--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If everyone has to be a watchdog in order…" description: "\"If everyone has to be a watchdog in order to make government work, then the foxes will also volunteer to serve.\" — William Greider" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7c/william-greider-14089_foxes_if-everyone-has-to-be-a-watchdog-in-orde_3031353.png" --- # If everyone has to be a watchdog in order to make… ![“If everyone has to be a watchdog in order to make government work, then the foxes will also volunteer to serve.” quote by William Greider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7c/william-greider-14089_foxes_if-everyone-has-to-be-a-watchdog-in-orde_3031353.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7c/william-greider-14089_foxes_if-everyone-has-to-be-a-watchdog-in-orde_3031353.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7c/william-greider-14089_foxes_if-everyone-has-to-be-a-watchdog-in-orde_3031353.png) > “If everyone has to be a watchdog in order to make government work, then the foxes will also volunteer to serve.” [William Greider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-greider/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. If everyone must monitor government, even opportunists will join, undermining trust. **In simple terms:** Watchdogs attract bad actors. Key Takeaway Beware of false guardians. Themes politics trust accountability Mood cautious critical Type political philosophical When to use this quote - policy reform - public oversight - government transparency Key Concepts institutional design moral hazard civic duty Questions to Reflect On - How can we ensure genuine oversight? - What safeguards prevent abuse? A Different Perspective May be overly cynical. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Foxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foxes/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Government work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government-work/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Volunteer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/volunteer/) ## Related quotes > [Shutting down the government is not how you make government work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clooney/shutting-down-the-government-is-not-how-you-make-government-work/) [George Clooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clooney/) > [I was elected to come to an incredibly dysfunctional capital and make the government work better, and that's what I'm doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-cuomo/i-was-elected-to-come-to-an-incredibly-dysfunctional-capital-and-make/) [Andrew Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-cuomo/) > [It's time to make our government work for all of us... and not just the 1%.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/it-s-time-to-make-our-government-work-for-all-of-us-and-not-just-the-1/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [My strength is in finding ways to make the government work for the people: finding waste, or money that is not being properly used...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-duckworth/my-strength-is-in-finding-ways-to-make-the-government-work-for-the/) [Tammy Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-duckworth/) > [If you want to make the government take a religious side, then make the case, it should be Christian republic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/if-you-want-to-make-the-government-take-a-religious-side-then-make/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [You make government number one, and people give up their rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beneil-dariush/you-make-government-number-one-and-people-give-up-their-rights/) [Beneil Dariush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beneil-dariush/) > [One of the things I think I can bring to the presidency is to make government and public service cool again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/one-of-the-things-i-think-i-can-bring-to-the-presidency-is-to-make/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [So long as selfishness makes government needful at all, it must make every government corrupt, save one in which all men are represented.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/so-long-as-selfishness-makes-government-needful-at-all-it-must-make/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [I decided to run for governor because I got mad... 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They keep searching for political meanings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-greider/the-point-is-the-political-reporters-are-the-ones-who-no-longer/) [William Greider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-greider/) > [The trauma of 9/11 stimulated infinite possibilities for worry - some quite plausible, but most inspired by remote what-if fantasies. 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If danger might lurk anywhere, maybe everything must be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-greider/the-quest-for-homeland-security-is-heading-toward-the-quasi/) [William Greider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-greider/) > [Americans cannot teach democracy to the world until they restore their own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-greider/americans-cannot-teach-democracy-to-the-world-until-they-restore/) [William Greider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-greider/) [Explore all 48 William Greider quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-greider/) ## More Foxes quotes > [Perhaps the most important reason to be skeptical of government inflation numbers is that the government, like a fox campaigning to guard a hen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/perhaps-the-most-important-reason-to-be-skeptical-of-government/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) > [I did not support Operation Desert Fox.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/i-did-not-support-operation-desert-fox/) [Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/) > [People realized that they could come on Fox News Sunday, and they would be well and fairly treated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brit-hume/people-realized-that-they-could-come-on-fox-news-sunday-and-they/) [Brit Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brit-hume/) > [“Man is the Reasoning Animal. Such is the claim. I think it is open to dispute. Indeed, my experiments have proven to me that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/man-is-the-reasoning-animal-such-is-the-claim-i-think-it-is-open-to/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [New Rule: There is no devil, so stop blaming your screw-ups on him. Last week, one of the biggest evangelical leaders in America, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/new-rule-there-is-no-devil-so-stop-blaming-your-screw-ups-on-him-last/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [Old foxes want no tutors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-fuller/old-foxes-want-no-tutors/) [Thomas Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-fuller/) > [ The only thing is that ordinarily when I do dance with \[women\] they think I am suddenly going to throw them over a table… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/the-only-thing-is-that-ordinarily-when-i-do-dance-with-women-they/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [Calling Michelle 'Obama Barack's baby mama?' Tell me, is that acceptable? But the Obamas aren't the only targets. Fox's pattern of race-baiting and fear-mongering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/calling-michelle-obama-barack-s-baby-mama-tell-me-is-that-acceptable/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [“You are not at all like my rose," he said. "As yet you are nothing. No one has tamed you, and you have tamed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/you-are-not-at-all-like-my-rose-he-said-as-yet-you-are-nothing-no-one/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [I've built a tree house; because of my architectural training, it's heavily over-designed, with an oriel window sticking out of it and flying foxes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-wise/i-ve-built-a-tree-house-because-of-my-architectural-training-it-s/) [Greg Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-wise/) > [ I certainly don't feel like I have a monopoly on \[opinions\] because I have the job at FOX - any one of a thousand… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-buck/i-certainly-don-t-feel-like-i-have-a-monopoly-on-opinions-because-i/) [Joe Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-buck/) > [ I have to say, early on, to be fair, in the \[Barack\] Obama administration, the Obama White House said that Fox News was not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-have-to-say-early-on-to-be-fair-in-the-barack-obama-administration/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Donald Trump said he didn't think Megyn Kelly had been fair to him. But he also talked about Fox's response to this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-martin/donald-trump-said-he-didn-t-think-megyn-kelly-had-been-fair-to-him/) [Michel Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-martin/) > [All that I did," she said, "everything I tried to do. All for nothing." Nothing is done entirely for nothing, said the fox of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/all-that-i-did-she-said-everything-i-tried-to-do-all-for-nothing/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [I have to say that Adam Levine is truly a daring young man to go on Twitter to bash Fox News. He's so rebellious,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/i-have-to-say-that-adam-levine-is-truly-a-daring-young-man-to-go-on/) [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) [Browse all 600 Foxes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foxes/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If everyone has to be a watchdog in order to make government work, then the foxes will also volunteer to serve.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Greider" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-greider/if-everyone-has-to-be-a-watchdog-in-order-to-make-government-work/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Foxes" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-greider/if-everyone-has-to-be-a-watchdog-in-order-to-make-government-work/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7c/william-greider-14089_foxes_if-everyone-has-to-be-a-watchdog-in-orde_3031353.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7c/william-greider-14089_foxes_if-everyone-has-to-be-a-watchdog-in-orde_3031353.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7c/william-greider-14089_foxes_if-everyone-has-to-be-a-watchdog-in-orde_3031353.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If everyone has to be a watchdog in order to make government work, then the foxes will also volunteer to…” — William Greider", "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": "William Greider", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-greider/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If everyone has to be a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-greider/if-everyone-has-to-be-a-watchdog-in-order-to-make-government-work/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-greider/if-everyone-has-to-be-a-watchdog-in-order-to-make-government-work/#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 } } ] } ```