--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Once in a while a new government…" description: "\"“Once in a while a new government initiates a program to put power to better use, but its success or failure never really proves anything. In science, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d1/b-f-skinner-2-27274_political-reformer_once-in-a-while-a-new-government-initiat_855647.jpg" --- # Once in a while a new government initiates a program to… ![“Once in a while a new government initiates a program to put power to better use, but its success or failure never really proves anything. In science, experiments are designed, checked, altered, repeated-- but not in politics... We have no real cumulative knowledge. History tells us nothing. That's…” quote by B.F. Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d1/b-f-skinner-2-27274_political-reformer_once-in-a-while-a-new-government-initiat_855647.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d1/b-f-skinner-2-27274_political-reformer_once-in-a-while-a-new-government-initiat_855647.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d1/b-f-skinner-2-27274_political-reformer_once-in-a-while-a-new-government-initiat_855647.jpg) > ““Once in a while a new government initiates a program to put power to better use, but its success or failure never really proves anything. In science, experiments are designed, checked, altered, repeated-- but not in politics... We have no real cumulative knowledge. History tells us nothing. That's the tragedy of a political reformer.”” [B.F. Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-f-skinner-2/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Political experiments lack systematic testing, making reforms unpredictable and knowledge accumulation impossible. **In simple terms:** Politics isn’t like science; reforms aren’t reliably repeatable. Key Takeaway Apply scientific rigor to policy design and evaluation. Themes political reform science knowledge history Mood skeptical inquisitive thoughtful Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - government programs - academic research - public administration - NGO initiatives Key Concepts experimental design cumulative learning policy evaluation Questions to Reflect On - Can political processes be structured like scientific experiments? - What mechanisms could improve learning from reforms? A Different Perspective Political systems resist controlled experiments, limiting data. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Experiments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiments/) [New government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-government/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Programming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programming/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Success or failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success-or-failure/) ## Related quotes > [...the proposed air force and army experiments were designed so that many animals would suffer and die without any certainty that this suffering and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/the-proposed-air-force-and-army-experiments-were-designed-so-that/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [“The political reform is important, but no reform will be greater than promoting popular awareness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-bello-accioly/the-political-reform-is-important-but-no-reform-will-be-greater-than/) [Victor Bello Accioly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-bello-accioly/) > [“Use the KEY to change: Knowledge Empowers You!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-kreig/use-the-key-to-change-knowledge-empowers-you/) Andrew Kreig > [I believe that with the help of foreign countries - and under that condition only, because they have no other source of financing -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduard-shevardnadze/i-believe-that-with-the-help-of-foreign-countries-and-under-that/) [Eduard Shevardnadze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduard-shevardnadze/) > [Bilderberger Meeting: The world is now more sophisticated and prepared to march towards a world government...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rockefeller/bilderberger-meeting-the-world-is-now-more-sophisticated-and-prepared/) [David Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rockefeller/) > [It would have been impossible for us to develop our plan for the world if we had been subjected to the lights of publicity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rockefeller/it-would-have-been-impossible-for-us-to-develop-our-plan-for-the/) [David Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rockefeller/) > [The building up of a new, far-reaching system of inspection on the question of equal pay, with power to investigate every business in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-paul/the-building-up-of-a-new-far-reaching-system-of-inspection-on-the/) [Alice Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-paul/) > [I would love to go back and help rebuild that country and help - you know, kind of like what's going on with Iraq…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-palmeiro/i-would-love-to-go-back-and-help-rebuild-that-country-and-help-you/) [Rafael Palmeiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-palmeiro/) > [National Socialism will use its own revolution for establishing of a new world order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/national-socialism-will-use-its-own-revolution-for-establishing-of-a/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [The one thing man fears is the unknown. 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