--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Governments, like clocks, go from the…" description: "\"Governments, like clocks, go from the motion men give them, and as governments are made and moved by men, so by them they are ruined too. Wherefore gov..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7c/william-penn-1104_be-good_governments-like-clocks-go-from-the-moti_504987.png" --- # Governments, like clocks, go from the motion men give… ![“Governments, like clocks, go from the motion men give them, and as governments are made and moved by men, so by them they are ruined too. Wherefore governments rather depend upon men, than men upon governments. Let men be good, and the government cannot be bad; if it be ill, they will cure it. But…” quote by William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7c/william-penn-1104_be-good_governments-like-clocks-go-from-the-moti_504987.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7c/william-penn-1104_be-good_governments-like-clocks-go-from-the-moti_504987.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7c/william-penn-1104_be-good_governments-like-clocks-go-from-the-moti_504987.png) > “Governments, like clocks, go from the motion men give them, and as governments are made and moved by men, so by them they are ruined too. Wherefore governments rather depend upon men, than men upon governments. Let men be good, and the government cannot be bad; if it be ill, they will cure it. But if men be bad, let the government be never so good, they will endeavour to warp and spoil it to their turn.” [William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Governments reflect the character of the people who create and sustain them; good citizens produce good governance, while corrupt citizens corrupt even the best institutions. **In simple terms:** Governments mirror the people who run them. Key Takeaway Cultivate virtue in citizens to sustain healthy governance. Themes politics ethics societal responsibility Mood reflective concerned Type philosophical political When to use this quote - public policy - community building - education reform - anti‑corruption initiatives Key Concepts civic virtue institutional decay social contract Questions to Reflect On - How can societies foster widespread civic virtue? - What safeguards protect institutions from corrupt influences? 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I don't believe less in the Catholic Church because of a criminal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lino-rulli/i-don-t-believe-less-in-american-government-because-of-a-bad/) [Lino Rulli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lino-rulli/) > [Blaming the government for all the bad things that happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/blaming-the-government-for-all-the-bad-things-that-happen/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Bad government is the natural product of rule by those who believe government is bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/bad-government-is-the-natural-product-of-rule-by-those-who-believe/) [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) ## More by William Penn > [Love grows. Lust wastes by Enjoyment, and the Reason is, that one springs from an Union of Souls, and the other from an Union…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/love-grows-lust-wastes-by-enjoyment-and-the-reason-is-that-one/) [William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/) > [Once you've accumulated sufficient knowledge to get by, you're too old to remember it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/once-you-ve-accumulated-sufficient-knowledge-to-get-by-you-re-too-old/) [William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/) > [If thou wouldn't conquer thy weakness thou must not gratify it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/if-thou-wouldn-t-conquer-thy-weakness-thou-must-not-gratify-it/) [William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/) > [Religion is the fear of God, and its demonstration good works; and faith is the root of both: For without faith we cannot please…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/religion-is-the-fear-of-god-and-its-demonstration-good-works-and/) [William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/) > [All excess is ill; but drunkenness is of the worst sort. 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Why do you suppose His world is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-marshall/living-in-the-middle-of-beauty-like-this-we-ve-no-call-to-have-puny/) [Catherine Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-marshall/) [Browse all 1,747 Be good quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/be-good/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Governments, like clocks, go from the motion men give them, and as governments are made and moved by men, so by them they are ruined too. Wherefore governments rather depend upon men, than men upon governments. Let men be good, and the government cannot be bad; if it be ill, they will cure it. 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