---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If government half a century ago had…"
description: "\"If government half a century ago had provided us with all our dinners and breakfasts, it would be the practice of our orators today to assume the impos..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a2/auberon-herbert-28820_food_if-government-half-a-century-ago-had-pro_236265.jpg"
---

#  If government half a century ago had provided us with all…

![“If government half a century ago had provided us with all our dinners and breakfasts, it would be the practice of our orators today to assume the impossibility of our providing for ourselves.” quote by Auberon Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a2/auberon-herbert-28820_food_if-government-half-a-century-ago-had-pro_236265.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a2/auberon-herbert-28820_food_if-government-half-a-century-ago-had-pro_236265.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a2/auberon-herbert-28820_food_if-government-half-a-century-ago-had-pro_236265.jpg)

> “If government half a century ago had provided us with all our dinners and breakfasts, it would be the practice of our orators today to assume the impossibility of our providing for ourselves.”

[Auberon Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-herbert/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

If the state had supplied all food, people would lose the belief they can provide for themselves, making public speaking about self‑reliance impossible.

**In simple terms:** State welfare can erode personal independence.

Key Takeaway

Encourage self‑sufficiency.

Themes

self‑reliance government individualism speech independence

Mood

reflective critical

Type

philosophical political

When to use this quote

- public policy
- education
- community development
- personal finance

Key Concepts

libertarianism political philosophy social contract

Questions to Reflect On

- How does reliance on government affect personal initiative?
- What balance between aid and independence is healthy?

A Different Perspective

Overreliance on aid may create dependency.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/)

## Related quotes

> [My goal is to cut government in half in twenty-five years, to get it down to the size where we can drown it in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-norquist/my-goal-is-to-cut-government-in-half-in-twenty-five-years-to-get-it/)

[Grover Norquist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-norquist/)

> [“I say we cut our government in half, with a chainsaw along their waists.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-say-we-cut-our-government-in-half-with-a-chainsaw-along-their-waists/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [I actually don't believe in big government, and half the time I'm never quite sure I believe in government, generally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/i-actually-don-t-believe-in-big-government-and-half-the-time-i-m/)

[Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/)

> [ I want to reduce the size of government in half as a percentage of GNP \[gross national product\] over the next 25 years. We… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-norquist/i-want-to-reduce-the-size-of-government-in-half-as-a-percentage-of/)

[Grover Norquist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-norquist/)

> [My goal in life is to get the federal government down to half its present size and under control, and then I can write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-norquist/my-goal-in-life-is-to-get-the-federal-government-down-to-half-its/)

[Grover Norquist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-norquist/)

> [We want to reduce the size of government in half as a percentage of GNP over the next 25 years. We want to reduce…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-norquist/we-want-to-reduce-the-size-of-government-in-half-as-a-percentage-of/)

[Grover Norquist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-norquist/)

> [The FTC was actually created more than a century ago, in the era of the robber barons and the industrial trust and Standard Oil,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lina-khan/the-ftc-was-actually-created-more-than-a-century-ago-in-the-era-of/)

[Lina Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lina-khan/)

> [“Mankind was on the moon in the 1960s, Jon. That was half a century ago. Nuclear power. The transistor. The laser. All existed even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-suarez/mankind-was-on-the-moon-in-the-1960s-jon-that-was-half-a-century-ago/)

[Daniel Suarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-suarez/)

> [The actual atoms and molecules that make up my brain and body today are not the same ones that I was born with on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/the-actual-atoms-and-molecules-that-make-up-my-brain-and-body-today/)

[Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/)

> [The major advances in speed of communication and ability to interact took place more than a century ago. The shift from sailing ships to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-major-advances-in-speed-of-communication-and-ability-to-interact/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [The old newspaper adage, 'If it bleeds, it leads,' is as true today as it was a century ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-diamandis/the-old-newspaper-adage-if-it-bleeds-it-leads-is-as-true-today-as-it/)

[Peter Diamandis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-diamandis/)

> [A century ago the Spanish flu confounded scientists and devastated whole regions, but while today's society has air travel and an enormous, heterogeneous population,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-fry/a-century-ago-the-spanish-flu-confounded-scientists-and-devastated/)

[Hannah Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-fry/)

> [Although the war in which you fought took place more than half-a-century ago, your courage, your sacrifice and your patriotism reaches through the decades…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-ferguson/although-the-war-in-which-you-fought-took-place-more-than-half-a/)

[Mike Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-ferguson/)

> [“A century ago she might have been beautiful, her face reflected in the river instead of a mirror. But all the years have changed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/a-century-ago-she-might-have-been-beautiful-her-face-reflected-in-the/)

[Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/)

> [Our modern conception of the universe is so foreign to what even scientists generally believed a mere century ago that it is a tribute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/our-modern-conception-of-the-universe-is-so-foreign-to-what-even/)

[Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/)

## More by Auberon Herbert

> [If we cannot by reason, by influence, by example, by strenuous effort, and by personal sacrifice, mend the bad places of civilization, we certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-herbert/if-we-cannot-by-reason-by-influence-by-example-by-strenuous-effort/)

[Auberon Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-herbert/)

> [And what sort of philosophical doctrine is thi - that numbers confer unlimited rights, that they take from some persons all rights over themselves,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-herbert/and-what-sort-of-philosophical-doctrine-is-thi-that-numbers-confer/)

[Auberon Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-herbert/)

> [We hold that what one man cannot morally do, a million men cannot morally do, and government, representing many millions of men, cannot do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-herbert/we-hold-that-what-one-man-cannot-morally-do-a-million-men-cannot/)

[Auberon Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-herbert/)

> [“By what right do men exercise power over each other?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-herbert/by-what-right-do-men-exercise-power-over-each-other/)

[Auberon Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-herbert/)

> [The career of a politician mainly consists in making one part of the nation do what it does not want to do, in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-herbert/the-career-of-a-politician-mainly-consists-in-making-one-part-of-the/)

[Auberon Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-herbert/)

> [If you tie a man's hands there is nothing moral about his not committing murder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-herbert/if-you-tie-a-man-s-hands-there-is-nothing-moral-about-his-not/)

[Auberon Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-herbert/)

> [Deny human rights, and however little you may wish to do so, you will find yourself abjectly kneeling at the feet of that old-world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-herbert/deny-human-rights-and-however-little-you-may-wish-to-do-so-you-will/)

[Auberon Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-herbert/)

> [How, then, can the rights of three men exceed the rights of two men? In what possible way can the rights of three men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-herbert/how-then-can-the-rights-of-three-men-exceed-the-rights-of-two-men-in/)

[Auberon Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-herbert/)

> [The ruling idea of the politician - stated rather bluntly - is that those who are opposed to him exist for the purpose of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-herbert/the-ruling-idea-of-the-politician-stated-rather-bluntly-is-that-those/)

[Auberon Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-herbert/)

> [Every tax or rate, forcibly taken from an unwilling person, is immoral and oppressive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-herbert/every-tax-or-rate-forcibly-taken-from-an-unwilling-person-is-immoral/)

[Auberon Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-herbert/)

> [You will not make a man wiser by taking freedom of action from him. A man can only learn when he is free to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-herbert/you-will-not-make-a-man-wiser-by-taking-freedom-of-action-from-him-a/)

[Auberon Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-herbert/)

> [The course that will restore to the workmen a father's duties and responsibilities, between which and themselves the state has now stepped, is for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-herbert/the-course-that-will-restore-to-the-workmen-a-father-s-duties-and/)

[Auberon Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-herbert/)

> [It is the small owner who offers the only really profitable and reliable material for taxation. He is made for taxation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-herbert/it-is-the-small-owner-who-offers-the-only-really-profitable-and/)

[Auberon Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-herbert/)

> [There never yet has been a great system sustained by force under which all the best faculties of men have not slowly withered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-herbert/there-never-yet-has-been-a-great-system-sustained-by-force-under/)

[Auberon Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-herbert/)

> [Do you not see, first, that - as a mental abstract - physical force is directly opposed to morality; and secondly, that it practically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-herbert/do-you-not-see-first-that-as-a-mental-abstract-physical-force-is/)

[Auberon Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-herbert/)

[Explore all 19 Auberon Herbert quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-herbert/)

## More Food quotes

> [On Sundays, that's my pig out day and I do the pizza and the beer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-silvstedt/on-sundays-that-s-my-pig-out-day-and-i-do-the-pizza-and-the-beer/)

[Victoria Silvstedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-silvstedt/)

> [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [By eating many fruits and vegetables in place of fast food and junk food, people could avoid obesity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-murdock/by-eating-many-fruits-and-vegetables-in-place-of-fast-food-and-junk/)

[David H. Murdock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-murdock/)

> [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [“My God, Joseph, your toasted sandwiches are the fucking shit. You do know that right?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ashworth/my-god-joseph-your-toasted-sandwiches-are-the-fucking-shit-you-do/)

[Beth Ashworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ashworth/)

> [I feel like I could eat the world raw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/i-feel-like-i-could-eat-the-world-raw/)

[Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/)

> [To me, Caribbean food is about fresh, seasonal produce - using what's in season to create vibrant and great tasting food. The spicing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ainsley-harriott/to-me-caribbean-food-is-about-fresh-seasonal-produce-using-what-s-in/)

[Ainsley Harriott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ainsley-harriott/)

> [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> [“if you cannot control your hunger and appetite, good luck managing your blood chemistry, metabolism, waistline, and, in the bigger picture, the prospect of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-perlmutter/if-you-cannot-control-your-hunger-and-appetite-good-luck-managing/)

[David Perlmutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-perlmutter/)

> [“Hungarian Proverb: A dish of cabbages can be heated when it grows cold, but it will never taste the same.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mourid-barghouti/hungarian-proverb-a-dish-of-cabbages-can-be-heated-when-it-grows-cold/)

[Mourid Barghouti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mourid-barghouti/)

> [“The phrase “low and slow” was coined to describe the relatively low temperatures used for smoking and the lengthy amount of time it takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-reader/the-phrase-low-and-slow-was-coined-to-describe-the-relatively-low/)

Ted Reader

> [Things live and die, and then someone processes them into edible portions. This is a complete telling of the story, 'Food.' The basic plot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/things-live-and-die-and-then-someone-processes-them-into-edible/)

[David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/)

> [“Live is like a box of chocolates, we are all just waiting for a hungry hand to come down and grab us and eat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunshine/live-is-like-a-box-of-chocolates-we-are-all-just-waiting-for-a-hungry/)

[sunshine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunshine/)

> [Sometimes, when full and in fear that I will continue to eat unwanted food just because it's staring at me, I will place my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-nichols/sometimes-when-full-and-in-fear-that-i-will-continue-to-eat-unwanted/)

[Rachel Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-nichols/)

> [“Pumpkin Flavor Latte Scrub   Ingredients 1 ½ cups of brown sugar 2 tablespoons of ground coffee 1-2 tablespoons of pumpkin spice ¾ -1…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-hilton/pumpkin-flavor-latte-scrub-ingredients-1-cups-of-brown-sugar-2/)

Kate Hilton

[Browse all 34,183 Food quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "If government half a century ago had provided us with all our dinners and breakfasts, it would be the practice of our orators today to assume the impossibility of our providing for ourselves.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Auberon Herbert"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-herbert/if-government-half-a-century-ago-had-provided-us-with-all-our-dinners/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Food"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-herbert/if-government-half-a-century-ago-had-provided-us-with-all-our-dinners/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a2/auberon-herbert-28820_food_if-government-half-a-century-ago-had-pro_236265.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a2/auberon-herbert-28820_food_if-government-half-a-century-ago-had-pro_236265.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a2/auberon-herbert-28820_food_if-government-half-a-century-ago-had-pro_236265.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If government half a century ago had provided us with all our dinners and breakfasts, it would be the…” — Auberon Herbert",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Auberon Herbert",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-herbert/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If government half a century ago...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-herbert/if-government-half-a-century-ago-had-provided-us-with-all-our-dinners/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-herbert/if-government-half-a-century-ago-had-provided-us-with-all-our-dinners/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```