Quotation by

George Washington

Government is not reason it is not eloquent it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.

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Understanding this quote AI Analysis

George Washington is saying that government does not rule through logic or persuasive speech but through the power to enforce laws and decisions. He warns that while government can be useful when controlled, it becomes harmful and frightening if it gains too much control over people.

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A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take …
I hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our monied corporations which dare already to challenge our government to a trial by strength, and bid defiance to the laws of our country.

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Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil in its worst state, an intolerable one.