--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As a former EPA administrator under a…" description: "\"As a former EPA administrator under a Republican president, I recognize that it is easy to hate regulations in general. After all, regulatory action ca..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b24/christine-todd-whitman-17954_action_as-a-former-epa-administrator-under-a-re_2540614.png" --- # As a former EPA administrator under a Republican… ![“As a former EPA administrator under a Republican president, I recognize that it is easy to hate regulations in general. After all, regulatory action causes people to spend money or change behavior, often to solve problems they do not believe exist.” quote by Christine Todd Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b24/christine-todd-whitman-17954_action_as-a-former-epa-administrator-under-a-re_2540614.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b24/christine-todd-whitman-17954_action_as-a-former-epa-administrator-under-a-re_2540614.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b24/christine-todd-whitman-17954_action_as-a-former-epa-administrator-under-a-re_2540614.png) > “As a former EPA administrator under a Republican president, I recognize that it is easy to hate regulations in general. After all, regulatory action causes people to spend money or change behavior, often to solve problems they do not believe exist.” [Christine Todd Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-todd-whitman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Regulations are often disliked because they require costs or behavior changes, especially when the underlying problem isn’t widely recognized. **In simple terms:** People resent rules that cost money or demand change, especially for unseen problems. Key Takeaway Consider the real benefits behind regulations. Themes policy economics public perception environment behavior change Mood skeptical reflective pragmatic Type advice policy analytical When to use this quote - budget planning - environmental compliance - business strategy - public health initiatives Key Concepts cost‑benefit analysis risk perception public trust Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance short‑term costs with long‑term benefits? - What evidence convinces skeptics about a regulation’s need? A Different Perspective Regulations can be necessary even if the problem isn’t obvious to everyone. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) ## Related quotes > [The United States needs an EPA Administrator who understands that job growth and environmental protection are not mutually exclusive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hagerty/the-united-states-needs-an-epa-administrator-who-understands-that-job/) [Bill Hagerty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hagerty/) > [In today's regulatory environment, it's virtually impossible to violate rules.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-madoff/in-today-s-regulatory-environment-it-s-virtually-impossible-to/) [Bernard Madoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-madoff/) > [This country, of course, needs fundamental reform of our financial regulatory system, as I, and many other financial institution executives, have publicly advocated for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-a-schwarzman/this-country-of-course-needs-fundamental-reform-of-our-financial/) [Stephen A. Schwarzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-a-schwarzman/) > [Our regulatory bodies strive to create honest dealings, fair trades, and a situation in which no one has an advantage over anyone else. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/our-regulatory-bodies-strive-to-create-honest-dealings-fair-trades/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [There are over 170,000 pages of regulations in Washington, D.C. I want to streamline the rules in the federal government to basically allow businesses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-t-smith/there-are-over-170-000-pages-of-regulations-in-washington-d-c-i-want/) [Jason T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-t-smith/) > [Regulatory reform is my agenda. I intend to thoroughly work on this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoshihide-suga/regulatory-reform-is-my-agenda-i-intend-to-thoroughly-work-on-this/) [Yoshihide Suga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoshihide-suga/) > [Regulatory mandates have a disproportionate effect on small businesses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajit-pai/regulatory-mandates-have-a-disproportionate-effect-on-small-businesses/) [Ajit Pai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajit-pai/) > [In order to build anything from factories to schools to hospitals, one must jump through a series of regulatory hoops, giving EPA veto power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-inhofe/in-order-to-build-anything-from-factories-to-schools-to-hospitals-one/) [Jim Inhofe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-inhofe/) > [As newly created P2P businesses disrupt the status quo and compete with established companies, they face the difficulty of fitting a square peg into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-graves/as-newly-created-p2p-businesses-disrupt-the-status-quo-and-compete/) [Sam Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-graves/) > [There's been so much corruption and so much cronyism in the taxi industry and so much regulatory capture, that if you ask for permission…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-kalanick/there-s-been-so-much-corruption-and-so-much-cronyism-in-the-taxi/) [Travis Kalanick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-kalanick/) > [The future regulatory arrangements for the newspaper industry need to be done in a much calmer deliberative way, in slower time when we've got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-watson-jr/the-future-regulatory-arrangements-for-the-newspaper-industry-need-to/) [Thomas Watson, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-watson-jr/) > [Calling bitcoin volatile - it's a non-statement. Unregulated assets with unclear regulatory landscapes are always going to be volatile. That's what unregulated assets do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-winklevoss/calling-bitcoin-volatile-it-s-a-non-statement-unregulated-assets-with/) [Tyler Winklevoss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-winklevoss/) > [A state-based regulatory system is quite burdensome. It allows price controls to create market distortions. It can hinder development of national products and can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-paulson/a-state-based-regulatory-system-is-quite-burdensome-it-allows-price/) [Henry Paulson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-paulson/) > [Electricity transmission operates on a frequency between 49.7 Hertz and 50.2 Hertz. What I have done is petitioned the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jyotiraditya-madhavrao-scindia/electricity-transmission-operates-on-a-frequency-between-49-7-hertz/) [Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jyotiraditya-madhavrao-scindia/) > [I believe that government is too large, costs too much, spends too much, and has too much regulatory power in our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-walberg/i-believe-that-government-is-too-large-costs-too-much-spends-too-much/) [Tim Walberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-walberg/) ## More by Christine Todd Whitman > [For years, I have been a strong supporter of clean, safe nuclear energy as an important part of our energy mix.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-todd-whitman/for-years-i-have-been-a-strong-supporter-of-clean-safe-nuclear-energy/) [Christine Todd Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-todd-whitman/) > [I am struck by how many leading women... today started as Girl Scouts. It is an organization that obviously develops strong women leaders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-todd-whitman/i-am-struck-by-how-many-leading-women-today-started-as-girl-scouts-it/) [Christine Todd Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-todd-whitman/) > [Neglecting clean energy sources such as solar, wind, and especially nuclear, can result in blackouts, increased power bills, and will take a heavy toll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-todd-whitman/neglecting-clean-energy-sources-such-as-solar-wind-and-especially/) [Christine Todd Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-todd-whitman/) > [Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference has never tried to fall asleep with a mosquito in the room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-todd-whitman/anyone-who-thinks-that-they-are-too-small-to-make-a-difference-has/) [Christine Todd Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-todd-whitman/) > [The irony here is this administration is spending more money on climate change research and development than any administration in all the rest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-todd-whitman/the-irony-here-is-this-administration-is-spending-more-money-on/) [Christine Todd Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-todd-whitman/) > [The climate has always changed - after all, we've had numerous ice ages without human influence - but human activity has undoubtedly exacerbated Earth's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-todd-whitman/the-climate-has-always-changed-after-all-we-ve-had-numerous-ice-ages/) [Christine Todd Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-todd-whitman/) > [Americans are finally realizing that once you lose land, you can't get it back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-todd-whitman/americans-are-finally-realizing-that-once-you-lose-land-you-can-t-get/) [Christine Todd Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-todd-whitman/) > [Regulations have certainly gone too far in a number of areas, but it's important to remember that regulations are meant to be protective, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-todd-whitman/regulations-have-certainly-gone-too-far-in-a-number-of-areas-but-it-s/) [Christine Todd Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-todd-whitman/) > [Trump is not the victim of the judicial system; he is or has been the defendant in 3,500 lawsuits - that's not the mark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-todd-whitman/trump-is-not-the-victim-of-the-judicial-system-he-is-or-has-been-the/) [Christine Todd Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-todd-whitman/) > [Republicans believe that problems are best solved at the level closest to the people and that the nation's strength comes from the diversity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-todd-whitman/republicans-believe-that-problems-are-best-solved-at-the-level/) [Christine Todd Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-todd-whitman/) > [For too many years, those eligible to vote in primary or general elections did not bother to do so. Those sensible centrists who do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-todd-whitman/for-too-many-years-those-eligible-to-vote-in-primary-or-general/) [Christine Todd Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-todd-whitman/) > [The conventional wisdom in an election year is that nothing will get done until after the election.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-todd-whitman/the-conventional-wisdom-in-an-election-year-is-that-nothing-will-get/) [Christine Todd Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-todd-whitman/) > [I don't believe the government should determine what a woman does in this area any more than it should tell a chief executive how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-todd-whitman/i-don-t-believe-the-government-should-determine-what-a-woman-does-in/) [Christine Todd Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-todd-whitman/) > [We need elected officials who care more about policy than politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-todd-whitman/we-need-elected-officials-who-care-more-about-policy-than-politics/) [Christine Todd Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-todd-whitman/) > [Beyond combating global warming and supporting domestic business interests, remaining a part of the Paris Agreement has clear benefits to the U.S. at large.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-todd-whitman/beyond-combating-global-warming-and-supporting-domestic-business/) [Christine Todd Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-todd-whitman/) [Explore all 36 Christine Todd Whitman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-todd-whitman/) ## More Action quotes > [I always say there are two things to be successful. 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If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [Every thought I have imprisioned in expression I must free by my deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/every-thought-i-have-imprisioned-in-expression-i-must-free-by-my-deeds/) [Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/) > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behaviour. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-you-begin-changing-your-thinking-start-immediately-to-change-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. 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