--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Certainly if the fundamental problem of…" description: "\"Certainly if the fundamental problem of society is that demands are infinite and resources are always limited, politics, not economics is the master sc..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e1/bernard-crick-16886_demand_certainly-if-the-fundamental-problem-of_2512774.jpg" --- # Certainly if the fundamental problem of society is that… ![“Certainly if the fundamental problem of society is that demands are infinite and resources are always limited, politics, not economics is the master science.” quote by Bernard Crick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e1/bernard-crick-16886_demand_certainly-if-the-fundamental-problem-of_2512774.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e1/bernard-crick-16886_demand_certainly-if-the-fundamental-problem-of_2512774.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e1/bernard-crick-16886_demand_certainly-if-the-fundamental-problem-of_2512774.jpg) > “Certainly if the fundamental problem of society is that demands are infinite and resources are always limited, politics, not economics is the master science.” [Bernard Crick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-crick/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Society faces endless demands but limited resources; politics must manage allocation better than economics alone. **In simple terms:** Politics must handle scarce resources and endless needs. Key Takeaway Prioritize political solutions for resource allocation. Themes politics resource scarcity societal demands economics policy Mood analytical critical Type theoretical policy When to use this quote - government budgeting - public health planning - environmental regulation - social welfare programs Key Concepts allocation theory public choice social contract Questions to Reflect On - How can political institutions better balance infinite demands with finite resources? - What mechanisms ensure fair distribution? A Different Perspective Economic models often ignore power dynamics and equity concerns. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Demand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand/) [Demands Infinite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demands-infinite-1172142/) [Economics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economics/) [Fundamental Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fundamental-problem-350993/) [Fundamentals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fundamentals/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Infinite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infinite/) [Limited Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limited-politics-1172141/) [Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/masters/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Problem Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem-society-686701/) [Resources](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resources/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Society Demands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society-demands-1172140/) ## Related quotes > [The conservation of natural resources is the fundamental problem. Unless we solve that problem it will avail us little to solve all others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/the-conservation-of-natural-resources-is-the-fundamental-problem/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [Because power corrupts, society's demands for moral authority and character increase as the importance of the position increases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/because-power-corrupts-society-s-demands-for-moral-authority-and/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [The finest clothing made is a person's own skin, but, of course, society demands something more than this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-finest-clothing-made-is-a-person-s-own-skin-but-of-course-society/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [No matter what happens, nothing can prevent the historical process by which society demands freedom and democracy,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/no-matter-what-happens-nothing-can-prevent-the-historical-process-by/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Society demands conformity at the expense of individual liberty. Let us be for once a non conformist to be fully alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/society-demands-conformity-at-the-expense-of-individual-liberty-let/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Our society demands that women be treated equally and that we not discriminate against them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/our-society-demands-that-women-be-treated-equally-and-that-we-not/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [“The role of science is not to serve the demands of the moment and provide easy answers when society demands them. Its purpose remains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbora-ji-incov/the-role-of-science-is-not-to-serve-the-demands-of-the-moment-and/) [Barbora Jiřincová](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbora-ji-incov/) > [Society demands that we present an identity that can be comfortably catalogued.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/society-demands-that-we-present-an-identity-that-can-be-comfortably-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We're a society that demands electricity 24/7. This is very difficult with sun and wind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-smil/we-re-a-society-that-demands-electricity-24-7-this-is-very-difficult/) [Vaclav Smil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-smil/) > [In a society that almost demands life at double time, speed and addictions numb us to our own experience. In such a society, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/in-a-society-that-almost-demands-life-at-double-time-speed-and/) [Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/) > [“So this is a fundamental problem, being out of a loop that I don't even believe in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-p-othmer/so-this-is-a-fundamental-problem-being-out-of-a-loop-that-i-don-t/) [James P. Othmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-p-othmer/) > [In a sense Shapley's telling me that space was transparent, which I shouldn't have believed, illustrates a fundamental problem in science, believing what people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-l-greenstein/in-a-sense-shapley-s-telling-me-that-space-was-transparent-which-i/) [Jesse L. Greenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-l-greenstein/) > [“The fundamental problem has nothing to do with your behavior or your attitude. It has everything to do with having a wrong map.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-covey/the-fundamental-problem-has-nothing-to-do-with-your-behavior-or-your/) [Stephen R. Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-covey/) > [The fundamental problem is not that Trump has access to the nuclear launch codes, but that they exist at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-plame/the-fundamental-problem-is-not-that-trump-has-access-to-the-nuclear/) [Valerie Plame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-plame/) > [The fact that it wasn't tells me that we've got a much more fundamental problem of understanding what went wrong, and we've got to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kay/the-fact-that-it-wasn-t-tells-me-that-we-ve-got-a-much-more/) [David Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kay/) ## More by Bernard Crick > [Politics has rough manners, but it is a very useful thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-crick/politics-has-rough-manners-but-it-is-a-very-useful-thing/) [Bernard Crick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-crick/) > [Politics deserves much praise. Politics is a preoccupation of free men, and its existence is a test of freedom. The praise of free men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-crick/politics-deserves-much-praise-politics-is-a-preoccupation-of-free-men/) [Bernard Crick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-crick/) > [What matters in Politics is what men actually do - sincerity is no excuse for acting unpolitically, and insincerity may be channelled by politics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-crick/what-matters-in-politics-is-what-men-actually-do-sincerity-is-no/) [Bernard Crick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-crick/) > [If, of course, one builds into the concept of an 'individual' all that Professor Hayek does in his Road To Serfdom, Individualism and Economic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-crick/if-of-course-one-builds-into-the-concept-of-an-individual-all-that/) [Bernard Crick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-crick/) > [Factory workers are not working for capitalism, they are working for a living wage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-crick/factory-workers-are-not-working-for-capitalism-they-are-working-for-a/) [Bernard Crick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-crick/) > [Since the business of politics is the conciliation of differing interests, justice must not merely be done, but to be seen to be done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-crick/since-the-business-of-politics-is-the-conciliation-of-differing/) [Bernard Crick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-crick/) > [The plain truth is that what holds a free state together is neither general will nor a common interest, but simply politics itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-crick/the-plain-truth-is-that-what-holds-a-free-state-together-is-neither/) [Bernard Crick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-crick/) > [Totalitarian rule marks the sharpest contrast imaginable with political rule, and ideological thinking is an explicit and direct challenge to political thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-crick/totalitarian-rule-marks-the-sharpest-contrast-imaginable-with/) [Bernard Crick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-crick/) > [Politics are, as it were, the market place and the price mechanism of all social demands - though there is no guarantee that a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-crick/politics-are-as-it-were-the-market-place-and-the-price-mechanism-of/) [Bernard Crick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-crick/) > [“Revolutions as often take place because the old regime simply collapse out of economic inefficiency and bureaucratic rigidity rather than for the reasons given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-crick/revolutions-as-often-take-place-because-the-old-regime-simply/) [Bernard Crick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-crick/) > [The political process is not tied to any particular doctrine. Genuine political doctrines, rather, are the attempt to find particular and workable solutions to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-crick/the-political-process-is-not-tied-to-any-particular-doctrine-genuine/) [Bernard Crick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-crick/) > [Totalitarianism surpasses autocracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-crick/totalitarianism-surpasses-autocracy/) [Bernard Crick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-crick/) > [Politics is a way of ruling in divided societies without undue violence...politics is not just a necessary evil; it is a realistic good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-crick/politics-is-a-way-of-ruling-in-divided-societies-without-undue/) [Bernard Crick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-crick/) > [“We each have to choose something but it is another question how and why we presume to choose for others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-crick/we-each-have-to-choose-something-but-it-is-another-question-how-and/) [Bernard Crick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-crick/) > [“Man's inclination to justice makes democracy possible; but man's capacity for injustice makes it necessary.' The optimism we need to prevent ourselves from destroying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-crick/man-s-inclination-to-justice-makes-democracy-possible-but-man-s/) [Bernard Crick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-crick/) [Explore all 38 Bernard Crick quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-crick/) ## More Demand quotes > [Our times demand the declaration of the world's resources as the common heritage of all people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/our-times-demand-the-declaration-of-the-world-s-resources-as-the/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) > [Parents who are stressed or disturbed will have more difficulty in meeting their children's needs. Parents who have little support--from friends, relatives, neighbors, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-kamerman/parents-who-are-stressed-or-disturbed-will-have-more-difficulty-in/) [Sheila Kamerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-kamerman/) > [If a person does not listen to the demands of their own spiritual and heart life and insists on a certain program, you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/if-a-person-does-not-listen-to-the-demands-of-their-own-spiritual-and/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [Empires fall, ids explode, great symphonies are written, and behind all of it is a single instinct that demands satisfaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/empires-fall-ids-explode-great-symphonies-are-written-and-behind-all/) [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) > [My dogs can't do anything--and what a relief. I don't make any demands of them, and I don't try to shape them or their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-chua/my-dogs-can-t-do-anything-and-what-a-relief-i-don-t-make-any-demands/) [Amy Chua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-chua/) > [The trouble is. . .that everybody sneers at restrictions and demands freedom, till something annoying happens; then they demand angrily what has become of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/the-trouble-is-that-everybody-sneers-at-restrictions-and-demands/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [You be greater than your feelings. I don't demand this of you - life does. Otherwise you'll be washed away by feelings. You'll be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/you-be-greater-than-your-feelings-i-don-t-demand-this-of-you-life/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [Christianity does not oppose debauchery and uncontrollable passions and the like as much as it opposes... flat mediocrity, this nauseating atmosphere, this homey, civil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/christianity-does-not-oppose-debauchery-and-uncontrollable-passions/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [It is an interesting law of romance that a truly strong woman will choose a strong man who disagrees with her over a weak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-is-an-interesting-law-of-romance-that-a-truly-strong-woman-will/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [If we get better our customers will demand we get bigger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-truett-cathy/if-we-get-better-our-customers-will-demand-we-get-bigger/) [S. Truett Cathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-truett-cathy/) > [If our faith in God is not the veriest sham, it demands, and will produce, the abandonment sometimes, the subordination always, of external helps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-maclaren/if-our-faith-in-god-is-not-the-veriest-sham-it-demands-and-will/) [Alexander MacLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-maclaren/) > [Money should be ones demand and command one should not become slave of money..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/money-should-be-ones-demand-and-command-one-should-not-become-slave/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [There was no mistake in us making abortion legal and available on demand. That was what we call progress. Just like it was no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/there-was-no-mistake-in-us-making-abortion-legal-and-available-on/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [Most enjoyable activities are not natural; they demand an effort that initially one is reluctant to make. But once the interaction starts to provide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/most-enjoyable-activities-are-not-natural-they-demand-an-effort-that/) [Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/) > [Azerbaijan unleashed the war, and was defeated in that war; Azerbaijan asked for truce (including from the Commander of Karabakh's forces) and later started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serzh-sargsyan/azerbaijan-unleashed-the-war-and-was-defeated-in-that-war-azerbaijan/) [Serzh Sargsyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serzh-sargsyan/) [Browse all 3,809 Demand quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Certainly if the fundamental problem of society is that demands are infinite and resources are always limited, politics, not economics is the master science.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bernard Crick" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-crick/certainly-if-the-fundamental-problem-of-society-is-that-demands-are/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Demand" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-crick/certainly-if-the-fundamental-problem-of-society-is-that-demands-are/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e1/bernard-crick-16886_demand_certainly-if-the-fundamental-problem-of_2512774.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e1/bernard-crick-16886_demand_certainly-if-the-fundamental-problem-of_2512774.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e1/bernard-crick-16886_demand_certainly-if-the-fundamental-problem-of_2512774.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Certainly if the fundamental problem of society is that demands are infinite and resources are always…” — Bernard Crick", "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": "Bernard Crick", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-crick/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Certainly if the fundamental problem of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-crick/certainly-if-the-fundamental-problem-of-society-is-that-demands-are/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-crick/certainly-if-the-fundamental-problem-of-society-is-that-demands-are/#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 } } ] } ```