Verified answer

You already asked this, and I already answered it, but, I will answer it again, and thank you for the 2 points.

The full quote by Pericles is "We alone regard a man who takes no interest in public affairs, not as a harmless; but as a useless character; and if few of us are originators, we are all sound judges of a policy."

What he is saying is that if you are not part of the political process, then you are useless, and have no reason to complain about the laws that are passed.