---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Being absolute, and maintained by police…"
description: "\"“Being absolute, and maintained by police force, a Government monopoly need not please its customers.”\" — Rose Wilder Lane"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ac/rose-wilder-lane-11326_police_being-absolute-and-maintained-by-police_658923.jpg"
---

#  Being absolute, and maintained by police force, a…

![“Being absolute, and maintained by police force, a Government monopoly need not please its customers.” quote by Rose Wilder Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ac/rose-wilder-lane-11326_police_being-absolute-and-maintained-by-police_658923.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ac/rose-wilder-lane-11326_police_being-absolute-and-maintained-by-police_658923.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ac/rose-wilder-lane-11326_police_being-absolute-and-maintained-by-police_658923.jpg)

> ““Being absolute, and maintained by police force, a Government monopoly need not please its customers.””

[Rose Wilder Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-wilder-lane/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A government monopoly, even if absolute and enforced by police, does not have to satisfy its users, implying that power without accountability can ignore public needs.

**In simple terms:** Government control may ignore citizens' needs.

Key Takeaway

Demand accountability from powerful institutions.

Themes

authority government monopoly public welfare political theory

Mood

skeptical concerned

Type

political philosophical

When to use this quote

- policy debates
- regulatory oversight
- public services
- citizen activism
- legislative reform

Key Concepts

Legitimacy service obligation citizen rights

Questions to Reflect On

- What mechanisms ensure monopolies serve the public?
- How does police enforcement affect legitimacy?

A Different Perspective

Even monopolies can become oppressive if unchecked.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Force Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/force-government-1399552/) [Government Monopoly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government-monopoly-520757/) [Maintained Police](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maintained-police-5254302/) [Monopoly Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monopoly-need-3949076/) [Police](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/police/) [Police force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/police-force/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/)

## Related quotes

> [We need to get the government out of the way. Inflation hits the middle class and the poor the most. Those are the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/we-need-to-get-the-government-out-of-the-way-inflation-hits-the/)

[Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/)

> [“All governments, even these precious “democracies,” derive all their power by force. Do something the government doesn’t want, like, say, cross the street against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-evan-townsend/all-governments-even-these-precious-democracies-derive-all-their/)

[S. Evan Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-evan-townsend/)

> [I'm glad my name stands for the principle that everyone has the right to force the government to justify his imprisonment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lakhdar-boumediene/i-m-glad-my-name-stands-for-the-principle-that-everyone-has-the-right/)

[Lakhdar Boumediene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lakhdar-boumediene/)

> [Economic planning is nothing more than the forcible superseding of other people's plans by the powerful elite backed up by the brute force of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-e-williams/economic-planning-is-nothing-more-than-the-forcible-superseding-of/)

[Walter E. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-e-williams/)

> [I've laid down my set of principles, so I will not force government-run health care on anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-ross/i-ve-laid-down-my-set-of-principles-so-i-will-not-force-government/)

[Mike Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-ross/)

> [I'm sure that the standard of public morality we've helped build will force government in Canada to approve complete health insurance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-douglas/i-m-sure-that-the-standard-of-public-morality-we-ve-helped-build-will/)

[Tommy Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-douglas/)

> [ \[Y\]ou will understand the game behind the curtain too well not to perceive the old trick of turning every contingency into a resource for… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/y-ou-will-understand-the-game-behind-the-curtain-too-well-not-to/)

[James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/)

> [I think we're not looking sufficiently at what is happening at the grassroots in the country. We have not emphasized sufficiently the cultural revolution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/i-think-we-re-not-looking-sufficiently-at-what-is-happening-at-the/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

> [To paraphrase Hemingway, people go broke slowly and then all at once. We've been slowly going broke for years, but now it's happening all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-palin/to-paraphrase-hemingway-people-go-broke-slowly-and-then-all-at-once/)

[Sarah Palin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-palin/)

> [We must force the government to stop the bird migration. We must shoot all birds, field all our men and troops... and force migratory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-zhirinovsky/we-must-force-the-government-to-stop-the-bird-migration-we-must-shoot/)

[Vladimir Zhirinovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-zhirinovsky/)

> [A constitution should be framed so as not to impede the action of government, nor force the government to its violation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/a-constitution-should-be-framed-so-as-not-to-impede-the-action-of/)

[Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/)

> [“So identified has the State become in the public mind with the provision of these services that an attack on State financing appears to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-n-rothbard/so-identified-has-the-state-become-in-the-public-mind-with-the/)

[Murray N. Rothbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-n-rothbard/)

> [Take away the government's monopoly, and private groups will do it better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/take-away-the-government-s-monopoly-and-private-groups-will-do-it/)

[John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/)

> [We need to end the government monopoly in education by transferring power from bureaucracies and unions to families. The era of defining public education…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-bush/we-need-to-end-the-government-monopoly-in-education-by-transferring/)

[Jeb Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-bush/)

> [Even if someone wanted a purely free-market, competitive media system, it would require extensive government regulation to set up those markets. All our largest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-waterman-mcchesney/even-if-someone-wanted-a-purely-free-market-competitive-media-system/)

[Robert Waterman McChesney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-waterman-mcchesney/)

## More by Rose Wilder Lane

> [As an American I am of course fundamentally opposed to democracy and to anyone advocating or defending democracy, which in theory and practice is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-wilder-lane/as-an-american-i-am-of-course-fundamentally-opposed-to-democracy-and/)

[Rose Wilder Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-wilder-lane/)

> [“The only way to make me stand in line for half an hour to buy a spool of thread, or to make me spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-wilder-lane/the-only-way-to-make-me-stand-in-line-for-half-an-hour-to-buy-a-spool/)

[Rose Wilder Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-wilder-lane/)

> [I somehow always have this idea that as soon as I can get through this work that's piled up ahead of me, I'll really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-wilder-lane/i-somehow-always-have-this-idea-that-as-soon-as-i-can-get-through/)

[Rose Wilder Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-wilder-lane/)

> [The longest lives are short; our work lasts longer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-wilder-lane/the-longest-lives-are-short-our-work-lasts-longer/)

[Rose Wilder Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-wilder-lane/)

> [Anyone who says that economic security is a human right, has been to much babied. While he babbles, other men are risking and losing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-wilder-lane/anyone-who-says-that-economic-security-is-a-human-right-has-been-to/)

[Rose Wilder Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-wilder-lane/)

> [It was not seen that woman's place was in the home until she began to go out of it; the statement was a reply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-wilder-lane/it-was-not-seen-that-woman-s-place-was-in-the-home-until-she-began-to/)

[Rose Wilder Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-wilder-lane/)

> [Our quilts were more than useful, they had the faint sentimentality of a pressed flower. And no more beauty. We did not value them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-wilder-lane/our-quilts-were-more-than-useful-they-had-the-faint-sentimentality-of/)

[Rose Wilder Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-wilder-lane/)

> [Nothing whatever but the constitutional law, the political structure, of these United States protects any American from arbitrary seizure of his property and his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-wilder-lane/nothing-whatever-but-the-constitutional-law-the-political-structure/)

[Rose Wilder Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-wilder-lane/)

> [The need for Government is the need for force; where force is unnecessary, there is no need for Government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-wilder-lane/the-need-for-government-is-the-need-for-force-where-force-is/)

[Rose Wilder Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-wilder-lane/)

> [Plants and animals repeat routine, but men who are not restrained will go into the future like explorers into a new country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-wilder-lane/plants-and-animals-repeat-routine-but-men-who-are-not-restrained-will/)

[Rose Wilder Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-wilder-lane/)

> [Houses are the abiding joys; they are the most emotion-stirring of all things. An automobile is regarded with fond affection, a typewriter becomes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-wilder-lane/houses-are-the-abiding-joys-they-are-the-most-emotion-stirring-of-all/)

[Rose Wilder Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-wilder-lane/)

> [“To know the everlasting majority attitude toward new uses of productive energy, remember that your great-grandfather did not believe that railroads were possible. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-wilder-lane/to-know-the-everlasting-majority-attitude-toward-new-uses-of/)

[Rose Wilder Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-wilder-lane/)

> [“Certainly they would have planted more grapes, produced more wine, lowered the price of wine. They would have needed more casks, more boats, more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-wilder-lane/certainly-they-would-have-planted-more-grapes-produced-more-wine/)

[Rose Wilder Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-wilder-lane/)

> [“Ask why you can’t lift an innocent finger without permission, and your lack of the simplest reasoning power baffles them. One must always have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-wilder-lane/ask-why-you-can-t-lift-an-innocent-finger-without-permission-and-your/)

[Rose Wilder Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-wilder-lane/)

> [“The Old World belief is this: Individuals are cells in a greater organism. All men are naturally dependent, obedient, controlled by Authority. (Communists, Fascists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-wilder-lane/the-old-world-belief-is-this-individuals-are-cells-in-a-greater/)

[Rose Wilder Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-wilder-lane/)

[Explore all 60 Rose Wilder Lane quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-wilder-lane/)

## More Police quotes

> [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

> [In the battle for police reform, accountability and justice, Americans don't have to re-invent the wheel. We just have to revoke the thing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-johnson/in-the-battle-for-police-reform-accountability-and-justice-americans/)

[Jason Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-johnson/)

> [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/)

[Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/)

> [The minimum that most minimalists want leaves in place just the institutions who protect their interests. That's libertarians for you - anarchists who want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-stanley-robinson/the-minimum-that-most-minimalists-want-leaves-in-place-just-the/)

[Kim Stanley Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-stanley-robinson/)

> [It's very hard to be a kid, especially in a predominantly white school or white town where other people want to police your body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-lelia-bundles/it-s-very-hard-to-be-a-kid-especially-in-a-predominantly-white-school/)

[A'Lelia Bundles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-lelia-bundles/)

> [“The police ultimately pay the price for poor customer service when citizens become fearful of them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-police-ultimately-pay-the-price-for-poor-customer-service-when/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [In France they spend six months training policemen, then they give them a gun and put them on the streets, and I don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mathieu-kassovitz/in-france-they-spend-six-months-training-policemen-then-they-give/)

[Mathieu Kassovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mathieu-kassovitz/)

> [When I get bored I say fck the police](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-i-get-bored-i-say-fck-the-police/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [UN peacekeeping operations are now increasingly complex and multi-dimensional, going beyond monitoring a ceasefire to actually bringing failed States back to life, often after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/un-peacekeeping-operations-are-now-increasingly-complex-and-multi/)

[Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/)

> [If legislators come to believe that police power is an ever-present constitutional trump card they can play whenever it suits them, overreaching is inexorable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-willett/if-legislators-come-to-believe-that-police-power-is-an-ever-present/)

[Don Willett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-willett/)

> [I think the only thing that's really going to make a change in terms of how we feel as citizens in terms of safety…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chance-the-rapper/i-think-the-only-thing-that-s-really-going-to-make-a-change-in-terms/)

[Chance The Rapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chance-the-rapper/)

> [“police cars, but since he was driving”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-cole/police-cars-but-since-he-was-driving/)

[Bobby Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-cole/)

> [You build the bonds through the community and police force, build bonds of understanding, and then when people feel comfortable in their communities, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-kaine/you-build-the-bonds-through-the-community-and-police-force-build/)

[Tim Kaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-kaine/)

> [“Sam’s eyes wandered up to the camera again. “Are we being recorded?” “Yes.” “Who’s watching us right now?” The detective sighed. “A couple of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-hillier/sam-s-eyes-wandered-up-to-the-camera-again-are-we-being-recorded-yes/)

[Jennifer Hillier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-hillier/)

> [Being a woman, we talk about equal pay all the time. We're not talking about if you're black or if you are Latina. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-rapinoe/being-a-woman-we-talk-about-equal-pay-all-the-time-we-re-not-talking/)

[Megan Rapinoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-rapinoe/)

[Browse all 3,520 Police quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/police/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Being absolute, and maintained by police force, a Government monopoly need not please its customers.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Rose Wilder Lane"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-wilder-lane/being-absolute-and-maintained-by-police-force-a-government-monopoly/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Police"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-wilder-lane/being-absolute-and-maintained-by-police-force-a-government-monopoly/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ac/rose-wilder-lane-11326_police_being-absolute-and-maintained-by-police_658923.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ac/rose-wilder-lane-11326_police_being-absolute-and-maintained-by-police_658923.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ac/rose-wilder-lane-11326_police_being-absolute-and-maintained-by-police_658923.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Being absolute, and maintained by police force, a Government monopoly need not please its customers.” — Rose Wilder Lane",
                "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": "Rose Wilder Lane",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-wilder-lane/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Being absolute, and maintained by police...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-wilder-lane/being-absolute-and-maintained-by-police-force-a-government-monopoly/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-wilder-lane/being-absolute-and-maintained-by-police-force-a-government-monopoly/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
