--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Don't count on Congress. Laws come into…" description: "\"Don't count on Congress. Laws come into being because people on the ground demand it.\" — Terri Sewell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eac/terri-sewell-40959_because_don-t-count-on-congress-laws-come-into-b_2810967.jpg" --- # Don't count on Congress. Laws come into being because… ![“Don't count on Congress. Laws come into being because people on the ground demand it.” quote by Terri Sewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eac/terri-sewell-40959_because_don-t-count-on-congress-laws-come-into-b_2810967.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eac/terri-sewell-40959_because_don-t-count-on-congress-laws-come-into-b_2810967.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eac/terri-sewell-40959_because_don-t-count-on-congress-laws-come-into-b_2810967.jpg) > “Don't count on Congress. Laws come into being because people on the ground demand it.” [Terri Sewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-sewell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Laws arise from grassroots demand, not congressional initiative. **In simple terms:** People, not Congress, drive lawmaking. Key Takeaway Mobilize community action for change. Themes politics grassroots law empowerment Mood determined inspirational Type political social When to use this quote - local meetings - online petitions - campaigns - legislative hearings Key Concepts civic engagement policy advocacy public pressure Questions to Reflect On - How to sustain momentum? - What allies can help? A Different Perspective Congress may still block popular reforms. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Because](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/because/) [Being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being/) [Come](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/come/) [Congress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/congress/) [Congress Laws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/congress-laws-3519125/) [Count](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/count/) [Count Congress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/count-congress-3519126/) [Demand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand/) [Ground](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ground/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Laws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laws/) [Laws Come](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laws-come-2833914/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [Dont count on Congress. Laws come into being because people on the ground demand it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-sewell/dont-count-on-congress-laws-come-into-being-because-people-on-the/) [Terri Sewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-sewell/) > [Laws have come down to us from old customs and folk-ways based on primitive ideas of man's origin, capacity and responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-darrow/laws-have-come-down-to-us-from-old-customs-and-folk-ways-based-on/) [Clarence Darrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-darrow/) > [I don't want to talk politics, but what I do say is I believe in rules and laws, and if you come to this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-farah/i-don-t-want-to-talk-politics-but-what-i-do-say-is-i-believe-in-rules/) [Mo Farah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-farah/) > [I can't count the number of times I've sat in a meeting where it's been 20 men and me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-dubuc/i-can-t-count-the-number-of-times-i-ve-sat-in-a-meeting-where-it-s/) [Nancy Dubuc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-dubuc/) > [Do you count your birthdays with gratitude?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/do-you-count-your-birthdays-with-gratitude/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [You count a man's U.S. Amateur titles after he starts winning professional majors. That's something any intelligent golf writer with a sense of history…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-jenkins/you-count-a-man-s-u-s-amateur-titles-after-he-starts-winning/) [Dan Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-jenkins/) > [Time means a great deal to every runner. It means everything to me, because most days miles don't count; only minutes do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-henderson/time-means-a-great-deal-to-every-runner-it-means-everything-to-me/) [Joe Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-henderson/) > [If you can't count, they can cheat you. If you can't read, they can beat you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/if-you-can-t-count-they-can-cheat-you-if-you-can-t-read-they-can-beat/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [I count something as successful if it pleases the audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/poonam-dhillon/i-count-something-as-successful-if-it-pleases-the-audience/) [Poonam Dhillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/poonam-dhillon/) > [U only live once, so make ever second count!!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bridgett/u-only-live-once-so-make-ever-second-count/) [Bridgett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bridgett/) > [Don't count how many times you talk to God, just TALK!!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-cowell/don-t-count-how-many-times-you-talk-to-god-just-talk/) [Larry Cowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-cowell/) > [You don't count the dead, when god's on your side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/you-don-t-count-the-dead-when-god-s-on-your-side/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [If you do what you're supposed to do, it will come to you - it will happen on its own. I don't count numbers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-chubb/if-you-do-what-you-re-supposed-to-do-it-will-come-to-you-it-will/) [Nick Chubb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-chubb/) > [I really can't live without my In-N-Out burgers. Honestly, I can't. Even when I'm doing the whole no-carb thing occasionally, I make an exception…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-berkus/i-really-can-t-live-without-my-in-n-out-burgers-honestly-i-can-t-even/) [Nate Berkus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-berkus/) > [Yes yes you can count on me - Fingers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/yes-yes-you-can-count-on-me-fingers/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) ## More by Terri Sewell > [We could have done a better job explaining what was in the Affordable Care Act, but when you talk to people and you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-sewell/we-could-have-done-a-better-job-explaining-what-was-in-the-affordable/) [Terri Sewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-sewell/) > [Im benefitting from the sacrifices and seeds sown by Shirley Chisholm, John Lewis, and so many others. Those of us who are beneficiaries owe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-sewell/im-benefitting-from-the-sacrifices-and-seeds-sown-by-shirley-chisholm/) [Terri Sewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-sewell/) > [When you have incidences like the Trayvon Martin verdict, the erosion of certain fundamental rights like voting, it just reminds us that we're always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-sewell/when-you-have-incidences-like-the-trayvon-martin-verdict-the-erosion/) [Terri Sewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-sewell/) > [Collaboration is really important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-sewell/collaboration-is-really-important/) [Terri Sewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-sewell/) > [I think at the end of the day we have to raise the debt ceiling, because America pays its bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-sewell/i-think-at-the-end-of-the-day-we-have-to-raise-the-debt-ceiling/) [Terri Sewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-sewell/) > [You grow up with a heightened sense of the Civil Rights Movement, but I think it wasn't until I became of age that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-sewell/you-grow-up-with-a-heightened-sense-of-the-civil-rights-movement-but/) [Terri Sewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-sewell/) > [I think that something is fundamentally wrong if a person of his great wealth is only paying 13.9 percent effective tax rate and most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-sewell/i-think-that-something-is-fundamentally-wrong-if-a-person-of-his/) [Terri Sewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-sewell/) > [Dont count on Congress. Laws come into being because people on the ground demand it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-sewell/dont-count-on-congress-laws-come-into-being-because-people-on-the/) [Terri Sewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-sewell/) > [I think that one thing I have learned as a freshman is that it is really important to collaborate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-sewell/i-think-that-one-thing-i-have-learned-as-a-freshman-is-that-it-is/) [Terri Sewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-sewell/) [Explore all 10 Terri Sewell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-sewell/) ## More Because quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [I gave my archive to Emory University because there's a really dear friend who teaches there, Rudolph Byrd, and he's the editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/i-gave-my-archive-to-emory-university-because-there-s-a-really-dear/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [There were songs that we cut out after we chose the name, because 'Praise Break' turned out to be an underlying concept that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-caesar/there-were-songs-that-we-cut-out-after-we-chose-the-name-because/) [Daniel Caesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-caesar/) > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [I was also known as Frodo because I was an early adopter of 'The Lord of the Rings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/i-was-also-known-as-frodo-because-i-was-an-early-adopter-of-the-lord/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [I believe in taxation and health care that is outside the usual libertarian mandate, because I don't want people to have to suffer. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/i-believe-in-taxation-and-health-care-that-is-outside-the-usual/) [Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/) > [It's like saying French shouldn't be taught because you don't understand it because it's new. Shakespeare is just like learning a new, exciting language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barnett/it-s-like-saying-french-shouldn-t-be-taught-because-you-don-t/) [Samuel Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barnett/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [Sometimes, when full and in fear that I will continue to eat unwanted food just because it's staring at me, I will place my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-nichols/sometimes-when-full-and-in-fear-that-i-will-continue-to-eat-unwanted/) [Rachel Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-nichols/) > [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/) > [I was contacted by Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, MP, through the Pune Film Institute and offered the post in the NFDC. I accepted it for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suresh-gopi/i-was-contacted-by-rajyavardhan-singh-rathore-mp-through-the-pune/) [Suresh Gopi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suresh-gopi/) > [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/) [Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) [Browse all 15,485 Because quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/because/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Don't count on Congress. 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