--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There was a state without king or nobles…" description: "\"There was a state without king or nobles; there was a church without a bishop; there was a people governed by grave magistrates which it had selected, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/988/rufus-choate-26933_bishops_there-was-a-state-without-king-or-nobles_2226009.png" --- # There was a state without king or nobles; there was a… ![“There was a state without king or nobles; there was a church without a bishop; there was a people governed by grave magistrates which it had selected, and by equal laws which it had framed.” quote by Rufus Choate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/988/rufus-choate-26933_bishops_there-was-a-state-without-king-or-nobles_2226009.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/988/rufus-choate-26933_bishops_there-was-a-state-without-king-or-nobles_2226009.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/988/rufus-choate-26933_bishops_there-was-a-state-without-king-or-nobles_2226009.png) > “There was a state without king or nobles; there was a church without a bishop; there was a people governed by grave magistrates which it had selected, and by equal laws which it had framed.” [Rufus Choate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-choate/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It describes a society where power is decentralized, with no monarch, bishop, or hereditary elite, governed instead by elected magistrates and equal laws. **In simple terms:** A society without hierarchy, ruled by elected officials and fair laws. Key Takeaway Support democratic, egalitarian governance. Themes democracy egalitarianism political theory Mood reflective critical Type political philosophical When to use this quote - constitutional design - civic education - policy reform - community organizing Key Concepts separation of powers rule of law citizen participation Questions to Reflect On - Can true equality be achieved without informal power structures? - What safeguards prevent corruption? A Different Perspective Human nature may still create informal hierarchies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bishops](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bishops/) [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Kings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kings/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [In a democratic set-up, people who are being governed should also be a part of the governing system. They should be drafted into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajyavardhan-singh-rathore/in-a-democratic-set-up-people-who-are-being-governed-should-also-be-a/) [Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajyavardhan-singh-rathore/) > [“A free people should be governed by law and not by the whims of men.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-cleon-skousen/a-free-people-should-be-governed-by-law-and-not-by-the-whims-of-men/) [W. Cleon Skousen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-cleon-skousen/) > [It takes very little to govern good people. Very little. And bad people cant be governed at all. Or if they could I never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/it-takes-very-little-to-govern-good-people-very-little-and-bad-people/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [My reason for fixing them in office for a term of years, rather than for life, was that they might have an idea that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/my-reason-for-fixing-them-in-office-for-a-term-of-years-rather-than/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Keep your mind open about what you want to do and be true to yourself. So many people are governed by what's 'in' or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-bourne/keep-your-mind-open-about-what-you-want-to-do-and-be-true-to-yourself/) [Matthew Bourne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-bourne/) > [ \[The labor movement is\] a movement of the working people, for the working people, by the working people, governed by ourselves, with its policies… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-gompers/the-labor-movement-is-a-movement-of-the-working-people-for-the/) [Samuel Gompers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-gompers/) > [Wouldst thou know if a people be well governed, or if its laws be good or bad, examine the music it practices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/wouldst-thou-know-if-a-people-be-well-governed-or-if-its-laws-be-good/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [People are governed by the head; a kind heart is of little value in chess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-chamfort/people-are-governed-by-the-head-a-kind-heart-is-of-little-value-in/) [Nicolas Chamfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-chamfort/) > [If any form of government is capable of making a nation happy, ours I think bids fair now for producing that effect. But after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/if-any-form-of-government-is-capable-of-making-a-nation-happy-ours-i/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Those people who will not be governed by God will be ruled by tyrants.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/those-people-who-will-not-be-governed-by-god-will-be-ruled-by-tyrants/) [William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/) > [People are governed with the head; kindness of heart is little use in chess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-chamfort/people-are-governed-with-the-head-kindness-of-heart-is-little-use-in/) [Nicolas Chamfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-chamfort/) > [“It is important for all of us to understand that free people are not governed by rules. Here at Hillsdale we are governed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-p-arnn/it-is-important-for-all-of-us-to-understand-that-free-people-are-not/) Larry P. Arnn > [My faith in the people governing is, on the whole, infinitesimal; my faith in the people governed is, on the whole, illimitable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/my-faith-in-the-people-governing-is-on-the-whole-infinitesimal-my/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [It has always seemed to me that the social order was implicit in the very nature of things, and required nothing more from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-antoine-de-saint-just/it-has-always-seemed-to-me-that-the-social-order-was-implicit-in-the/) [Louis Antoine de Saint-Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-antoine-de-saint-just/) > [All countries must be governed by the modern people; they must be governed by the progressive people; they must be governed by those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/all-countries-must-be-governed-by-the-modern-people-they-must-be/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) ## More by Rufus Choate > [“Dalam berargumentasi jangan mengeluarkan ejekan mau pun sindiran tajam.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-choate/dalam-berargumentasi-jangan-mengeluarkan-ejekan-mau-pun-sindiran-tajam/) [Rufus Choate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-choate/) > [Power, carried to extremes, is always liable to reaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-choate/power-carried-to-extremes-is-always-liable-to-reaction/) [Rufus Choate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-choate/) > [The final end of government is not to exert restraint but to do good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-choate/the-final-end-of-government-is-not-to-exert-restraint-but-to-do-good/) [Rufus Choate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-choate/) > [Knowledge is power as well as fame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-choate/knowledge-is-power-as-well-as-fame/) [Rufus Choate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-choate/) > [The courage of New England was the courage of conscience. It did not rise to that insane and awful passion, the love of war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-choate/the-courage-of-new-england-was-the-courage-of-conscience-it-did-not/) [Rufus Choate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-choate/) > [Happy is he who has laid up in his youth, and held fast in all fortune, a genuine and passionate love of reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-choate/happy-is-he-who-has-laid-up-in-his-youth-and-held-fast-in-all-fortune/) [Rufus Choate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-choate/) > [A book is the only immortality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-choate/a-book-is-the-only-immortality/) [Rufus Choate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-choate/) > [We join ourselves to no party that does not carry the flag and I keep step to the music of the Union.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-choate/we-join-ourselves-to-no-party-that-does-not-carry-the-flag-and-i-keep/) [Rufus Choate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-choate/) > [Happy is he who has laid up in his youth, and held fast in all fortune, a genuine and passionate love for reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-choate/happy-is-he-who-has-laid-up-in-his-youth-and-held-fast-in-all-fortune-2/) [Rufus Choate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-choate/) > [Its Constitution--the glittering and sounding generalities of natural right which make up the Declaration of Independence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-choate/its-constitution-the-glittering-and-sounding-generalities-of-natural/) [Rufus Choate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-choate/) > [We have built no temple but the Capitol. We consult no common oracle but the Constitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-choate/we-have-built-no-temple-but-the-capitol-we-consult-no-common-oracle/) [Rufus Choate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-choate/) > [All that happens in the world of Nature or Man, - every war; every peace; every hour of prosperity; every hour of adversity; every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-choate/all-that-happens-in-the-world-of-nature-or-man-every-war-every-peace/) [Rufus Choate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-choate/) > [Neither irony nor sarcasm is argument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-choate/neither-irony-nor-sarcasm-is-argument/) [Rufus Choate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-choate/) > [“The book is the only immortality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-choate/the-book-is-the-only-immortality/) [Rufus Choate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-choate/) > [No lawyer can afford to be ignorant of the Bible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-choate/no-lawyer-can-afford-to-be-ignorant-of-the-bible/) [Rufus Choate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-choate/) [Explore all 21 Rufus Choate quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-choate/) ## More Bishops quotes > [The good Bishop of Assisi expressed a sort of horror at the hard life which the Little Brothers lived at the Portiuncula, without comforts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-good-bishop-of-assisi-expressed-a-sort-of-horror-at-the-hard-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My last two characters have been Denethor and Walter Bishop. Both will be hard acts to follow. That sits in the hands of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-noble/my-last-two-characters-have-been-denethor-and-walter-bishop-both-will/) [John Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-noble/) > [The one thing that the Catholic Church desires, and that I seek as Bishop of Rome, “the Church which presides in charity”, is communion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/the-one-thing-that-the-catholic-church-desires-and-that-i-seek-as/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [And the bigger the fall, the bigger the joke. It would be better fun to throw a custard pie at a bishop than at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/and-the-bigger-the-fall-the-bigger-the-joke-it-would-be-better-fun-to/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [I don't see Jesus as rescuing the fallen; I see Jesus as expanding the potential of life. The primary reason the old idea of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-don-t-see-jesus-as-rescuing-the-fallen-i-see-jesus-as-expanding-the/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [It was a blonde. A blonde to make a bishop kick a hole in a stained-glass window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/it-was-a-blonde-a-blonde-to-make-a-bishop-kick-a-hole-in-a-stained/) [Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) > [We want to create, never mind the leaders or the bishops or chief rabbis or imams, or Popes. We want to create a grassroots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/we-want-to-create-never-mind-the-leaders-or-the-bishops-or-chief/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [Only a good bishop can be sacrificed, a bad bishop can only be lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuri-razuvaev/only-a-good-bishop-can-be-sacrificed-a-bad-bishop-can-only-be-lost/) Yuri Razuvaev > [Archbishop Milingo is a good Bishop and his contention that there are satanists in Rome is completely correct. Anybody who is acquainted with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malachi-martin/archbishop-milingo-is-a-good-bishop-and-his-contention-that-there-are/) [Malachi Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malachi-martin/) > [The future belongs to he who has the bishops.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siegbert-tarrasch/the-future-belongs-to-he-who-has-the-bishops/) [Siegbert Tarrasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siegbert-tarrasch/) > [Inherent in the ordination to be bishop is both the right and the obligation to be directed by inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyd-k-packer/inherent-in-the-ordination-to-be-bishop-is-both-the-right-and-the/) [Boyd K. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyd-k-packer/) > [Our bishops storehouses are not intended to stock enough commodities to care for all the members of the Church. Storehouses are only established to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/our-bishops-storehouses-are-not-intended-to-stock-enough-commodities/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [The kids kept walking, moving through the Henley's halls like a tide, but when Kat turned to leave, she walked in the opposite directions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-carter/the-kids-kept-walking-moving-through-the-henley-s-halls-like-a-tide/) [Ally Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-carter/) > [The Jackdaw sat in the Cardinal's chair! Bishop and Abbot and Prior were there, Many a monk and many a friar, Many a knight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-harris-barham/the-jackdaw-sat-in-the-cardinal-s-chair-bishop-and-abbot-and-prior/) [Richard Harris Barham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-harris-barham/) > [The first proof of charity in a priest, especially a bishop, is poverty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/the-first-proof-of-charity-in-a-priest-especially-a-bishop-is-poverty/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) [Browse all 323 Bishops quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bishops/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There was a state without king or nobles; there was a church without a bishop; there was a people governed by grave magistrates which it had selected, and by equal laws which it had framed.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rufus Choate" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-choate/there-was-a-state-without-king-or-nobles-there-was-a-church-without-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bishops" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-choate/there-was-a-state-without-king-or-nobles-there-was-a-church-without-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/988/rufus-choate-26933_bishops_there-was-a-state-without-king-or-nobles_2226009.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/988/rufus-choate-26933_bishops_there-was-a-state-without-king-or-nobles_2226009.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/988/rufus-choate-26933_bishops_there-was-a-state-without-king-or-nobles_2226009.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There was a state without king or nobles; there was a church without a bishop; there was a people governed…” — Rufus Choate", "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": "Rufus Choate", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-choate/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There was a state without king...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-choate/there-was-a-state-without-king-or-nobles-there-was-a-church-without-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-choate/there-was-a-state-without-king-or-nobles-there-was-a-church-without-a/#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 } } ] } ```