---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The rules seem rigged to protect…"
description: "\"The rules seem rigged to protect government lawlessness, and the playing field is uneven.\" — Sharyl Attkisson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1c/sharyl-attkisson-12588_government_the-rules-seem-rigged-to-protect-governm_1503257.jpg"
---

#  The rules seem rigged to protect government lawlessness…

![“The rules seem rigged to protect government lawlessness, and the playing field is uneven.” quote by Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1c/sharyl-attkisson-12588_government_the-rules-seem-rigged-to-protect-governm_1503257.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1c/sharyl-attkisson-12588_government_the-rules-seem-rigged-to-protect-governm_1503257.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1c/sharyl-attkisson-12588_government_the-rules-seem-rigged-to-protect-governm_1503257.jpg)

> “The rules seem rigged to protect government lawlessness, and the playing field is uneven.”

[Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/)

## About This Quote

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

Power structures can be biased, creating unfair advantages and systemic lawlessness.

**In simple terms:** Power can be unfair.

Key Takeaway

Question and reform biased systems.

Themes

justice power inequality

Mood

critical determined

Type

political advice

When to use this quote

- policy making
- activism
- journalism
- law

Key Concepts

political theory systemic bias

Questions to Reflect On

- What reforms could level the field?
- How to expose hidden biases?

A Different Perspective

Reforms may be resisted by entrenched interests.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Government Lawlessness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government-lawlessness-5516300/) [Lawlessness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lawlessness/) [Lawlessness Playing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lawlessness-playing-5516301/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Protect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protect/) [Protect Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protect-government-1292161/) [Rigged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rigged/) [Rules](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rules/) [Rules Rigged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rules-rigged-5516299/) [Seem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seem/)

## Related quotes

> [Truth is suppressed, not to protect the country from enemy agents but to protect the Government of the day against the people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-hattersley/truth-is-suppressed-not-to-protect-the-country-from-enemy-agents-but/)

[Roy Hattersley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-hattersley/)

> [“Life, Liberty, Property, the Pursuit of Happiness: These are the rights our government was created to protect. When the government confiscates your property to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debi-ghate/life-liberty-property-the-pursuit-of-happiness-these-are-the-rights/)

[Debi Ghate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debi-ghate/)

> [The government is always looking for something that appears more dangerous than itself, and these criminals seem to fit the bill. Never mind that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/llewellyn-rockwell/the-government-is-always-looking-for-something-that-appears-more/)

[Llewellyn Rockwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/llewellyn-rockwell/)

> [Most governments are designed to protect the government from the people, whereas the United States government was organized to protect the people from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-cooper/most-governments-are-designed-to-protect-the-government-from-the/)

[Jeff Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-cooper/)

> [The American Constitution was not written to protect criminals; it was written to protect the government from becoming criminals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/the-american-constitution-was-not-written-to-protect-criminals-it-was/)

[Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/)

> [Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/government-exists-to-protect-us-from-each-other-where-government-has/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [If you aren't free to protect yourself - when government puts its thumb on that freedom - then you aren't free at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-lapierre/if-you-aren-t-free-to-protect-yourself-when-government-puts-its-thumb/)

[Wayne LaPierre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-lapierre/)

> [“In the fight for freedom, the Internet is everything, and we should fight to protect it from government encroachment and censorship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-kibbe/in-the-fight-for-freedom-the-internet-is-everything-and-we-should/)

[Matt Kibbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-kibbe/)

> [There are no adequate substitutes for father, mother, and children bound together in a loving commitment to nurture and protect. No government, no matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-r-ford/there-are-no-adequate-substitutes-for-father-mother-and-children/)

[Gerald R. Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-r-ford/)

> [Illegality will never solve the problem of political lawlessness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emanuel-celler/illegality-will-never-solve-the-problem-of-political-lawlessness/)

[Emanuel Celler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emanuel-celler/)

> [I think the other side of this is in this balance between the social state and the punishing state, remember, the social state has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/i-think-the-other-side-of-this-is-in-this-balance-between-the-social/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [With the tools of democracy, democracy was murdered and lawlessness made "legal." Raw power ruled, and its only real goal was to destroy all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-metaxas/with-the-tools-of-democracy-democracy-was-murdered-and-lawlessness/)

[Eric Metaxas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-metaxas/)

> [The end of an age is always a time of turmoil, war, economic catastrophe, cynicism, lawlessness and distress. But it is also an era…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-j-rushdoony/the-end-of-an-age-is-always-a-time-of-turmoil-war-economic/)

[R.J. Rushdoony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-j-rushdoony/)

> [The primary cause of disorder and lawlessness today, as throughout history, is the poverty of the many in contrast to the affluence of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-o-kelso/the-primary-cause-of-disorder-and-lawlessness-today-as-throughout/)

[Louis O. Kelso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-o-kelso/)

> [“Oh where is the noble face of modesty, or the strength of virtue, now that blasphemy is in power and men have put justice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/oh-where-is-the-noble-face-of-modesty-or-the-strength-of-virtue-now/)

[Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/)

## More by Sharyl Attkisson

> [Long before the 2016 presidential campaign, confidential sources had alerted me to longstanding misuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court system and the erosion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/long-before-the-2016-presidential-campaign-confidential-sources-had/)

[Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/)

> [Obama administration officials who were in key positions on Sept. 11, 2012, acknowledge that a range of mistakes were made the night of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/obama-administration-officials-who-were-in-key-positions-on-sept-11/)

[Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/)

> [We Americans like to believe we live in a free country with the right to use the justice system to ensure that government abuses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/we-americans-like-to-believe-we-live-in-a-free-country-with-the-right/)

[Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/)

> [Obviously, if I cared about what people said about my reporting, I wouldn't be a good journalist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/obviously-if-i-cared-about-what-people-said-about-my-reporting-i/)

[Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/)

> [The beauty of American elections is that anything can happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/the-beauty-of-american-elections-is-that-anything-can-happen/)

[Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/)

> [I'm not a professional political analyst, so my political analysis is worth about what you pay for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/i-m-not-a-professional-political-analyst-so-my-political-analysis-is/)

[Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/)

> [Ever since his inauguration, President Trump's political opponents have been pushing to impeach him. They just hadn't found the right excuse. In other words,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/ever-since-his-inauguration-president-trump-s-political-opponents/)

[Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/)

> [I think very few of us have a thick bold line on every given topic that falls neatly into the box of a chosen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/i-think-very-few-of-us-have-a-thick-bold-line-on-every-given-topic/)

[Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/)

> [Everyone would like to believe that anyone possibly exposed to a serious contagious disease would comply with self-quarantine requirements. But history teaches a different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/everyone-would-like-to-believe-that-anyone-possibly-exposed-to-a/)

[Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/)

> [I just don't care what people think. I'm just trying to do what I think is right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/i-just-don-t-care-what-people-think-i-m-just-trying-to-do-what-i/)

[Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/)

> [If you've read my New York Times bestseller 'Stonewalled', you know that I'm a fan of an intellectual exercise I call the Substitution Game.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/if-you-ve-read-my-new-york-times-bestseller-stonewalled-you-know-that/)

[Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/)

> [The bottom line is: Polls can be provocative, informative, fun or maddening. But as we move into 2020, it's important to be mindful that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/the-bottom-line-is-polls-can-be-provocative-informative-fun-or/)

[Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/)

> [The nature of the government's surveillance on me and my family is forensically proven and not subject to legitimate question.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/the-nature-of-the-government-s-surveillance-on-me-and-my-family-is/)

[Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/)

> [When analysis and opinion are invited, various viewpoints should be represented. Allegations of political blame, when they occur, should be reasonably challenged on all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/when-analysis-and-opinion-are-invited-various-viewpoints-should-be/)

[Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/)

> [And this may be hard to swallow for those deeply embedded in a particular political philosophy, but I think most people - whatever their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/and-this-may-be-hard-to-swallow-for-those-deeply-embedded-in-a/)

[Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/)

[Explore all 54 Sharyl Attkisson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/)

## More Government quotes

> [We could form a government of national unity fighting corruption. The ordinary Afghan is sick and tired of it, because it's she or he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashraf-ghani/we-could-form-a-government-of-national-unity-fighting-corruption-the/)

[Ashraf Ghani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashraf-ghani/)

> [For the Scottish government, the practice of having meetings in different parts of the country is well established, but for the U.K. government, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-sturgeon/for-the-scottish-government-the-practice-of-having-meetings-in/)

[Nicola Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-sturgeon/)

> [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/)

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

> [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/)

[Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/)

> [Right now we're concerned about budget. Right now we're concerned about the prospect of interest rate rise. We're concerned about government corruption, government handing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amity-shlaes/right-now-we-re-concerned-about-budget-right-now-we-re-concerned/)

[Amity Shlaes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amity-shlaes/)

> [One of the worst things to come out of the Consumer Protection Board's misleading claims is the impression that government resources are to hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-lesko/one-of-the-worst-things-to-come-out-of-the-consumer-protection-board/)

[Matthew Lesko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-lesko/)

> [It is afraid of an informed, angry public demanding the constitutional government it was promised - and it should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/it-is-afraid-of-an-informed-angry-public-demanding-the-constitutional/)

[Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/)

> [Louisiana's spicy, colorful politics have saddled our state with a reputation for tolerating lax ethical standards in government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kennedy/louisiana-s-spicy-colorful-politics-have-saddled-our-state-with-a/)

[John Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kennedy/)

> [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/)

[Greg Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-perry/)

> [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/)

[Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/)

> [He is almost a statesman. He lies well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/he-is-almost-a-statesman-he-lies-well/)

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

> [If you believe in democracy, why shouldn't you know what the government is doing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/if-you-believe-in-democracy-why-shouldn-t-you-know-what-the/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [I mean those people who are interested in good government will certainly contribute in order to make certain there's some counter-balance to those whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-breyer/i-mean-those-people-who-are-interested-in-good-government-will/)

[Stephen Breyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-breyer/)

> [We can't have a government that will collapse in three months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-varadkar/we-can-t-have-a-government-that-will-collapse-in-three-months/)

[Leo Varadkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-varadkar/)

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

[Browse all 21,248 Government quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The rules seem rigged to protect government lawlessness, and the playing field is uneven.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sharyl Attkisson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/the-rules-seem-rigged-to-protect-government-lawlessness-and-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Government"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/the-rules-seem-rigged-to-protect-government-lawlessness-and-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1c/sharyl-attkisson-12588_government_the-rules-seem-rigged-to-protect-governm_1503257.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1c/sharyl-attkisson-12588_government_the-rules-seem-rigged-to-protect-governm_1503257.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1c/sharyl-attkisson-12588_government_the-rules-seem-rigged-to-protect-governm_1503257.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The rules seem rigged to protect government lawlessness, and the playing field is uneven.” — Sharyl Attkisson",
                "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": "Sharyl Attkisson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The rules seem rigged to protect...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/the-rules-seem-rigged-to-protect-government-lawlessness-and-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/the-rules-seem-rigged-to-protect-government-lawlessness-and-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
