-of-things-a-government-does-in-its/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [Even the most despotic government cannot stand except for the consent of the governed… Immediately the subject ceases to fear the despotic force, his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/even-the-most-despotic-government-cannot-stand-except-for-the-consent/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [The consent of the governed" is more than a safeguard against ignorant tyrants: it is an insurance against benevolent despots as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/the-consent-of-the-governed-is-more-than-a-safeguard-against-ignorant/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [Governments rest on the consent of the governed, and that it is the right of the people to alter or abolish them at will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/governments-rest-on-the-consent-of-the-governed-and-that-it-is-the/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > ["All men are created equal." "Government by consent of the governed." "Give me liberty or give me death." And those are not just clever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/all-men-are-created-equal-government-by-consent-of-the-governed-give/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [Two hundred years ago, our Founding Fathers gave us a democracy. It was based upon the simple, yet noble, idea that government derives its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tsongas/two-hundred-years-ago-our-founding-fathers-gave-us-a-democracy-it-was/) [Paul Tsongas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tsongas/) > [In a government bottomed on the will of all, the... liberty of every individual citizen becomes interesting to all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/in-a-government-bottomed-on-the-will-of-all-the-liberty-of-every/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Government itself is founded upon the great doctrine of the consent of the governed, and has its cornerstone in the memorable principle that men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leland-stanford/government-itself-is-founded-upon-the-great-doctrine-of-the-consent/) [Leland Stanford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leland-stanford/) [Browse all 59 Consent of the governed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consent-of-the-governed/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We are a nation that has a government-not the other way around. 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