Any institution which does not suppose the people good, and the magistrate corruptible, is evil.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Systems that trust the people but not their leaders are corrupt.
- In plain terms
- If an institution doubts the people and trusts leaders, it is bad.
- What can you take from it?
- Institutions should trust citizens more than officials.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Who do you trust more?
- How do you judge systems?
Another view
People can also be corruptible.
More from Maximilien Robespierre
Our revolution has made me feel the full force of the axiom that history is fiction and I am convinced that chance and intrigue have produced more heroes than …
Permalink to quote #4 Terror is nothing other than justice, prompt, severe, inflexible; it is therefore an emanation of virtue; it is not so much a special principle as it is a cons…
Permalink to quote #6 It is with regret that I pronounce the fatal truth: Louis must die that the country may live.
Permalink to quote #3
Related quotes
Corruption is nature's way of restoring our faith in democracy.
Peter UstinovPeter Ustinov quote #16 Watergate left Washington a city ravaged by honesty.
Russell BakerRussell Baker quote #21 Fellow-citizens: Clouds and darkness are around Him; His pavilion is dark waters and thick clouds; justice and judgment are the establishment of His throne; me…
James A. GarfieldJames A. Garfield quote #1