“In framing a government, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place, oblige it to control itself”
— James Madison
Copied to clipboard
Simplified Meaning:
Creating a government is tricky because it needs to do two main things. First, it has to have the power to manage and guide the people it governs, making rules and enforcing them to keep order. For example, think about traffic laws: without someone to make and enforce these rules, the streets would be chaos. But on the other hand, the government also must keep its own power in check. Imagine if the people making the traffic rules could drive however they wanted without following the same laws—they could easily abuse their power. So, the government needs systems in place to make sure it follows rules too, preventing misuse of power and ensuring fairness for everyone. This balance helps maintain a just and effective government.
Related tags
Checks and balances Governance Government control Political philosophy Political science Political theory Power dynamics Public administration Self-regulationFEATURED QUOTES
