Be good Quote by William Penn
“If men be good, government cannot be bad.”
About This Quote
Source Treatise: The Good News of the Commonwealth, 1682
If citizens are virtuous, the government cannot be corrupt.
In simple terms: Good people keep government good.
Key Takeaway
Promote civic virtue.
Themes
ethics
government
citizenship
Mood
critical
thought‑provoking
Type
political
ethical
When to use this quote
- voting
- community service
- public office
- civic education
Key Concepts
political theory
social contract
Questions to Reflect On
- How can societies ensure virtuous leadership?
- What role do institutions play in preventing corruption?
A Different Perspective
Corruption can persist despite individual virtue.
![“[There can be no] rational administration of government when good men are held in the same esteem as bad ones.” quote by Polybius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e51/polybius-21895_administration_there-can-be-no-rational-administration_1598886.jpg)
![“[A]ll popular and well-mixed governments [republics] . . . are ever established by wise and good men, and can never be upheld otherwise than by virtue: The worst men always conspiring against them, they must fall, if the best have not power to preserve them. . . . [and] unless they be preserved in…” quote by Algernon Sidney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/1c1/algernon-sidney-20606_conspiring_a-ll-popular-and-well-mixed-governments_696129.jpg)
