--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Under a Presidential government, a nation…" description: "\"Under a Presidential government, a nation has, except at the electing moment, no influence; it has not the ballot-box before it; its virtue is gone, an..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bae/walter-bagehot-3686_ballots_under-a-presidential-government-a-nation_2023009.png" --- # Under a Presidential government, a nation has, except at… ![“Under a Presidential government, a nation has, except at the electing moment, no influence; it has not the ballot-box before it; its virtue is gone, and it must wait till its instant of despotism again returns.” quote by Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bae/walter-bagehot-3686_ballots_under-a-presidential-government-a-nation_2023009.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bae/walter-bagehot-3686_ballots_under-a-presidential-government-a-nation_2023009.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bae/walter-bagehot-3686_ballots_under-a-presidential-government-a-nation_2023009.png) > “Under a Presidential government, a nation has, except at the electing moment, no influence; it has not the ballot-box before it; its virtue is gone, and it must wait till its instant of despotism again returns.” [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A presidential system lacks ongoing public influence except during elections, leading to a loss of civic virtue until authoritarian rule returns. **In simple terms:** Presidential rule limits everyday public power, causing moral decline until despotism. Key Takeaway Recognize the need for continuous civic engagement. Themes politics governance citizen power authority democracy Mood critical reflective serious Type political analytical When to use this quote - elections - public policy - civil society - government accountability Key Concepts social contract political legitimacy civic virtue Questions to Reflect On - How can citizens stay influential between elections? - What safeguards prevent despotism? A Different Perspective Even with elections, power can become detached from the people. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ballots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballots/) [Despotism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despotism/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/) ## Related quotes > [It is up to Labour to keep alive the belief that government should be for the whole nation and that no section of society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/it-is-up-to-labour-to-keep-alive-the-belief-that-government-should-be/) [Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/) > [“The United States is no longer a nation that has a government. It is now a government that has a nation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ellsworth/the-united-states-is-no-longer-a-nation-that-has-a-government-it-is/) [David Ellsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ellsworth/) > [No expectations, no tension between goals and performance, no outrage, resolve or intention, no action, no results. There's only one way to get a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-meadows/no-expectations-no-tension-between-goals-and-performance-no-outrage/) [Donella Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-meadows/) > [The government of a nation itself is usually found to be but the reflux of the individuals composing it. 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We went into slavery pieces of property; we came out American citizens.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/think-about-it-we-went-into-slavery-pagans-we-came-out-christians-we/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [Whether you are buying a car or casting a ballot, choosing a job or planning a family, follow your moral compass. Don't let others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-hayes/whether-you-are-buying-a-car-or-casting-a-ballot-choosing-a-job-or/) [Denis Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-hayes/) > [ The best way to marginalize the Muslim Brotherhood \[in Egypt\] is in the ballot box, not through arrests and killing people. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ayotte/the-best-way-to-marginalize-the-muslim-brotherhood-in-egypt-is-in-the/) [Kelly Ayotte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ayotte/) ## More by Walter Bagehot > [But of all nations in the world the English are perhaps the least a nation of pure philosophers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/but-of-all-nations-in-the-world-the-english-are-perhaps-the-least-a/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) > [The Sovereign has, under a constitutional monarchy such as ours, three rights - the right to be consulted, the right to encourage, the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/the-sovereign-has-under-a-constitutional-monarchy-such-as-ours-three/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) > [The most essential mental quality for a free people, whose liberty is to be progressive, permanent and on a large scale, is much stupidity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/the-most-essential-mental-quality-for-a-free-people-whose-liberty-is/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) > [Adventure is the life of commerce, but caution is the life of banking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/adventure-is-the-life-of-commerce-but-caution-is-the-life-of-banking/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) > [A severe though not unfriendly critic of our institutions said that the cure for admiring the House of Lords was to go and look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/a-severe-though-not-unfriendly-critic-of-our-institutions-said-that/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) > [Nothing is more unpleasant than a virtuous person with a mean mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/nothing-is-more-unpleasant-than-a-virtuous-person-with-a-mean-mind/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) > [What impresses men is not mind, but the result of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/what-impresses-men-is-not-mind-but-the-result-of-mind/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) > [An inability to stay quiet is one of the conspicuous failings of mankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/an-inability-to-stay-quiet-is-one-of-the-conspicuous-failings-of/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) > [Most men of business think "Anyhow this system will probably last my time. 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But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/in-early-times-every-sort-of-advantage-tends-to-become-a-military/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) [Explore all 123 Walter Bagehot quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) ## More Ballots quotes > [ The best way to marginalize the Muslim Brotherhood \[in Egypt\] is in the ballot box, not through arrests and killing people. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ayotte/the-best-way-to-marginalize-the-muslim-brotherhood-in-egypt-is-in-the/) [Kelly Ayotte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ayotte/) > [Whether you are buying a car or casting a ballot, choosing a job or planning a family, follow your moral compass. Don't let others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-hayes/whether-you-are-buying-a-car-or-casting-a-ballot-choosing-a-job-or/) [Denis Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-hayes/) > [Think about it: we went into slavery pagans; we came out Christians. 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