Governance Quotes

“Do you know the song Violet Crowned Athens?” he asked. Yellow hair like hers was rare among the Greeks. Though some people say that Helen of Troy . . .”
― Yvonne Korshak, Pericles and Aspasia: A Story of Ancient Greece

“James Ed smiled. “We should start a cuddling movement. Cuddling would solve most of the world’s problems. I can just see our bumper stickers. Have you cuddled today?”
― Shafter Bailey, James Ed Hoskins and the One-Room Schoolhouse: The Unprosecuted Crime Against Children

“Let a crown be placed thereon, by which the world may know, that so far as we approve of monarcy, that in America the law is King. For as in absolute governments the King is law, so in free countries the law ought to be King; and there ought to be no other.”
― Thomas Paine

“In questions of power, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the constitution.”
― Thomas Jefferson

“The human race divides politically into those who want people to be controlled and those who have no such desire.”
― Robert A. Heinlein

“The legislator should direct his attention above all to the education of youth; for the neglect of education does harm to the constitution. The citizen should be molded to suit the form of government under which he lives. For each government has a peculiar character which originally formed and which continues to preserve it. The character of democracy creates democracy, and the character of oligarchy creates oligarchy.”
― Aristotle

“No matter how an individual views Satan, whether they believe that he is a real character or that he is just the product of literary scholars and imaginations, no one can deny that each one of us has an aspect of the devil within us. By studying the character and nature of Satan, we learn about ourselves; and the more we know about ourselves, the better we can fight our own personal demons—metaphorical or otherwise—in order to create a better tomorrow”
― Nwaocha Ogechukwu

“العلاقة بين الحاكم والمحكوم تتقرر بطريقة خفية كما في الحب، ويمكن أن يقول إن أظفر الحكام بقلوب المحكومين هو أعظمهم احتراما لإنسانيتهم، وليس بالخبز وحده يحيا الإنسان!”
― نجيب محفوظ, السمان والخريف

“We are in a prison of our own minds holding our own chains around us. We create our oligarchs and fight for their right to oppress us.”
― Heather Marsh, Binding Chaos

“Your worst enemy is not the person in opposition to you. It is the person occupying the spot you would be fighting from and doing nothing.”
― Heather Marsh, Binding Chaos

“A president who is burdened with a failed and unpopular war, and who has lost the trust of the country, simply can no longer govern. He is destined to become as much a failure as his war.”
― Glenn Greenwald, A Tragic Legacy: How a Good vs. Evil Mentality Destroyed the Bush Presidency

“Leaders say "no" to corruption. Anyone playing a role in governance, and is not ready to do this is not a leader.”
― Israelmore Ayivor, Leaders' Ladder

“The whole art of government consists in the art of being honest. Only aim to do your duty, and mankind will give you credit where you fail.”
― Thomas Jefferson, A Summary View of the Rights of British America

“We were all ready to die for the country but what we did not discover was we have to live for the country.”
― Jim Paredes

“Bill C-9 was supposed to be a budget bill, but it came with innumerable measures that had little or nothing to do with the nation's finances. It was, as critics put it, the advance of the Harper agenda by stealth, yet another abuse of the democratic process. The bill was a behemoth. It was 904 pages, with 23 separate sections and 2,208 individual clauses....

As a Reform MP, [Stephen Harper] .... said of one piece of legislation that 'the subject matter of the bill is so diverse that a single vote on the content would put members in conflict with their own principles.' The bill he referred to was 21 page long -- or 883 pages shorter than the one he was now putting before Parliament.”
― Lawrence Martin, Harperland: The Politics Of Control

“Laws continue to be enacted, and the regulatory environment has become more complex due to unacceptable conduct remediation. Consequently, entities continue to be compelled to demonstrate compliance with legal mandates through documented assurance assessments.”
― Robert E. Davis, Assuring IT Legal Compliance

“Potential stakeholders usually rely upon governance elements prior to investing their time, talent, and/or money.”
― Robert E. Davis, IT Auditing: Assuring Information Assets Protection

“Since knowledge and ideas are an important part of cultural heritage, social interaction and business transactions, they retain a special value for many societies. Logically, if the associated electronically formatted information is valued, preventive and detective measures are necessary to ensure minimum organizational impact from an IPR security breach.”
― Robert E. Davis, IT Auditing: Assuring Information Assets Protection

“All governments, even these precious “democracies,” derive all their power by force. Do something the government doesn’t want, like, say, cross the street against the light, refuse to submit to its authority, and it won’t be long before they’ll use some form of force, usually a weapon and the threat of death or injury, to compel you to comply.”
― S. Evan Townsend, Hammer of Thor

“Is the present state of the national republic enough? Is virtue the principal of our government? Is honor? Or is ambition and avarice, adulation, baseness, covetousness, the thirst for riches, indifference concerning the means of rising and enriching, the contempt of principle, the spirit of party and of faction the motive and principle that governs?

From a letter by John Adams”
― David McCullough, John Adams

“Youth are not just the leaders of tomorrow; they are the catalysts for change today."

"True justice lies in creating spaces where every voice, no matter how quiet, can be heard."

"Inclusive development begins with acknowledging the power of diversity in every corner of society."

"Advocacy is not a profession; it is a responsibility we owe to the generations that come after us."

"Empowering young minds is the key to unlocking a future built on innovation, compassion, and resilience."

"Laws shape society, but it is the values of fairness and equality that breathe life into them."

"A sustainable future is crafted when policy, people, and purpose align."

"Strengthening civic engagement is not just about building informed citizens; it’s about nurturing empowered communities."

"In every challenge lies an opportunity for growth, and in every voice, a spark for change."

"Human rights are not negotiable; they are the foundation upon which we build a just society.”
― Panha Vorng

“If you want to destroy the sense of justice and rebellion in a nation, keep them curious about unimportant matters and give them carnivals of laughter. 'Fear' wouldn't do it for long.”
― Shaikh Mahmud bin Ilyas

“The problem with the naira (and most African currencies) is fundamental. Our currency(ies) rests on faulty economic substructure that no amount of reactionary policy can fix. The Nigerian economy is hollow and only dogged commitment to true economic principles of value creation and local production supported by export and diversification will lead us to the pathway of economic transformation.”
― Peter-Cole C. Onele

“The cure for toxic leadership in governance isn’t just better policies; it’s fostering a culture where ethics, accountability, and inclusion are non-negotiable.”
― Abhysheq Shukla

“Rejection of dependence on the government is a symptom of paranoid anxiety, a mental illness.”
― Thomas Szasz, Suicide Prohibition: The Shame of Medicine

“Power without wisdom is uncontrolled fire; it destroys more than it creates.”
― Aloo Denish Obiero

“The 21st C learning institutions are raising heroes to stand against the tide, to fight for justice where it has been lost”
― Njau Kihia

“Modern dictators exploit the vulnerability of the young jobless but educated citizens to suppress resistance. A young graduate, out of lack of better alternative, agrees to be a purveyors of deceit, a cesspool of vices, employed to spread a plague of lies, poisoning the minds of the citizenry. The aim: to entangle the people in a political incest with their oppressors. The reward? Mere peanuts to fuel the propaganda machine, all at the cost of true democracy, principled leadership, and just governance.”
― Njau Kihia

“Patriotism is a fierce love for the nation’s soul - its land, its people, its core, coupled with a burning contempt for a government that fails to reflect it. It’s a raw, rebellious spin: distrusting the system while cherishing the essence of the nation, with historical echoes like the American revolutionaries who loved their colonies but despised the crown.”
― Njau Kihia

“A knife in the hands of a chef feeds a nation. In the hands of a tyrant, it spills blood. It’s not the tool—it’s the intent behind it.”
― Aloo Denish Obiero