--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: While society cannot provide employment…" description: "\"While society cannot provide employment for its members, the production/work/income nexus has to be abandoned as a justification for our present parsim..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/570/bob-hawke-7891_abandoned_while-society-cannot-provide-employment_61452.jpg" --- # While society cannot provide employment for its members… ![“While society cannot provide employment for its members, the production/work/income nexus has to be abandoned as a justification for our present parsimony to the unemployed. An assumption cannot be used to justify making second-class citizens of those who are unfortunate enough to constitute…” quote by Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/570/bob-hawke-7891_abandoned_while-society-cannot-provide-employment_61452.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/570/bob-hawke-7891_abandoned_while-society-cannot-provide-employment_61452.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/570/bob-hawke-7891_abandoned_while-society-cannot-provide-employment_61452.jpg) > “While society cannot provide employment for its members, the production/work/income nexus has to be abandoned as a justification for our present parsimony to the unemployed. An assumption cannot be used to justify making second-class citizens of those who are unfortunate enough to constitute living proof of the inaccuracy of that assumption.” [Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues that society should not blame unemployment on a broken link between work and income, and that using that link to marginalize the job is unjust. **In simple terms:** Reject work‑income justification for poverty Key Takeaway Unemployment isn’t a moral failing Themes social justice economic inequality employment policy human dignity assumptions Mood critical empathetic defiant Type political philosophical When to use this quote - policy debates on welfare - public discourse on unemployment - advocacy for universal basic income - media analysis of job market narratives Key Concepts employment nexus social contract class hierarchy policy justification Practical Applications - designing inclusive social safety nets - reframing public narratives about work Questions to Reflect On - How does linking income to employment affect social cohesion? - What alternatives exist to the work‑income model? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Assumption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assumption/) [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Employment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/employment/) [Income](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/income/) [Justification](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justification/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Living proof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living-proof/) [Parsimony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parsimony/) [Second class citizens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/second-class-citizens/) [Unemployed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unemployed/) ## Related quotes > [I am not merely satisfied in making money for myself, for I am endeavoring to provide employment for hundreds of women of my race.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madam-c-j-walker/i-am-not-merely-satisfied-in-making-money-for-myself-for-i-am/) [Madam C. J. Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madam-c-j-walker/) > [I am not satisfied in making money for myself. I endeavor to provide employment for hundreds of the women of my race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madam-c-j-walker/i-am-not-satisfied-in-making-money-for-myself-i-endeavor-to-provide/) [Madam C. J. Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madam-c-j-walker/) > [To provide employment for the poor, and support for the indigent, is among the primary, and, at the same time, not least difficult cares…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/to-provide-employment-for-the-poor-and-support-for-the-indigent-is/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [By making a company successful, you can provide more employment, and, if you treat your staff well, then your business itself becomes a charity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guo-guangchang/by-making-a-company-successful-you-can-provide-more-employment-and-if/) [Guo Guangchang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guo-guangchang/) > [If we provide employment to people, if we ensure there's food on their plates, if we provide them with facilities and give them education,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/if-we-provide-employment-to-people-if-we-ensure-there-s-food-on-their/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [The problem is that there are not enough opportunities for the youngsters in U.P. which forces them to migrate. Our aim is to provide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-adityanath/the-problem-is-that-there-are-not-enough-opportunities-for-the/) [Yogi Adityanath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-adityanath/) > [Economy is a distributive virtue, and consists not in saving but selection. Parsimony requires no providence, no sagacity, no powers of combination, no comparison,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/economy-is-a-distributive-virtue-and-consists-not-in-saving-but/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [It really comes down to parsimony, economy of explanation. It is possible that your car engine is driven by psychokinetic energy, but if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/it-really-comes-down-to-parsimony-economy-of-explanation-it-is/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Evolutionary biologists often appeal to parsimony when they seek to explain why organisms "match" with respect to a given trait. For example, why do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-sober/evolutionary-biologists-often-appeal-to-parsimony-when-they-seek-to/) [Elliott Sober](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-sober/) > [I would rather be a beggar and spend my money like a king, than be a king and spend money like a beggar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/i-would-rather-be-a-beggar-and-spend-my-money-like-a-king-than-be-a/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [My father died when I was two years old. But my mother was quite capable. She raised three children with his war pension which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giulio-andreotti/my-father-died-when-i-was-two-years-old-but-my-mother-was-quite/) [Giulio Andreotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giulio-andreotti/) > [With parsimony a little is sufficient; without it nothing is sufficient; but frugality makes a poor man rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/with-parsimony-a-little-is-sufficient-without-it-nothing-is/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [There is nothing worse than being ashamed of parsimony or poverty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/livy/there-is-nothing-worse-than-being-ashamed-of-parsimony-or-poverty/) [Livy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/livy/) > [Mere parsimony is not economy. Expense, and great expense, may be an essential part in true economy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/mere-parsimony-is-not-economy-expense-and-great-expense-may-be-an/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [It is more parsimonious to assume that the sun goes around the Earth, that atoms at the smallest scale operate in accordance with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/it-is-more-parsimonious-to-assume-that-the-sun-goes-around-the-earth/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) ## More by Bob Hawke > [ Brian Mulroney, myself, \[and\] Rajiv Gandhi; I think that was the real core \[of the Commonwealth \]. That was the engine room, I reckon. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/brian-mulroney-myself-and-rajiv-gandhi-i-think-that-was-the-real-core/) [Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/) > [ We \[ with Brian Mulroney and Rajiv Gandhi\] went to the meeting in Canada \[the 1987 Vancouver CHOGM\] and I said to them there… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/we-with-brian-mulroney-and-rajiv-gandhi-went-to-the-meeting-in-canada/) [Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/) > [ I told \[ David Lange\] he was crazy, because you can't have an alliance relationship if you refuse access to their ships. 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She was too much in the Russian camp for my liking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/i-had-no-time-for-indira-gandhi-she-was-too-much-in-the-russian-camp/) [Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/) > [I wrote a letter to our Australian newspaper about three weeks before the invasion and I said, "Osama bin Laden must be on his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/i-wrote-a-letter-to-our-australian-newspaper-about-three-weeks-before/) [Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/) > [I can't speak with authority about Emeka Anyaoku. I just didn't know him that well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/i-can-t-speak-with-authority-about-emeka-anyaoku-i-just-didn-t-know/) [Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/) > [ George Bush Junior \[George W Bush\] was a religious fanatic, and Tony Blair wasn't far behind in a way. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/george-bush-junior-george-w-bush-was-a-religious-fanatic-and-tony/) [Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/) > [I felt completely ready to become prime minister. I came to office better equipped, in terms of knowledge of economics and of the Australian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/i-felt-completely-ready-to-become-prime-minister-i-came-to-office/) [Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/) > [I went along with it, and wanted to appoint a significant figure in Malcolm Fraser. I didn't have high hopes that they'd be able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/i-went-along-with-it-and-wanted-to-appoint-a-significant-figure-in/) [Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/) > [ One of the features of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings was \[that\] she \[ Elizabeth II\] would have a meeting with each of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/one-of-the-features-of-the-commonwealth-heads-of-government-meetings/) [Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/) > [The greatest stain upon this great Australian nation's character, without any question, is the great gaps that exist between our Aboriginal brothers and sisters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/the-greatest-stain-upon-this-great-australian-nation-s-character/) [Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/) > [I was used on a number of occasions by the United States and China as a conduit. 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But in doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/in-russia-there-is-an-emigration-of-intelligence-migr-s-cross-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Early on in my life, I had a broken soul. I was abused by my father, abandoned by my mother and ended up in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/early-on-in-my-life-i-had-a-broken-soul-i-was-abused-by-my-father/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [We should be recklessly abandoned to Jesus, and just turn it over to Him. Through the support I think the sacrifices will be made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacie-orrico/we-should-be-recklessly-abandoned-to-jesus-and-just-turn-it-over-to/) [Stacie Orrico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacie-orrico/) > [In the eyes of those lovers of perfection, a work is never finished a word that for them has no sense but abandoned; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/in-the-eyes-of-those-lovers-of-perfection-a-work-is-never-finished-a/) [Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) > [The whole force of the respectable circles to which I belonged, that respectable circle which knew as I did notthe value of security won,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-tarbell/the-whole-force-of-the-respectable-circles-to-which-i-belonged-that/) [Ida Tarbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ida-tarbell/) > [Barack Obama became president, and he abandoned Iraq. He left, and when he left Al Qaida was done for. 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