Quote by P. J. O'Rourke

If government were a product, selling it would be illegal.

If government were a product, selling it would be illegal.

Summary

This quote implies that government, as an entity working for the well-being and governance of its citizens, should not be seen as a commodity or something that can be bought and sold. It suggests that the role of government is not profit-oriented, and should not be treated as a business venture. Rather, government should be focused on serving the people's needs and ensuring their welfare, which goes beyond the notion of transactional exchange and market principles.

Topics

Government

By P. J. O'Rourke

Liked the quote? Share it with your friends.

Random Quotations

The environmental movement, like all political processes, re

The environmental movement, like all political processes, reacts best to disasters. But these are very slow, very gradual disasters in the making.

Environmental

In my room as a kid... I'd play a fighter and get knocked to

In my room as a kid... I'd play a fighter and get knocked to the floor and come back to win.

Adversity

The path of least resistance and least trouble is a mental r

The path of least resistance and least trouble is a mental rut already made. It requires troublesome work to undertake the alternation of old beliefs. Self-conceit often regards it as a sign of weakness to admit that a belief to which we have once committed ourselves is wrong. We get so identified with an idea that it is literally a pet notion and we rise to its defense and stop our eyes and ears to anything different.

Habits

One of these days in your travels, a guy is going to come up

One of these days in your travels, a guy is going to come up to you and show you a nice brand-new deck of cards on which the seal is not yet broken, and this guy is going to offer to bet you that he can make the Jack of Spades jump out of the deck and squirt cider in your ear. But, son, do not bet this man, for as sure as you are standing there, you are going to end up with an earful of cider.

Travel

The year 2008 was a reminder to those who had forgotten that

The year 2008 was a reminder to those who had forgotten that there is such a thing as history and that the cycle of famine and feast in commerce, first identified in antiquity and well understood in the Middle Ages, was not suddenly abolished in modern times.

History

We cannot turn the clock back nor can we undo the harm cause

We cannot turn the clock back nor can we undo the harm caused, but we have the power to determine the future and to ensure that what happened never happens again.

Future

We must learn which ceremonies may be breached occasionally

We must learn which ceremonies may be breached occasionally at our convenience and which ones may never be if we are to live pleasantly with our fellow man.

Ritual Ceremony

You feel sometimes when you hear analysts and knowledgeable

You feel sometimes when you hear analysts and knowledgeable people talking about Iran that they fear so much about the survival of the regime, because deep down it's not a legitimate regime, it doesn't represent the will of the people, it's kind of morphed into kind of a military theocracy.

Hillary Clinton

Fear

When I was crossing the border into Canada, they asked if I

When I was crossing the border into Canada, they asked if I had any firearms with me. I said, Well, what do you need?

Every leader needs to look back once in a while to make sure

Every leader needs to look back once in a while to make sure he has followers. Source Unknown Effective leaders are known by the questions they ask rather than the statements they make.

Leadership

While I was there I became deeply interested in photography,

While I was there I became deeply interested in photography, and indeed the most noteworthy event in my early life was winning first, third, fourth and seventh prizes in an international competition for college and high school students.

Life Competition

Time will explain it all. He is a talker, and needs no quest

Time will explain it all. He is a talker, and needs no questioning before he speaks.

Time