The mechanism that directs government cannot be virtuous, because it is impossible to thwart every crime, to protect oneself from every criminal without being criminal too; that which directs corrupt mankind must be corrupt itself; and it will never be by means of virtue, virtue being inert and passive, that you will maintain control over vice, which is ever active: the governor must be more energetic than the governed.

Summary

This quote by Marquis de Sade suggests that the governing mechanism of a government cannot be virtuous. The quote argues that due to the inability to prevent every crime and protect against every criminal without engaging in criminal actions, the mechanism directing a corrupt mankind will inevitably become corrupt itself. It implies that virtue alone is not sufficient to control vice, as vice is constantly active. To effectively govern, the quote suggests that the governor must possess more energy and assertiveness than the governed.

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