Authors:

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

Thomas Sowell Quotes - Page 6

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

Not only is patriotism disdained, the very basis for pride in one's country and culture is systematically undermined in our educational institutions at all levels. The achievements of western civilization are buried in

Not only is patriotism disdained, the very basis for pride in one's country and culture is systematically undermined in our educational institutions at all levels. The achievements of western civilization are buried in histories that portray every human sin found here as if they were peculiarities of the west.

Country, Educational, Pride

The key fallacy of so called gun control laws is that such laws do not in fact control guns. They simply disarm law abiding citizens, while people bent on violence find firearms readily available.

Gun, Keys, Law

"The great gun control fallacy" by Thomas Sowell, www.theguardian.com. December 18, 2012.

Too much of what is called 'education' is little more than an expensive isolation from reality.

Reality, Liberty, Littles

Once you buy the argument that some segment of the citizenry should lose their rights, just because they are envied or resented, you are putting your own rights in jeopardy - quite aside from undermining any moral basis for respecting anybody's rights. You are opening the floodgates to arbitrary power. And once you open the floodgates, you can't tell the water where to go.

Rights, Water, Arbitrary

Much of the self-righteous nonsense that abounds on so many subjects cannot stand up to three questions: (1) Compared to what? (2) At what cost? and (3) What are the hard facts?.

Self, Three, Cost

Thomas Sowell (2013). “Ever Wonder Why?: and Other Controversial Essays”, p.37, Hoover Press

I am so old that I can remember when liberals were liberal - instead of being intolerant of anything and anybody that is not politically correct.

Libertarian, Remember, Politically Correct

Doing the right thing is fun. If nothing else, it surprises people.

Fun, People, Surprise

An e-mail from a reader says that liberals like to take the moral high ground, even though their own moral relativism means that there is no moral high ground.

Mean, Moral High Ground, Mail

Weighing benefits against costs is the way most people make decisions - and the way most businesses make decisions, if they want to stay in business. Only in government is any benefit, however small, considered to be worth any cost, however large.

Government, People, Decision

The people made worse off by slavery were those who were enslaved. Their descendants would have been worse off today if born in Africa instead of America. Put differently, the terrible fate of their ancestors benefitted them.

Fate, America, People

Interview with John Hawkins, rightwingnews.com. February 8, 2012.

Any politician who starts shouting election-year demagoguery about the rich and the poor should be asked, "What about the other 90 percent of the people?"

Years, People, Liberty

It is amazing how many people seem to think that the government exists to turn their prejudices into law.

Thinking, Government, Law

Thomas Sowell (2011). “The Thomas Sowell Reader”, p.373, Hachette UK

It is a way to take people's wealth from them without having to openly raise taxes. Inflation is the most universal tax of all.

People, Way, Wealth

"Fiscal Cliff Debate Is About Size of Government, Not Taxing 'the Rich'" by Thomas Sowell, www.realclearpolitics.com. December 4, 2012.

Just as any moron can destroy a priceless Ming vase, so the shallow and ill-educated people who run our schools can undermine and destroy from within a great civilization that took centuries of dedicated effort to create and maintain.

Running, School, Civilization

Tolerating imperfections is the price of freedom.

Imperfection, Price Of Freedom

Thomas Sowell (2013). “Ever Wonder Why?: and Other Controversial Essays”, p.332, Hoover Press

Compassion is the use of public funds to buy votes

Compassion, Liberty, Democracy

Stupid people can cause problems, but it usually takes brilliant people to create a real catastrophe.

Real, Stupid, People

"Random Thoughts". www.realclearpolitics.com. August 18, 2015.

Many of the words and phrases used in the media and among academics suggest that things simply: happen: to people, rather than be being caused by their own choices and behavior. Thus there is said to be an 'epidemic' of teenage pregnancy, or of drug usage, as if these things were like the flu that people catch just by being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Teenage, Pregnancy, Epidemics

Thomas Sowell (1995). “The Vision of the Anointed: Self-congratulation as a Basis for Social Policy”, p.198, Basic Books

Liberals are very broadminded: they are always willing to give careful consideration to both sides of the same side

Sarcastic, Giving, Funny Political

There are few things more dishonorable than misleading the young.

Young, Dishonorable, Mislead

Thomas Sowell (2013). “Controversial Essays”, p.89, Hoover Press

Deep thinkers who look everywhere for the mysterious causes of poverty, ignorance, crime and war need look no further than their own mirrors. We are all born into this world poor and ignorant, and with thoroughly selfish and barbaric impulses. Those of us who turn out any other way do so largely through the efforts of others, who civilized us before we got big enough to do too much damage to the world or ourselves.

War, Selfish, Ignorance

Thomas Sowell (1987). “Compassion Versus Guilt and Other Essays”, William Morrow

The left's obsession with the high incomes of corporate executives never seems to extend to equally high - or higher - incomes of professional athletes, entertainers, or best-selling authors like Danielle Steel.

Athlete, Income, Steel

One of the problems with trying to help underdogs, especially with government programs, is that they and everyone else start to think of them as underdogs, focusing on their problems rather than their opportunities. Thinking of themselves as underdogs can also dissipate their energies in resentments of others, rather than spending that energy making the most of their own possibilities.

Opportunity, Thinking, Government

Thomas Sowell (2011). “Dismantling America and Other Controversial Essays (Large Print 16pt)”, p.276, ReadHowYouWant.com

One of the most pervasive political visions of our time is the vision of liberals as compassionate and conservatives as less caring.

Caring, Political, Vision

Even squirrels know enough to store nuts, so that they will have something to eat when food gets scarce. But the welfare state has spawned a whole class of people who spend everything they get when times are good, and look to others to provide for their food and other basic needs when times turn bad.

Squirrels, Nuts, Class

"A time to speak plain". "Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette", July 24, 2012.

You May Also Like: