“In the 1700s, philosophers like John Locke argued that public life and politics should be separated from gratitude. Civic relations should be based on rules and laws—not gifts, favors, or quid pro quo—with the participation and consent of the governed. Private life, philosophers suggested, could still be ordered by gifts and gratitude in the more limited arenas of families and friends. Thus, constitutions eventually replaced kingly rulers, and laws distributed political benefits through the will of the people.” (emphasis mine)
— Grateful: The Subversive Practice of Giving Thanks by Diana Butler Bass a.co/dr6P4Iy