--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If the World War [I] demonstrated…" description: "\"If the World War [I] demonstrated anything it was that government ownership is fraught with the gravest dangers and usually leads to disaster. Take Bri..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53c/b-c-forbes-2124_animal_if-the-world-war-i-demonstrated-anything_2288290.jpg" --- # If the World War \[I\] demonstrated anything it was that… ![“If the World War [I] demonstrated anything it was that government ownership is fraught with the gravest dangers and usually leads to disaster. Take Britain. The two problems which have caused the greatest trouble since the war ended have been transportation and coal. The government seized both…” quote by B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53c/b-c-forbes-2124_animal_if-the-world-war-i-demonstrated-anything_2288290.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53c/b-c-forbes-2124_animal_if-the-world-war-i-demonstrated-anything_2288290.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53c/b-c-forbes-2124_animal_if-the-world-war-i-demonstrated-anything_2288290.jpg) > “If the World War \[I\] demonstrated anything it was that government ownership is fraught with the gravest dangers and usually leads to disaster. Take Britain. The two problems which have caused the greatest trouble since the war ended have been transportation and coal. The government seized both industries when the war broke out. It got them into such a hopeless mess that it does not know how to turn \[In\] coal; the government now realizes, it took hold of the tail of a wild animal and is afraid to let go.” [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Government control of industry often leads to inefficiency and disaster, as seen in post‑war Britain’s transport and coal sectors. **In simple terms:** State ownership can create chaos. Key Takeaway Limit government control of critical industries. Themes government economics efficiency Mood critical analytical Type political economic When to use this quote - policy debates - corporate strategy - infrastructure planning Key Concepts public policy market dynamics industrial management Questions to Reflect On - When is government intervention justified? - How can public‑private partnerships improve outcomes? A Different Perspective State ownership may sometimes succeed with proper oversight. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Britain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/britain/) [Britain Problems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/britain-problems-2920103/) [Broke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broke/) [Coal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coal/) [Coal Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coal-government-5366685/) [Danger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger/) [Disaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disaster/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Government Ownership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government-ownership-636498/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Hopeless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hopeless/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Industries War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/industries-war-5278166/) [Industry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/industry/) [Know how](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-how/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Letting go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/letting-go/) [Mess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mess/) [Ownership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ownership/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Realizing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realizing/) [Tails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tails/) [Transportation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transportation/) [Trouble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trouble/) [Trouble War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trouble-war-899074/) [Turns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turns/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [War of the worlds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-of-the-worlds/) [Wild animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wild-animal/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-war/) [World war i](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-war-i/) ## Related quotes > [“First, the very idea that there should be any serious kind of health insurance for Americans (beyond tiny elites) simply did not have much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gar-alperovitz/first-the-very-idea-that-there-should-be-any-serious-kind-of-health/) [Gar Alperovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gar-alperovitz/) > [The pioneers and missionaries of religion have been the real cause of more trouble and war than all other classes of mankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/the-pioneers-and-missionaries-of-religion-have-been-the-real-cause-of/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [There are those people who don't want change. Well there needs to be a coalition for change amongst the hard-working mainstream majority of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-osborne/there-are-those-people-who-don-t-want-change-well-there-needs-to-be-a/) [George Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-osborne/) > [Leaving the EU isn't the answer to Britain's problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/leaving-the-eu-isn-t-the-answer-to-britain-s-problems/) [Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) > [The real trouble with war (modern war) is that it gives no one a chance to kill the right people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/the-real-trouble-with-war-modern-war-is-that-it-gives-no-one-a-chance/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [The analysis in the era of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher was that government was interfering with the efficiency of the economy through protectionism,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stiglitz/the-analysis-in-the-era-of-ronald-reagan-and-margaret-thatcher-was/) [Joseph Stiglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stiglitz/) > [Under government ownership corruption can flourish just as rankly as under private ownership.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/under-government-ownership-corruption-can-flourish-just-as-rankly-as/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [I don't look for much to come out of government ownership as long as we have Democrats and Republicans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kin-hubbard/i-don-t-look-for-much-to-come-out-of-government-ownership-as-long-as/) [Kin Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kin-hubbard/) > [The diversity of institutions has made possible the combination of government ownership and private enterprise which has been a further characteristic of Canadian development.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-innis/the-diversity-of-institutions-has-made-possible-the-combination-of/) [Harold Innis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-innis/) > [We gotta get Fannie and Freddie out of government ownership. It makes no sense that these are owned by the government and have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-mnuchin/we-gotta-get-fannie-and-freddie-out-of-government-ownership-it-makes/) [Steve Mnuchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-mnuchin/) > [We agree with the statement contained in the encyclical Quadragesimo Anno, written by Pope Leo XIII, that "anything which dominates the life of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-douglas/we-agree-with-the-statement-contained-in-the-encyclical-quadragesimo/) [Tommy Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-douglas/) > [Heartless though it may seem to some, among the least harmful things to eat are sustainably culled wild animals. In the absence of natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristram-stuart/heartless-though-it-may-seem-to-some-among-the-least-harmful-things/) [Tristram Stuart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristram-stuart/) > [“You Can't Keep Wild Animal In Your Back Yard And Expect It To Go only After Your Neighbor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-rodham-clinton/you-can-t-keep-wild-animal-in-your-back-yard-and-expect-it-to-go-only/) [Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/) > [I don’t have to be logical. I’m a leopard. We’re considered wild animals, you know. (Spoken by Megan.)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-neftzger/i-don-t-have-to-be-logical-i-m-a-leopard-we-re-considered-wild/) [Amy Neftzger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-neftzger/) > [That proves something- that a gang of wild animals can be stopped, simply because they're still human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/that-proves-something-that-a-gang-of-wild-animals-can-be-stopped/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) ## More by B. C. Forbes > [Our future and our fate lie in our wills more than in our hands, for our hands are but the instruments of our wills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/our-future-and-our-fate-lie-in-our-wills-more-than-in-our-hands-for/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [What one thing does the world need most today-apart, that is, from the all-inclusive thing we call righteousness? Aren't you inclined to agree that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/what-one-thing-does-the-world-need-most-today-apart-that-is-from-the/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Are soft-hearted people handicapped in business? You have heard a businessman say of someone else, He's all right, but he's too soft-hearted… To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/are-soft-hearted-people-handicapped-in-business-you-have-heard-a/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Search and you will find that at the base and birth of every great business organization was an enthusiast, man consumed with earnestness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/search-and-you-will-find-that-at-the-base-and-birth-of-every-great/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [A big business man was telling Henry Ford about a coach driver of super-expertness with his whip. The driver was telling how he could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/a-big-business-man-was-telling-henry-ford-about-a-coach-driver-of/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Better to be occasionally cheated than perpetually suspicious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/better-to-be-occasionally-cheated-than-perpetually-suspicious/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Honesty pays dividends both in dollars and in peace of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/honesty-pays-dividends-both-in-dollars-and-in-peace-of-mind/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Timing is everything. Tell me how a young man spends his evenings and I will tell you how far he is likely to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/timing-is-everything-tell-me-how-a-young-man-spends-his-evenings-and/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [To succeed, we must have the will to succeed, we must have stamina, determination, backbone, perseverance, self-reliance, and faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/to-succeed-we-must-have-the-will-to-succeed-we-must-have-stamina/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [There are two brands of discontent: the brand that merely fosters greed and snarling and back-biting, and the brand that inspires greater and greater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/there-are-two-brands-of-discontent-the-brand-that-merely-fosters/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Which class is happiest, the rich, the middle class or the poor? A very successful executive of a large organization touches upon this vital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/which-class-is-happiest-the-rich-the-middle-class-or-the-poor-a-very/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Are your desires purely selfish? Do your tastes run to a grand home, automobiles, fine clothes, an abundance of amusements, and so forth? If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/are-your-desires-purely-selfish-do-your-tastes-run-to-a-grand-home/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [When you delve deep enough, you find that practically every great fortune and great enterprise in America have sprung from the courageous enterprise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/when-you-delve-deep-enough-you-find-that-practically-every-great/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [It can be set down as a broad, general principle that we cannot indulge in idleness and abundance during both the first and second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/it-can-be-set-down-as-a-broad-general-principle-that-we-cannot/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [The Christmas spirit brings home to us-or should bring home to us-the profound Biblical truth that it is more blessed to give than to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/the-christmas-spirit-brings-home-to-us-or-should-bring-home-to-us-the/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) [Explore all 184 B. C. Forbes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) ## More Animal quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Humans are animals too, but some do not like to work from expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/humans-are-animals-too-but-some-do-not-like-to-work-from-expectations/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) > [When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [I'm 38 and I'm single, and I'm having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“it is a federal system of sadistic torture, vivisection, and animal genocide, which has been carried on for decades under the fraudulent guise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tobias/it-is-a-federal-system-of-sadistic-torture-vivisection-and-animal/) [Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [We must love animals in such a powerful way that we should reject to eat them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/we-must-love-animals-in-such-a-powerful-way-that-we-should-reject-to/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [That dog, I say that dog is lower than a snake full of buckshot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foghorn-leghorn/that-dog-i-say-that-dog-is-lower-than-a-snake-full-of-buckshot/) [Foghorn Leghorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foghorn-leghorn/) > [I bet plants go like 'Weeeeeeeee!' whenever they're swallowed by a giraffe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-plants-go-like-weeeeeeeee-whenever-they-re-swallowed-by-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Animal rights without veganism is like human rights with slavery. It makes no sense. None whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/animal-rights-without-veganism-is-like-human-rights-with-slavery-it/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) [Browse all 13,456 Animal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If the World War [I] demonstrated anything it was that government ownership is fraught with the gravest dangers and usually leads to disaster. Take Britain. The two problems which have caused the greatest trouble since the war ended have been transportation and coal. The government seized both industries when the war broke out. It got them into such a hopeless mess that it does not know how to turn [In] coal; the government now realizes, it took hold of the tail of a wild animal and is afraid to let go.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "B. C. Forbes" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/if-the-world-war-i-demonstrated-anything-it-was-that-government/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Animal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/if-the-world-war-i-demonstrated-anything-it-was-that-government/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53c/b-c-forbes-2124_animal_if-the-world-war-i-demonstrated-anything_2288290.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53c/b-c-forbes-2124_animal_if-the-world-war-i-demonstrated-anything_2288290.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53c/b-c-forbes-2124_animal_if-the-world-war-i-demonstrated-anything_2288290.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If the World War [I] demonstrated anything it was that government ownership is fraught with the gravest…” — B. C. Forbes", "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": "B. C. Forbes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If the World War [I] demonstrated...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/if-the-world-war-i-demonstrated-anything-it-was-that-government/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/if-the-world-war-i-demonstrated-anything-it-was-that-government/#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 } } ] } ```