Marcus Tullius Cicero Quote

"A bureaucrat is the most despicable of men, though he is needed as vultures are needed, but one hardly admires vultures whom bureaucrats so strangely resemble. I have yet to meet a bureaucrat who was not petty, dull, almost witless, crafty or stupid, an oppressor or a thief, a holder of little authority in which he delights, as a boy delights in possessing a vicious dog. Who can trust such creatures?"

by:	Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 B.C.) Roman Statesman, Philosopher and Orator
Source:	A Pillar of Iron, a novel based on the life of Cicero by Taylor Caldwell (1965), p. 451
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Categories:	Bureaucracy, Corruption, Government, History, Politics, Power, Responsibility, Socialism, Welfare
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Nice, but extremely unlikely this was ever said by Cicero. Once again, a "quote" with no documentation as to what work in which it was taken. IOW, immediately suspect as bogus.  -- A.W. Schlaf, Des Moines, IA
If Cicero did not say this, he missed his calling.  -- T.M., Sacramento, Ca.
Very advanced of Cicero to predate Max Weber's coining of 'bureaucrat' by 18 centuries or so. The Roman Empire didn't have a permanent civil service--they had slaves instead--so it would have been hard for him to make this remark even without the 'b' word. If you're including an 'I' in your quotation, it does make a difference who the 'I' is!  -- Howard, London
funny, cute and, hmm  -- Mike, Norwalk
-- gdgca, windsor, on
Unfortunately,I agree with this quote.Although,IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THAT WAY........WHEN WE CHANGE THE WAY WE LOOK AT THINGS,THE THINGS WE LOOK AT CHANGE....sigh.  -- Guess Who
A great compliment to bureaucrats. That is exactly the way they should appear to a wayward, shifty, dishonest public. Bureaus in the US Govt were established to overcome the problem of political appointees and the dishonesty of the spoils system. When a bureaucrat seems stern, or straight laced to you, he is doing his job to uphold and protect the populace at large. Have some love and respect for these people. If you have ever worked with the public you know that they are no prize either. Guess Who above is right on here, "If you change the way you look at bureaus and bureaucrats you and all of us will have a better life." Like the signs on the semi-truck trailers say "Compliant Driver"'; when the populace is in compliance with the laws that they pass the work of bureaucrats will not seem so harsh.  -- Waffler, Smith, Arkansas
If Cicero didn't say this, he should have. If he hadn't said it, Mark Twain probably would have.  -- jim k, austin
If bureaucrats were not petty, dull, almost witless, crafty, stupid, oppressors and thieves, they would get real productive jobs rather than becoming self important tax leaches. The only thing worse than an evil person is an evil person with political power.  -- Bryan Morton, Stuart, FL
I guess it is safe to say that Waffler is/was a bureaucrat when he considers bureaucrats "protectors" of the public and the public as "'wayward, shifty, and dishonest." Another reason majority rule of the public should never be able to trump our inalienable rights, no matter how many of them there are. A million ignorances do not make up one truth. I have never met a civil servant that did not look like the walking dead.  -- E Archer, NYC
They are indeed. I am appalled by whats going on in this country. We are shifting from capitalism and freedom to the utter government intervention in every aspect of our lives. How come we are at this? It is because, we choose these people. They showed us the dream of freedom, conservatism and liberty, and look where we are. I can not get my head around the two-face nature of our politics and bureaucrats. In our country, we bail out the rich not the poor. What is this, Capitalist Socialism???? I am fuming over this the more I ponder!  -- RKA, Wasilla, AK
RKA I am not sure who you mean as "THEY showed us the dream of freedom, conservatism and liberty", I can guess and I humbly suggest they are charlatans, liars and ninconpoops. Now you send us Sarah, what are we to think of her and her style?  -- Waffler, Smith, Arkansas
The American people have it within their power to reduce the size of bureaucracy, police etcetera. All they have to do is to start obeying the laws and regulations that they have established for themselves to follow. It is a wayward people that do not follow their own laws. The only explanation is that a substantial number are nothing more than children, and I am not talking about the under 18 year old crowd.  -- Waffler, Smith, Arkansas
O Cicero, you hit the GOP on the head - now there'll send Rove after you.  -- RobertSRQ
Howard - what's the difference between slaves of the Roman Empire and Slaves of the Bush Empire  -- RobertSRQ
I am sorry Waffler, it's not me who sent Sarah. She was hand picked. Sarah does not represent all Alaskans and all Alaskans do not represent Sarah. I have no beef against her or her chooser. "THEY" are all the neo-cons and the pro-regulators, what a blasphemy! Here I toil every day to pay my bills and their crooks are in the process of bailing out the corrupts. What about me? What about my loan?  -- RKA, Wasilla, AK
RKA, we've become a Waffler nation, if you don't influence the majority, you're nothing. You sovereign individuals that want a government of laws are dinosaurs. We the Bureaucrats, funny money makers, Corporate elite, police state, contented slaves, etc. that have replaced God in ability to create law, will show you your place, just obey and be happy.  -- Mike, Norwalk
Indeed I do not influence the majority. Indeed I am nothing. Yet, I write and people read. Yet, I speak and people listen. When is it that God created law? I am utterly confused! And with due respect sir, where is my place?  -- RKA, Wasilla, AK
Right on RKA, you influence the majority as much as anyone else no more and no less and that is the essence of democracy. Mike's disappointment stems from the fact that he wants to dictate to the majority, this is why he cannot understand or appreciate or have patience with the concept of democracy.  -- Waffler, Smith, Arkansas
Archer my ideal of the bureaucrat is that of Sergeant Joe Friday, just the facts mam just the facts. He kind of walked and acted like a dead stiff. Yup I loved Joe Friday and Boston Blackie too!  -- Waffler, Smith, Arkansas
You never cease to amaze me Waffler. This has to be the most ignorant thing I have ever heard from you. Bureaucrats are typically people who can't function in the real world. Bureaucracy is the problem not the solution. They flock to those positions because they can screw things up to their hearts content without having to suffer the consequences. Government bureaucracy is the hiding place of the inept.  -- warren, olathe
There are good cops, there are bad cops. There are good officers, there are bad officers. There are good bureaucrats, there are bad bureaucrats. They all have some petty governmental power over regular people. The difference between the good ones and the bad ones is...do they use the power because they have to use it, or because they want to use it? Most people hate chemotherapy but most people choose to endure it. Chemo, like bureaucracy, it is better than the cancerous alternative. Most don't like to be told what to do but most don't want to live in anarchy. Eat right, exercise and smile at the nurse when he sticks in the needle. He probably does not enjoy it either. If you really think he does, be sure and fill out a customer complaint card. But first ask yourself hard if you're not just whining.  -- brimstone, tampa
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Cicero [edit] Misattributed The following quotes are sometimes wrongly attributed to Cicero. In fact, they come from a novel about Cicero by Taylor Caldwell, and are not found in any of Cicero's actual writings. A bureaucrat is the most despicable of men, though he is needed as vultures are needed, but one hardly admires vultures whom bureaucrats so strangely resemble. I have yet to meet a bureaucrat who was not petty, dull, almost witless, crafty or stupid, an oppressor or a thief, a holder of little authority in which he delights, as a boy delights in possessing a vicious dog. Who can trust such creatures? Taylor Caldwell in her novel based on the life of Cicero, A Pillar of Iron (1965), p. 451 Antonius heartily agreed with him [sc. Cicero] that the budget should be balanced, that the Treasury should be refilled, that the public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of the generals should be tempered and controlled, that assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt, that the mobs should be forced to work and not depend on government for subsistence, and that prudence and frugality should be put into practice as soon as possible. Taylor Caldwell in her novel based on the life of Cicero, A Pillar of Iron (1965), p. 483 of the 1965 edition published by Doubleday (Garden City, NY.)  -- Juanita, Palm Bay
-- Anonymous

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