Harry S. TrumanHarry S. Truman, (1884-1972), 33rd US President

Harry S. Truman Quote

β€œIt's not the hand that signs the laws that holds the destiny of America. It's the hand that casts the ballot.”

Harry S. TrumanHarry S. Truman
~ Harry S. Truman


Ratings and Comments


Mike, Norwalk

I am not quite sure how to rate this. A GIANT thumbs down on face value. Per a here recent quote, A man is no less a slave because he is allowed to choose a new master once in a term of years (Lysander Spooner) and the knowledge that it doesn't matter who casts the vote, it matters who counts the vote (a recent example - 108% of the vote going to one candidate) demonstrates ballot casting isn't all it is advertised. As to the "HAND" the casts the ballot, is he/she an individual sovereign maintaining inalienable rights? Is that individual sovereign willing to exercise their 2nd Amendment right and exercise it in a manner described in the Declaration of Independence (When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.)? Casting ballots with bullets has a completely different meaning The quote is a feel good red herring that is meant to mislead the slaves. Personally I am against violence. I cast my ballot by not buying General Motors and other economic endeavors, going to court, speaking out on days outside Tuesday voting activities, etc.

cal, lewisville, tx

What a well proven lie. Woodrow Wilson ran for re-election in 1916 under the slogan, "I kept us out of the war in Europe." The people liked this and voted him back in. Once elected he said, Let's go to war!" Ronald Regan promised us a balanced budget. The story never ends.

E Archer, NYC

Yeah, but what if the president won't sign the bills that have passed Congressional votes? And who chooses the 'laws' up for vote? I would say the citizen's vote is not worth a whole lot -- the bureaucrats still run the game.

Mike, Norwalk

Another caveat to the quote, in the vein of the above Lysander Spooner quote, there are several philosophies of law. The de jure States united were to have a foundational jurisprudence of "the laws of nature and of nature's God" (Declaration of Independence). That jurisprudence as been replaced completely by "Legal Positivism" and "Legal Realism" β€” in an atmosphere of an occupying statist theocracy. Any vote (or counting of vote) in the existing unconstitutional / illegitimate theocracy only goes to further distant the law and destiny of original intent.

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