A government — and a nation — of laws…

A FOUNDING FATHER’S FAMOUS USES: “A government of laws and not of men.”        John Adams (1735-1826)         American lawyer, politician and 2nd President of the United States        Although the basic concept of “a government of laws, and not of men” reflects a political philosophy dating back to the ancient Greeks, Adams gave it lasting fame in those exact words, initially by using it in his 7th “Novanglus” letter published in the Boston Gazette in 1775, then more famously by including it in the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780.       The “Novanglus Letters” were a series of essays Adams wrote for the Boston Gazette under the pseudonym Novanglus (meaning “New Englander”). In them, he argued that Great Britain’s treatment of American colonists violated their rights under British law.        In the seventh Novanglus letter, Adams said:        “If Aristotle, Livy, and Harrington knew what a republic was, the British constitution is much more like a republic than an empire. They define a republic to be a government of laws, and not of men. If this definition is just, the British constitution is nothing more nor less than a republic, in which the king is first magistrate. This office being hereditary, and being possessed of such ample and splendid prerogatives, is no objection to the government's being a republic, as long as it is bound by fixed laws, which the people have a voice in making, and a right to defend.”         Five years later after he wrote the Novanglus letters, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts adopted the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780. Adams was primary author of that historic document. In it, he again used the phrase “a government of laws and not of men.” In the section outlining the crucial principle of the separation of powers, he wrote:        “In the government of this Commonwealth, the legislative department shall never exercise the executive and judicial powers, or either of them: The executive shall never exercise the legislative and judicial powers, or either of them: The judicial shall never exercise the legislative and executive powers, or either of them: to the end it may be a government of laws and not of men.”         “A government of laws” and the variation “a nation of laws” came to be commonly used in commentaries on legal issues, political disputes and court decisions. They are sometimes used almost simultaneously by people on both sides of such issues, who believe their interpretation of the law is the correct one — often regardless of what the courts decide.

TRUMP TRAVEL BAN QUOTE #1 (BEFORE THE APPEALS COURT DECISION): “We are a nation of immigrants, but we are also a nation of laws.  As a sovereign country, America has the right to control its border.”        Sen. John Neely Kennedy         Republican politician now serving as U.S. Senator for Louisiana        In a press statement he released on January 30, 2016 in support of President Donald Trump’s travel ban executive order. The order, designed to bar the entry of travelers from seven predominantly Muslim nations into the U.S., was soon blocked by a federal judge whose decision was upheld by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.         Presumably, Sen. Kennedy respects that outcome as an example of how the separation of powers works in our nation of laws. (But somehow I doubt it.)

TRUMP TRAVEL BAN QUOTE #2 (AFTER THE APPEALS COURT DECISION): “We are a nation of laws. And, as I have said, as we have said, from day one, that those laws apply to everybody in our country, and that includes the President of the United States.”       Bob Ferguson       Washington State Attorney General       In a press conference on February 9, 2017 after the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in the state’s favor in a lawsuit challenging President Trump’s “travel ban” executive order. As I write this, it’s unclear whether President Trump will appeal that decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.        It also remains to be seen whether supporters or opponents of the ban will be happily (or grumpily) using “a nation of laws” when the legal dust finally settles.

NIXON APPLICATION #1: “Whether ours shall continue to be a government of laws and not of men is now for Congress and ultimately the American people.”       Archibald Cox (1912-2004)       American lawyer and law professor who served as a Special Prosecutor during the investigation of the Watergate scandal       Comment to the press on October 20, 1973 after President Richard Nixon ordered Attorney General Elliot Richardson to fire Cox from his Special Prosecutor position for zealously pursuing access to the then still-secret Watergate Tapes.        Richardson refused to fire Cox and resigned in protest. Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus also refused to carry out the president’s order and resigned. Nixon then succeeded in getting Robert Bork, who’d been tapped as acting head of the Justice Department, to fire Cox on Saturday, October 20, 1973.        This so-called “The Saturday Night Massacre” didn’t help Nixon. It simply generated negative press, public outrage and even more intense Congressional investigations. Ultimately, Nixon was forced to release the tapes. On August 9, 1974, he became the first American president to resign, knowing he’d be impeached if he didn’t.

NIXON APPLICATION #2: “My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over. Our Constitution works. Our great Republic is a government of laws and not of men. Here the people rule.”         Gerald R. Ford (1913-2006)        American politician who served as 38th President of the United States        Lines from his speech on August 9, 1974, the day he ascended from being Richard Nixon’s Vice President to be inaugurated as President of the United States after Nixon resigned.        One month later, President Ford gave Nixon a “full, free and absolute pardon” for any crimes he committed while president. Whether “the people” agreed with that decision didn’t matter. In our nation of laws, the president has the legal power to grant such pardons under the powers given to him by the U.S. Constitution.

CYNICAL VARIATION #1: “In our obsessive effort to perfect a government of laws, not of men, we have invented a government of laws against men.”        Philip K. Howard (b. 1948)        American lawyer and conservative political commentator and author         A quote from his 1994 book The Death of Common Sense: How Law is Suffocating America        In the book, Howard argues that the increasing number of laws and regulations in the United States have reached a point of absurdity that stifles our economy, personal freedom and our quality of life.

CYNICAL VARIATION #2: “The United States is a nation of laws: badly written and randomly enforced.”        Frank Zappa (1940-1993)        American rock musician, provocateur and entrepreneur             A famous quotation widely attributed to Zappa, though it’s unclear if and when he said it         On his excellent Big Apple language history site, Barry Popik notes that in a 1992 interview journalist Jon Winokur reminded Zappa that he “once said” the line.       Zappa didn’t actually confirm that he’d said those words in the interview. But the quote does seem consistent with his typically critical view of the American political and legal system.

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“I think, therefore I am” — and some variations I think are funny (therefore they are)…

FAMOUS PHILOSOPHER’S QUOTE: “Cogito ergo sum.” (“I think, therefore I am.”)        René Descartes (1596-1650)        French mathematician and philosopher          Famous axiom in his book Principia Philosophiae (Principles of Philosophy, 1644)        Descartes first recorded the axiom in French, as “Je pense, donc je suis,” in his philosophical and mathematical treatise, Le Discours de la Méthode (A Discourse on Method, 1637). However, the Latin version from Principia Philosophiae — “Cogito ergo sum” — is better known.        The French and Latin versions of the quote have traditionally been translated in English as “I think, therefore I am.”        Alternate translations include “I am thinking, therefore I am” and “I am thinking, therefore I exist.”

THE PRESIDENT TRUMP TWEET THEORY VARIATION: “He tweets, therefore he is. Twitter gives him a platform to say whatever he wants completely unfiltered. The media can’t and won’t do that for him.”        John Feehery        Republican political consultant        Quoted in an article media writer James Warren posted on the Vanity Fair website on December 6, 2016        (Cartoon by Kim Warp.)

A FAMOUS HUNTER’S VARIATION: “We eat, therefore we hunt.”        Sarah Palin        Conservative American politician, celebrity and avid hunter         This comes from the rambling speech Palin gave on July 26, 2009, announcing her resignation as Governor of Alaska. The full quote is: “Stand strong, and remind them patriots will protect our guaranteed, individual right to bear arms, and by the way, Hollywood needs to know, we eat, therefore we hunt.”

AN AVANT-GARDE PAINTER’S VARIATION: “I Suck Therefore I Am”         Agus Suwage          Indonesian artist        This is the title of the 2004 painting by Suwage shown at left. At the time, it was estimated to be worth up to 207,000 Malaysian Ringgits (over $61,975 in U.S. currency). Other works by Suwage have sold for even more, so I guess some people don’t think he sucks.

THE SHOPAHOLIC VARIATION: “I Shop Therefore I Am”        Barbara Kruger        American multimedia artist          These words on the artwork by Kruger shown at left are seemingly a send-up of consumerism. But ironically, the image was later used on tote bags and t-shirts sold by Bloomingdale’s.

THE ALCOHOLIC TEACHER VARIATION: “I Teach Therefore I Drink”          A slogan on t-shirts sold on Amazon and other sites. They seem to be quite popular. I’m not sure what that says about the teaching profession.

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Some books with a title or subtitle based on Descartes’ quote (there are even more)…

What’s the beginning of wisdom?

BIBLICAL BEGINNINGS: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.”          Psalms 111:10            The full verse in Psalms 111:10 says: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.”        There’s a similar verse in The Book of Proverbs (Proverbs 1:7): “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”        Job 28:28 offers this variation: “And unto man he [God] said, Behold, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.”

CLARENCE DARROW’S COUNTERQUOTE: “The fear of God is not the beginning of wisdom. The fear of God is the death of wisdom. Skepticism and doubt lead to study and investigation, and investigation is the beginning of wisdom. The modern world is the child of doubt and inquiry, as the ancient world was the child of fear and faith.”        Clarence Darrow (1857-1938)        American lawyer, agnostic and free speech advocate        In his essay “Why I am an agnostic” (1896)

BERTRAND RUSSELL’S COUNTERQUOTE: “Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty.  To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom, in the pursuit of truth as in the endeavour after a worthy manner of life.”         Bertrand Russell (1872-1970)        British philosopher, mathematician, atheist and social critic         From his essay “An Outline of Intellectual Rubbish”, included in the book Unpopular Essays (1950)

A DEEP THOUGHT FROM THOMAS AQUINAS: “The beginning of a thing is a part of it. But fear is not a part of wisdom, since fear is in the appetitive power, whereas wisdom is in the intellectual power. Hence it seems that fear is not the beginning of wisdom.”        Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)        Italian Catholic priest, philosopher and saint         In his Summa Theologica (“Summary of Theology”), written 1265-1274 A.D.

AN OLD GERMAN VARATION: “To question a wise man is the beginning of wisdom.”         German proverb        Quoted in The Multicultural Dictionary of Proverbs (2005)

THE MOST OBVIOUS OBSERVATION: “If the fear of God is not the beginning of wisdom, it is at least the beginning of religion.”        George William Foote (1850-1915)        British writer and social critic        “Letters to the Clergy,” published in The Freethinker, Volume 10 (1890)

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“Nothing is certain except death and taxes.” (Or, as Franklin actually said: “Il n’y a rien d’assure que la mort et les impôts.”

THE FAMOUS WORDS FRANKLIN DIDN’T SAY (IN ENGLISH): “Nothing is certain except death and taxes.”        Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)         American “founding father,” publisher, diplomat and scientist         This is the usual English translation of a comment Franklin made in a letter he wrote to French scientist Jean-Baptiste Leroy, dated November 13, 1789.        Franklin wrote his letter to Leroy in French. His “death and taxes” remark was related to the Constitution of the United States of America, which had been adopted two years earlier. What he actually wrote was:        “Notre constitution nouvelle est actuellement établie, tout paraît nous promettre qu’elle sera durable; mais, dans ce monde, il n’y a rien d’assure que la mort et les impôts.”        The common English translation of this sentence is: “Our new Constitution is now established, everything seems to promise it will be durable; but, in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.”  (Sometimes the last part is translated as “Nothing is certain but death and taxes.”)        As noted by the invaluable Phrase Finder site and other reference sources, similar quotations about death and taxes pre-date Franklin’s letter. But the English translation of Franklin’s version is certainly the most famous. (For more background see this post on my ThisDayinQuotes.com blog.)

THE DONALD TRUMP UPDATE: “With Donald Trump as President almost nothing is certain except uncertainty itself.”        David C. Kibbe        President and CEO of the non-profit healthcare information technology organization DirectTrust         A remark quoted in a January 9, 2017 press release discussing health industry IT trends that seems applicable to more than health industry IT trends.        (Cartoon by Dan Wasserman.)

THE UNCERTAIN WILL ROGERS QUOTE:   “The difference between death and taxes is that death doesn’t get worse every time Congress meets.”        Attrib. to Will Rogers (1879-1935)        American humorist        A quip widely attributed to Rogers, but without any specific source        There’s no contemporary record of Rogers uttering or writing this old joke. However, quote maven Barry Popik has noted that a similar line was used by another humorist Rogers had a connection with, the witty newspaper columnist Robert Quillen (1887-1948).        In several of the humorous columns Quillen wrote in the early 1930s, he said the “difference between death and taxes is that death doesn’t get worse every time the legislature meets.” In a 1934 column, Quillen added Congress, saying: “The main difference between death and taxes is that death doesn’t get any worse every time congress or the state legislature meets.” That same year, movie producer George Marshall and screenwriter Lamar Trotti visited Quillen and purportedly used him as the model for the newspaper editor Will Rogers played in the film Life Begins at Forty. The film’s credits credit Quillen for “contributing dialogue.” My guess is that, if Rogers ever did use the line about Congress, he may have borrowed it from Quillen.

SCARLET O’HARA’S BABY BIRTHIN’ VERSION: “Death and taxes and childbirth! There's never any convenient time for any of them!”        Margaret Mitchell (1900-1949)        American novelist, journalist and philanthropist          This is what the character Scarlett O’Hara says about the “untimeliness” of her pregnancy, in Chapter 38 of Mitchell’s 1936 novel Gone with the Wind.         The line was not used in the classic 1939 movie adaptation, in which actress Vivien Leigh played Scarlet. But if it had been, I imagine her adding one of her favorite sayings: “Fiddle-dee-dee!”

SOMETHING YOU DON’T WANT YOUR DOCTOR TO SAY: “In life only one thing is certain, besides death and taxes...No matter how hard we try, No matter how good our intentions, we are going to make mistakes.”        Dr. Meredith Grey (played by Ellen Pompeo)        In the “Heart of the Matter” episode of the TV show Grey’s Anatomy (Season 4, Episode 4, first aired Oct. 18, 2007)

A GOLF ADDICT’S COUNTERQUOTE: “Ben Franklin was wrong. There is more certainty in life than just death and taxes. There is also the very reliable need for ‘just one more’ piece of golf equipment.”        Dorothy Langley        American author and golfer        In her book A View from the Red Tees: The Truth About Women and Golf (1997)

THE 20TH CENTURY OUTLOOK: “To the typical American on the eve of the twentieth century it appeared a unique country, a land of promise where one person's gain was another person’s opportunity, and the inevitable was not just death and taxes but improvement and growth.”        Richard M. Abrams        Historian and Professor Emeritus, University of California at Berkeley        An observation in his book The Burdens of Progress, 1900-1929 (1978)

THE 21ST CENTURY OUTLOOK: “Besides death and  taxes, this too is certain: The American economy will never return to its  maximum prosperity until it completes a very broad-based tax reform.”         Economists Glenn Hubbard and Peter Navarro        In their book Seeds of Destruction: Why the Path to Economic Ruin Runs Through Washington, and How to Reclaim American Prosperity (2010)

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“Ring out the old, ring in the new” … Happy New Year from QuoteCounterquote.com!

THE FAMILIAR NEW YEAR’S SAYING: “Ring out the old, ring in the new.”        Alfred Tennyson (a.k.a. Alfred, Lord Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson; 1809-1892)        English poet         Famous line from Tennyson’s In Memoriam A.H.H. (1850)        Many websites and books say these familiar words linked to New Year’s Eve are from a Tennyson poem titled “Ring Out, Wild Bells.” Technically, that’s incorrect.         The verses that go by that name come from Tennyson’s epic work, In Memoriam A.H.H., his elegiac musings on the death his friend Arthur Henry Hallam (the “A.H.H.” in the title). In Memoriam A.H.H. is essentially a very long poem comprised of 131 short ones that are referred to as cantos. These cantos were not given individual names by Tennyson. The popular title “Ring Out, Wild Bells” are the first four words of the canto that includes the line “Ring out the old, ring in the new.” (Canto CVI, or 106 in Roman numerals). Here’s the part where the famous lines first appear…               Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,                  The flying cloud, the frosty light:                  The year is dying in the night;               Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.                Ring out the old, ring in the new,                  Ring, happy bells, across the snow:                  The year is going, let him go;               Ring out the false, ring in the true.        The tradition of tolling bells to “ring out” the year that is ending and “ring in” the new one predates Tennyson. It’s actually an old custom in England and many countries around the world. However, Tennyson is generally credited for cementing “Ring out the old, ring in the new” into the English language and making it a linguistic tradition associated with New Year’s celebrations.

A POST-2016 ELECTION TIP FOR GLOOMY DEMS:       “Gloom is a terrible way to ring out the old, and despair is of no help in trying to imagine the new.        So let us consider what good might come from the political situation in which we will find ourselves in 2017.  Doing this does not require denying the dangers posed by a Donald Trump presidency or the demolition of progressive achievements he could oversee. It does mean remembering an important distinction President Obama has made ever since he entered public life: that ‘hope is not blind optimism.’       ‘Hope,’ he argued, ‘is that thing inside us that insists, despite all evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it, and to work for it, and to fight for it.’”        E.J. Dionne Jr.        American political commentator and professor at Georgetown University              In his December 28, 2016 column in the Washington Post        (Cartoon by Phil Hands for the Wisconsin State Journal)

A PERFECTLY HEARTWARMING MUSICAL VARIATION: “Bring out the old, bring in the new A midnight wish to share with you Your lips are warm, my head is light Were we alive before tonight? I don't need a crowded ballroom Everything I want is here If you're with me, next year will be The perfect year.”        Don Black        English lyricist        Lyrics from “The Perfect Year,” one of the songs in the musical Sunset Boulevard, with lyrics by Black and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. (First performed in London in 1993.)

GEORGE’S MUSICAL VARIATION: “Yesterday, today was tomorrow And tomorrow, today will be yesterday So, ring out the old, ring in the new Ring out the old, ring in the new Ring out the false, ring in the true.”        George Harrison (1943-2001)        English rock musician        From the lyrics of his 1974 song “Ding Dong, Ding Dong” (included on the Dark Horse album)

THE JAMES JOYCE VARIATION (WITH EXPLANATION): “Wring out the clothes! Wring in the dew! Godavari, vert the showers! And grant thaya grace! Aman.”        James Joyce (1882-1941)        Irish novelist and poet         Lines from his novel Finnegans Wake (1939)        What's Joyce’s version mean? Well, in his book Verbal Behavior (1957), American psychologist B.F. Skinner offered this, er, helpful explanation: “Joyce’s line ‘Wring out the clothes, wring in the dew’ borrows strength from the latent intraverbal sequence ‘Ring out the old, ring in the new,’ as well as from a current theme of women washing clothes in the open air. The line may not be musical, it may or may not evoke emotional or practical responses, but it clearly manipulates verbal strength. It is this verbal play which is reinforcing to the reader and hence indirectly to the writer.” ... Got it?

A POST NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY CLEANING TIP: “Wring out the Old; Bring in the New... The Old: Sponges can be sanitized in the microwave. The True: Using the microwave can be risky...there is the possibility of starting a fire.”        The American Cleaning Institute (formerly the Soap and Detergent Association)        In the January/February 2009 edition of the organization’s newsletter, "Cleaning Matters"

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