--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Dont count on Congress. Laws come into…" description: "\"Dont count on Congress. Laws come into being because people on the ground demand it.\" — Terri Sewell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b64/terri-sewell-40959_congress_dont-count-on-congress-laws-come-into-be_2820922.jpg" --- # Dont count on Congress. Laws come into being because… ![“Dont count on Congress. Laws come into being because people on the ground demand it.” quote by Terri Sewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b64/terri-sewell-40959_congress_dont-count-on-congress-laws-come-into-be_2820922.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b64/terri-sewell-40959_congress_dont-count-on-congress-laws-come-into-be_2820922.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b64/terri-sewell-40959_congress_dont-count-on-congress-laws-come-into-be_2820922.jpg) > “Dont 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. Change is driven by grassroots pressure, not just legislative action. **In simple terms:** People on the ground create laws. Key Takeaway Mobilize community demand. Themes civic engagement political change grassroots activism Mood determined optimistic Type political inspirational When to use this quote - community organizing - advocacy campaigns - local elections Key Concepts public policy social movements Questions to Reflect On - How can citizens sustain pressure? - What barriers exist for grassroots influence? A Different Perspective Legislation also depends on political will and institutional inertia. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Congress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/congress/) [Congress Laws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/congress-laws-3519125/) [Count Congress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/count-congress-3519126/) [Demand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand/) [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/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) ## Related quotes > [Don't count on Congress. Laws come into being because people on the ground demand it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-sewell/don-t-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/) > [Congress has repeatedly passed laws and otherwise raised a ruckus about indecent language on the broadcast airwaves used for radio and television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reed-hundt/congress-has-repeatedly-passed-laws-and-otherwise-raised-a-ruckus/) [Reed Hundt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reed-hundt/) > [Whenever we have had a need for a national security or public safety issue, Congress has always followed the recommendations of the White House,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-sensenbrenner/whenever-we-have-had-a-need-for-a-national-security-or-public-safety/) [Jim Sensenbrenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-sensenbrenner/) > [Very often the law of extremity demands an attention to irrelevance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/very-often-the-law-of-extremity-demands-an-attention-to-irrelevance/) [Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/) > [Written laws are formulas in which we endeavor to express as concisely as possible that which, under such or such determined circumstances, natural justice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-cousin/written-laws-are-formulas-in-which-we-endeavor-to-express-as/) [Victor Cousin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-cousin/) > [But in this Congress, accountability is just a catch phrase, usually directed elsewhere. Demands to personal responsibility or corporate accountability abound, but rarely congressional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-bean/but-in-this-congress-accountability-is-just-a-catch-phrase-usually/) [Melissa Bean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-bean/) > [With control of the universe at stake, a crash program is imperative.We produced the A-bomb, under the huge Manhattan Project, in an amazingly short…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-keyhoe/with-control-of-the-universe-at-stake-a-crash-program-is-imperative/) [Donald Keyhoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-keyhoe/) > [Now more than ever the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless, and corrupt, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/now-more-than-ever-the-people-are-responsible-for-the-character-of/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [For states' rights advocates, the Constitution is like a contract that is openly violated by one party with impunity. On paper, the states remain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-turley/for-states-rights-advocates-the-constitution-is-like-a-contract-that/) [Jonathan Turley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-turley/) > [The function of the law is not to provide justice or to preserve freedom. The function of the law is to keep those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-spence/the-function-of-the-law-is-not-to-provide-justice-or-to-preserve/) [Gerry Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-spence/) > [We are always saying: Let the Law take its Course but what we really mean is: Let the Law take OUR Course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/we-are-always-saying-let-the-law-take-its-course-but-what-we-really/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [“The laws of every country must be analogous to some common principle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/the-laws-of-every-country-must-be-analogous-to-some-common-principle/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [The law is like apparel, which alters with the time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dodderidge/the-law-is-like-apparel-which-alters-with-the-time/) [John Dodderidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dodderidge/) ## 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/) > [Don't count on Congress. Laws come into being because people on the ground demand it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-sewell/don-t-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 Congress quotes > [Well, my wife, Cathy Gillespie, worked for Joe Barton, who was running for Congress in 1984.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-gillespie/well-my-wife-cathy-gillespie-worked-for-joe-barton-who-was-running/) [Ed Gillespie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-gillespie/) > [We will make sure our troops have all that is necessary to complete their missions. That's why I went to the Congress last September…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/we-will-make-sure-our-troops-have-all-that-is-necessary-to-complete/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [ I can't imagine that I would be asked that by the president-elect \[Donald Trump\], or then-president \[Barack Obama\]. But it's - I'm very clear.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/i-can-t-imagine-that-i-would-be-asked-that-by-the-president-elect/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) > [So our focus has to be on the things that we can control, which is to take the necessary measures working with Congress to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-carney/so-our-focus-has-to-be-on-the-things-that-we-can-control-which-is-to/) [Jay Carney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-carney/) > [It's disgraceful that year after year, Congress has bowed to the tobacco lobby and refused to act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/it-s-disgraceful-that-year-after-year-congress-has-bowed-to-the/) [Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/) > [The Constitution is very clear on the - on the declaration of war or reacting to international crimes - crimes against nations. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-pitts/the-constitution-is-very-clear-on-the-on-the-declaration-of-war-or/) [Joe Pitts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-pitts/) > [Can you understand why the Congress, most states and most cities refuse to pass legislation requiring the registration and licensing of any and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/can-you-understand-why-the-congress-most-states-and-most-cities/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [“ Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/united-states-congress/congress-shall-make-no-law-respecting-an-establishment-of-religion-or/) [United States Congress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/united-states-congress/) > [As the longest serving Independent in the history of the United States Congress, as somebody who came into office by defeating an incumbent Democratic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/as-the-longest-serving-independent-in-the-history-of-the-united/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [As the first Member of Congress from western Washington to serve on the House Agriculture Committee in over 50 years, I am proud to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-larsen/as-the-first-member-of-congress-from-western-washington-to-serve-on/) [Rick Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-larsen/) > [About one-half of the members of Congress are seekers for office at the nomination of the President. Of the remainder, at least one-half have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/about-one-half-of-the-members-of-congress-are-seekers-for-office-at/) [John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/) > [My younger self could not imagine standing on the floor of Congress as a member of Congress voting on legislation that, if enacted, would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritchie-torres/my-younger-self-could-not-imagine-standing-on-the-floor-of-congress/) [Ritchie Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritchie-torres/) > [Rahul Gandhi cannot be a prime minister because he is a citizen of Britain, and his Indian citizenship will be cancelled; he won't even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subramanian-swamy/rahul-gandhi-cannot-be-a-prime-minister-because-he-is-a-citizen-of/) [Subramanian Swamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subramanian-swamy/) > [We need less travelling by jet plaes from congress to congress... but more kneeling and praying and pleading to God to have mercy on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martyn-lloyd-jones/we-need-less-travelling-by-jet-plaes-from-congress-to-congress-but/) [Martyn Lloyd-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martyn-lloyd-jones/) > [Well I think that what we're seeing now is that the people feel like they, the people in Congress don't have their consent to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ingraham/well-i-think-that-what-we-re-seeing-now-is-that-the-people-feel-like/) [Laura Ingraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ingraham/) [Browse all 3,400 Congress quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/congress/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Dont count on Congress. Laws come into being because people on the ground demand it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Terri Sewell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-sewell/dont-count-on-congress-laws-come-into-being-because-people-on-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Congress" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-sewell/dont-count-on-congress-laws-come-into-being-because-people-on-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b64/terri-sewell-40959_congress_dont-count-on-congress-laws-come-into-be_2820922.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b64/terri-sewell-40959_congress_dont-count-on-congress-laws-come-into-be_2820922.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b64/terri-sewell-40959_congress_dont-count-on-congress-laws-come-into-be_2820922.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Dont count on Congress. Laws come into being because people on the ground demand it.” — Terri Sewell", "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": "Terri Sewell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-sewell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Dont count on Congress. Laws come...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-sewell/dont-count-on-congress-laws-come-into-being-because-people-on-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-sewell/dont-count-on-congress-laws-come-into-being-because-people-on-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 } } ] } ```