--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: According to the American Lung…" description: "\"“According to the American Lung Association, the average smoker dies seven years earlier than the average nonsmoker, which means that smokers pay into ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43f/charles-wheelan-23089_social-security_according-to-the-american-lung-associati_1438707.jpg" --- # According to the American Lung Association, the average… ![“According to the American Lung Association, the average smoker dies seven years earlier than the average nonsmoker, which means that smokers pay into Social Security and private pension funds for all of their working lives but then don't stick around very long to collect the benefits.” quote by Charles Wheelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43f/charles-wheelan-23089_social-security_according-to-the-american-lung-associati_1438707.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43f/charles-wheelan-23089_social-security_according-to-the-american-lung-associati_1438707.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43f/charles-wheelan-23089_social-security_according-to-the-american-lung-associati_1438707.jpg) > ““According to the American Lung Association, the average smoker dies seven years earlier than the average nonsmoker, which means that smokers pay into Social Security and private pension funds for all of their working lives but then don't stick around very long to collect the benefits.”” [Charles Wheelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wheelan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Smoking shortens life, causing premature death and financial strain on social systems. **In simple terms:** Smoking kills early and costs society. Key Takeaway Quit smoking to extend life and reduce public costs. Themes health economics longevity public policy Mood concerned analytical Type informative policy‑oriented When to use this quote - personal health decisions - government budgeting - insurance planning Key Concepts mortality social welfare behavioral economics Questions to Reflect On - What incentives could effectively reduce smoking rates? - How does early mortality impact pension systems? A Different Perspective None; individual choice may outweigh policy incentives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Smokers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smokers/) [Social security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-security/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/) ## Related quotes > [The Germans are the most philosophic people in the world, and the greatest smokers: now I trace their philosophy to their smoking. Smoking has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-borrow/the-germans-are-the-most-philosophic-people-in-the-world-and-the/) [George Henry Borrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-borrow/) > [Much like tobacco companies want to keep smokers dependent on their deadly product, the oil industry wants to keep California dependent on oil –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-barrett/much-like-tobacco-companies-want-to-keep-smokers-dependent-on-their/) [William Barrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barrett/) > [If people are smokers, don't they have to pay more? Sometimes, you get your insurance cheaper if you are a nonsmoker. So, let the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/if-people-are-smokers-don-t-they-have-to-pay-more-sometimes-you-get/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [I've never been a major smoker, but I think America's view on weed is ridiculous. I mean - are you kidding me? If everyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-dunst/i-ve-never-been-a-major-smoker-but-i-think-america-s-view-on-weed-is/) [Kirsten Dunst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-dunst/) > [Have you ever known an alcoholic, a cigarette smoker, or a heroin user to be rational when it came to alcohol, cigarettes, or heroin?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-yourofsky/have-you-ever-known-an-alcoholic-a-cigarette-smoker-or-a-heroin-user/) [Gary Yourofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-yourofsky/) > [I believe that pipe smoking contributes to a somewhat calm and objective judgement in all human affairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/i-believe-that-pipe-smoking-contributes-to-a-somewhat-calm-and/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [No cigar-smoker ever committed suicide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-maginn/no-cigar-smoker-ever-committed-suicide/) William Maginn > [“Smokers live faster.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raheel-farooq/smokers-live-faster/) [Raheel Farooq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raheel-farooq/) > [Let's get the government stay out of our private lives, once and for all, and stop arresting smokers. Let's take a stand for personal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-nelson/let-s-get-the-government-stay-out-of-our-private-lives-once-and-for/) [Willie Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-nelson/) > [The true smoker abstains from imitating Vesuvius.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auguste-marseille-barthelemy/the-true-smoker-abstains-from-imitating-vesuvius/) Auguste-Marseille Barthelemy > [Nonsmokers should be banned from buying any product a smoker created.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-strummer/nonsmokers-should-be-banned-from-buying-any-product-a-smoker-created/) [Joe Strummer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-strummer/) > [The right of smokers to smoke ends where their behavior affects the health and well-being of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-everett-koop/the-right-of-smokers-to-smoke-ends-where-their-behavior-affects-the/) [C. Everett Koop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-everett-koop/) > [The risk of developing carcinoma of the lung increases steadily as the amount smoked increases. If the risk among non-smokers is taken as unity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-doll/the-risk-of-developing-carcinoma-of-the-lung-increases-steadily-as/) Richard Doll > [Smokers, like so many of us, are mavericks when they're healthy but parasites when they're not. They trash their bodies and then expect the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norah-vincent/smokers-like-so-many-of-us-are-mavericks-when-they-re-healthy-but/) [Norah Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norah-vincent/) > [There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz and swing, result…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-j-anslinger/there-are-100-000-total-marijuana-smokers-in-the-us-and-most-are/) [Harry J. Anslinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-j-anslinger/) ## More by Charles Wheelan > [“Several studies of thousands of British civil servants (the Whitehall studies) have found that workers who have little control over their jobs—meaning they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wheelan/several-studies-of-thousands-of-british-civil-servants-the-whitehall/) [Charles Wheelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wheelan/) > [“We’ve built a society that values civil liberties even at the expense of social order.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wheelan/we-ve-built-a-society-that-values-civil-liberties-even-at-the-expense/) [Charles Wheelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wheelan/) > [“Is the journey still worthwhile if the mountain turns out to be enshrouded in fog at the top?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wheelan/is-the-journey-still-worthwhile-if-the-mountain-turns-out-to-be/) [Charles Wheelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wheelan/) > [“Here is one of the most important things to remember when doing research that involves regression analysis: Try not to kill anyone. You can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wheelan/here-is-one-of-the-most-important-things-to-remember-when-doing/) [Charles Wheelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wheelan/) > [“During the twentieth century, communist governments killed some 100 million of their own people in peacetime, either by repression or by famine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wheelan/during-the-twentieth-century-communist-governments-killed-some-100/) [Charles Wheelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wheelan/) > [“Most economists would concede that, in theory, government has the tools to smooth the business cycle. The problem is that fiscal policy is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wheelan/most-economists-would-concede-that-in-theory-government-has-the-tools/) [Charles Wheelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wheelan/) > [“In a basic agricultural society, it's easy enough to swap five chickens for a new dress or to pay a schoolteacher with a goat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wheelan/in-a-basic-agricultural-society-it-s-easy-enough-to-swap-five/) [Charles Wheelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wheelan/) > [Being great involves luck, and unique circumstances, and a lot of other forces beyond your control. You can’t just make it happen by working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wheelan/being-great-involves-luck-and-unique-circumstances-and-a-lot-of-other/) [Charles Wheelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wheelan/) > [“But it’s not perfect. The GPA does not reflect the difficulty of the courses that different students may have taken.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wheelan/but-it-s-not-perfect-the-gpa-does-not-reflect-the-difficulty-of-the/) [Charles Wheelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wheelan/) > [Economics is like gravity: Ignore it and you will be in for some rude surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wheelan/economics-is-like-gravity-ignore-it-and-you-will-be-in-for-some-rude/) [Charles Wheelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wheelan/) > [“Recognize that your own motivation, ambition, and talents will determine your success more than the college name on your diploma.”8”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wheelan/recognize-that-your-own-motivation-ambition-and-talents-will/) [Charles Wheelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wheelan/) > [“When I applied to graduate school many years ago, I wrote an essay expressing my puzzlement at how a country that could put a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wheelan/when-i-applied-to-graduate-school-many-years-ago-i-wrote-an-essay/) [Charles Wheelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wheelan/) > [“(Remember, human capital embodies not only classroom training but also perseverance, honesty, creativity—virtues that lend themselves to finding work.) Some”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wheelan/remember-human-capital-embodies-not-only-classroom-training-but-also/) [Charles Wheelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wheelan/) > [Change is inevitable; but progress depends on what we do with that change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wheelan/change-is-inevitable-but-progress-depends-on-what-we-do-with-that/) [Charles Wheelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wheelan/) > [“I have always had an uncomfortable relationship with math. I don’t like numbers for the sake of numbers. I am not impressed by fancy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wheelan/i-have-always-had-an-uncomfortable-relationship-with-math-i-don-t/) [Charles Wheelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wheelan/) [Explore all 25 Charles Wheelan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wheelan/) ## More Smokers quotes > [The Germans are the most philosophic people in the world, and the greatest smokers: now I trace their philosophy to their smoking. Smoking has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-borrow/the-germans-are-the-most-philosophic-people-in-the-world-and-the/) [George Henry Borrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-borrow/) > [Smokers, like so many of us, are mavericks when they're healthy but parasites when they're not. They trash their bodies and then expect the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norah-vincent/smokers-like-so-many-of-us-are-mavericks-when-they-re-healthy-but/) [Norah Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norah-vincent/) > [The risk of developing carcinoma of the lung increases steadily as the amount smoked increases. If the risk among non-smokers is taken as unity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-doll/the-risk-of-developing-carcinoma-of-the-lung-increases-steadily-as/) Richard Doll > [The right of smokers to smoke ends where their behavior affects the health and well-being of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-everett-koop/the-right-of-smokers-to-smoke-ends-where-their-behavior-affects-the/) [C. Everett Koop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-everett-koop/) > [Nonsmokers should be banned from buying any product a smoker created.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-strummer/nonsmokers-should-be-banned-from-buying-any-product-a-smoker-created/) [Joe Strummer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-strummer/) > [The true smoker abstains from imitating Vesuvius.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auguste-marseille-barthelemy/the-true-smoker-abstains-from-imitating-vesuvius/) Auguste-Marseille Barthelemy > [Let's get the government stay out of our private lives, once and for all, and stop arresting smokers. Let's take a stand for personal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-nelson/let-s-get-the-government-stay-out-of-our-private-lives-once-and-for/) [Willie Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-nelson/) > [“Smokers live faster.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raheel-farooq/smokers-live-faster/) [Raheel Farooq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raheel-farooq/) > [No cigar-smoker ever committed suicide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-maginn/no-cigar-smoker-ever-committed-suicide/) William Maginn > [I believe that pipe smoking contributes to a somewhat calm and objective judgement in all human affairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/i-believe-that-pipe-smoking-contributes-to-a-somewhat-calm-and/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Have you ever known an alcoholic, a cigarette smoker, or a heroin user to be rational when it came to alcohol, cigarettes, or heroin?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-yourofsky/have-you-ever-known-an-alcoholic-a-cigarette-smoker-or-a-heroin-user/) [Gary Yourofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-yourofsky/) > [I've never been a major smoker, but I think America's view on weed is ridiculous. I mean - are you kidding me? If everyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-dunst/i-ve-never-been-a-major-smoker-but-i-think-america-s-view-on-weed-is/) [Kirsten Dunst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-dunst/) > [If people are smokers, don't they have to pay more? Sometimes, you get your insurance cheaper if you are a nonsmoker. So, let the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/if-people-are-smokers-don-t-they-have-to-pay-more-sometimes-you-get/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [Much like tobacco companies want to keep smokers dependent on their deadly product, the oil industry wants to keep California dependent on oil –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-barrett/much-like-tobacco-companies-want-to-keep-smokers-dependent-on-their/) [William Barrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barrett/) > [There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz and swing, result…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-j-anslinger/there-are-100-000-total-marijuana-smokers-in-the-us-and-most-are/) [Harry J. Anslinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-j-anslinger/) [Browse all 118 Smokers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smokers/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“According to the American Lung Association, the average smoker dies seven years earlier than the average nonsmoker, which means that smokers pay into Social Security and private pension funds for all of their working lives but then don't stick around very long to collect the benefits.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Charles Wheelan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wheelan/according-to-the-american-lung-association-the-average-smoker-dies/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Smokers" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wheelan/according-to-the-american-lung-association-the-average-smoker-dies/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43f/charles-wheelan-23089_social-security_according-to-the-american-lung-associati_1438707.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43f/charles-wheelan-23089_social-security_according-to-the-american-lung-associati_1438707.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43f/charles-wheelan-23089_social-security_according-to-the-american-lung-associati_1438707.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“According to the American Lung Association, the average smoker dies seven years earlier than the average…” — Charles Wheelan", "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": "Charles Wheelan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wheelan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“According to the American Lung Association,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wheelan/according-to-the-american-lung-association-the-average-smoker-dies/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wheelan/according-to-the-american-lung-association-the-average-smoker-dies/#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 } } ] } ```