Washington said it best. Government is not eloquence or reason, it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearsome master. Or something like that. Government is very much like a force of nature.
Small governments are like the gentle rain or a cooling zephyr.
I don't think I'd compare even a small government to something as benign as a gentle rain. It's more a hailstorm, with all the common weirdnesses associated with that. A large government is more akin to an asteroid strike. Neither of the previous two responses have answered the original question. Perhaps I phrased it incorrectly.