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Thomas Sowell Quotes - Page 19

All Quotes Age Art Assumption Belief Blame Business Children Choices College Common Sense Compassion Constitution Country Democracy Desire Discrimination Diversity Economics Economy Education Effort Ego Empathy Envy Evidence Fate Feelings Gender Giving Global Warming Greed Hate Heart Home Ignorance Immigration Imperfection Judging Justice Leadership Liberalism Liberty Loss Lying Military Money Morality Office Opportunity Past Philosophy Planning Politics Poverty Progress Prosperity Quality Racism Reality Resentment Responsibility Rhetoric Risk Running School Science Self Esteem Sin Slavery Society Sports Study Teaching Technology Today Trade Tragedy Truth Vision Voting Waiting War Wealth Welfare Winning Worry

Freedom... refer[s] to a social relationship among people-namely, the absence of force as a prospective instrument of decision making. Freedom is reduced whenever a decision is made under threat of force, whether or not

Freedom... refer[s] to a social relationship among people-namely, the absence of force as a prospective instrument of decision making. Freedom is reduced whenever a decision is made under threat of force, whether or not force actually materializes or is evident in retrospect.

Freedom, People, Decision

Many of the products which create a modern standard of living are only the physical incorporations of ideas- not only the ideas of an Edison or a Ford but the ideas of innumerable anonymous people who figure out the design of supermarkets, the location of gasoline stations, and the million mundane things on which our material well-being depends. Societies which have more people carrying out physical acts and fewer people supplying ideas do not have higher standards of living. Quite the contrary.

Ideas, People, Design

Our economic problems worry me much less than our political solutions, which have a far worse track record.

Track, Worry, Political

"Random Thoughts" by Thomas Sowell, www.realclearpolitics.com. February 10, 2009.

A moral monopoly is the antithesis of a marketplace of ideas.

Ideas, Moral, Monopoly

Economic policies need to be analyzed in terms of the incentives they create, rather than the hopes that inspired them.

Needs, Incentives, Inspired

Thomas Sowell (2010). “Basic Economics 4th Ed: A Common Sense Guide to the Economy”, p.45, Basic Books

There is no bigger waste of time than doing 90% of what is necessary.

Waste, Wasting Time, Bigger

People in the political world have every incentive to say things that lead voters away from a clear economic understanding of issues. What has happened more and more is that organized groups have more and more reasons to say things that don't make any economic sense.

Issues, People, Political

"Do No Harm: An Interview With Thomas Sowell". Interview with David Harsanyi, thefederalist.com. January 13, 2015.

In short, killing the goose that lays the golden egg is a viable political strategy, so long as the goose does not die before the next election and no one traces the politicians’ fingerprints on the murder weapon.

Eggs, Long, Political

Right after liberal Democrats, the most dangerous politicians are country club Republicans.

Country, Clubs, Republican

"Random Thoughts". townhall.com. August 26, 2008.

Sports are the reason I am out of shape. I watch them all on TV.

Sports, Watches, Shapes

We don‘t have faith that #freedom works. We have evidence.

Have Faith, Evidence

However widespread the desire to be free, that is wholly different from a desire to live in a society where others are free.

Desire, Different, Desire To Live

To include freedom in the very definition of democracy is to define a process not by its actual characteristics as a process but by its hoped for results. This is not only intellectually invalid, it is, in practical terms, blinding oneself in advance to some of the unwanted consequences of the process.

Democracy, Definitions, Characteristics

If we become a people who are willing to give up our money and our freedom in exchange for rhetoric and promises, then nothing can save us.

Giving Up, People, Promise

However little president Obama knows or cares about economics, he knows a lot about politics - and especially political rhetoric. 'High-speed rail' is simply another set of loft words to justify continued expansion of government spending. So are words like 'investment in education' or 'investment' in any number of other things, which serves the same political purpose.

Government, Numbers, Political

The real problem, both in discussions of mass shootings and in discussions of gun control, is that too many people are too committed to a vision to allow mere facts to interfere with their beliefs, and the sense of superiority that those beliefs give them.

Real, Gun, Mass Shootings

Facts do not speak for themselves. They speak for or against competing theories. Facts divorced from theories or visions are mere isolated curiosities.

Divorce, Curiosity, Vision

Thomas Sowell (2007). “A Conflict of Visions: Idealogical Origins of Political Struggles”, p.6, Basic Books

History is the memory of a nation

Memories, Nations

Think about it: What the busybodies are saying is that third parties like themselves -- who are paying nothing to anybody -- should be determining how much somebody else should be paying those who work for them.

Party, Thinking, Should

"The Latest Liberal Crusade" by Thomas Sowell, www.realclearpolitics.com. May 10, 2005.

The dominant orthodoxy in development economics was that Third World countries were trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty that could be broken only by massive foreign aid from the more prosperous industrial nations of the world. This was in keeping with a more general vision on the Left that people were essentially divided into three categories - the heartless, the helpless, and wonderful people like themselves, who would rescue the helpless by playing Lady Bountiful with the taxpayers' money.

Country, Heart, Broken

Thomas Sowell (2013). “Ever Wonder Why?: and Other Controversial Essays”, p.72, Hoover Press

As far as party primaries are concerned, both Republican - and Democratic - Party primaries are dominated by the most zealous voters, whose views may not reflect the views of most members of their own respective parties, much less the views of those who are going to vote in the November general election.

Party, Views, Zealous

"Bipartisan Primary Blues". www.nationalreview.com. March 25, 2008.

Too many policies, programs and institutions are judged by what they are supposed to do, rather than by what they actually do and the consequences of their actions.

Action, Program, Institutions

In the wake of the housing debacle in California, more people are buying less expensive homes, making bigger down payments, and staying away from 'creative' and risky financing. It is amazing how fast people learn when they are not insulated from the consequences of their decisions.

Home, California, People

Thomas Sowell (2011). “Dismantling America and Other Controversial Essays (Large Print 16pt)”, p.30, ReadHowYouWant.com

Economics is a study of cause-and-effect relationships in an economy. It's purpose is to discern the consequences of various ways of allocating resources which have alternative uses. It has nothing to say about philosophy or values, anymore than it has to say about music or literature.

Philosophy, Causes, Alternatives

Thomas Sowell (2000). “Basic Economics: A Citizen's Guide to the Economy”, Basic Civitas Books

One of the painfully sobering realizations that come from reading history is the utter incompetence that is possible among leaders of whole nations and empires - and the blind faith that such leaders can nevertheless inspire among the people who are enthralled by their words or their posturing.

Reading, People, Leader

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