--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Conservatives want to be your daddy…" description: "\"Conservatives want to be your daddy, telling you what to do and what not to do. Liberals want to be your mommy, feeding you, tucking you in, and wiping..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b0/david-boaz-23767_adults_conservatives-want-to-be-your-daddy-tell_1474395.png" --- # Conservatives want to be your daddy, telling you what to… ![“Conservatives want to be your daddy, telling you what to do and what not to do. Liberals want to be your mommy, feeding you, tucking you in, and wiping your nose. Libertarians want to treat you as an adult.” quote by David Boaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b0/david-boaz-23767_adults_conservatives-want-to-be-your-daddy-tell_1474395.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b0/david-boaz-23767_adults_conservatives-want-to-be-your-daddy-tell_1474395.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b0/david-boaz-23767_adults_conservatives-want-to-be-your-daddy-tell_1474395.png) > “Conservatives want to be your daddy, telling you what to do and what not to do. Liberals want to be your mommy, feeding you, tucking you in, and wiping your nose. Libertarians want to treat you as an adult.” [David Boaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-boaz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Conservatives paternalize, Liberals coddle, Libertarians respect adult autonomy. **In simple terms:** Different political ideologies view personal freedom differently. Key Takeaway Recognize and choose the approach that respects your autonomy. Themes politics freedom individualism Mood critical reflective Type analytical commentary When to use this quote - voting decisions - personal relationships - workplace policies - education choices - community activism Key Concepts paternalism libertarianism authoritarianism Questions to Reflect On - Which political stance best aligns with your values? - How can you balance guidance with autonomy? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex political philosophies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adults/) [Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/) [Liberals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberals/) [Libertarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/libertarian/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) ## Related quotes > [Liberals want the government to be your Mommy. Conservatives want government to be your Daddy. Libertarians want it to treat you like an adult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-simpson/liberals-want-the-government-to-be-your-mommy-conservatives-want/) Brandon Simpson > [Liberals want Conservatives to shut up. Conservatives want Liberals to keep talking. Because our arguments make sense and theirs don't](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-whittle/liberals-want-conservatives-to-shut-up-conservatives-want-liberals-to/) [Bill Whittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-whittle/) > [Conservatives want to make the poor rich, while liberals want to make the rich poor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-w-smith/conservatives-want-to-make-the-poor-rich-while-liberals-want-to-make/) Mark W. Smith > [This is the difference between conservatives and liberals. Liberals want justices to vote a certain way. We, conservatives, want a particular legal philosophy, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/this-is-the-difference-between-conservatives-and-liberals-liberals/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [It is a dichotomous time where the younger generation is perceived as free. But smoking pot is not being free. Taking drugs is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shahrukh-khan/it-is-a-dichotomous-time-where-the-younger-generation-is-perceived-as/) [Shahrukh Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shahrukh-khan/) > [ And if I may, call your mom, everybody. I've told this \[to\], like, a billion people, or so. Call your mom, call your dad.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-simmons/and-if-i-may-call-your-mom-everybody-i-ve-told-this-to-like-a-billion/) [J.K. Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-simmons/) > [If you think back to the first sporting event you went to, you don't remember the score, you don't remember a home run, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cuban/if-you-think-back-to-the-first-sporting-event-you-went-to-you-don-t/) [Mark Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cuban/) > [In a school where everyone is famous or rich or whatever, you have a culture, 'What does your dad do?' 'What does your mom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-nixon/in-a-school-where-everyone-is-famous-or-rich-or-whatever-you-have-a/) [Cynthia Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-nixon/) > [People who build family businesses are not classically trained. They have to deal with an enormous amount of politics. You think corporate politics are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-vaynerchuk/people-who-build-family-businesses-are-not-classically-trained-they/) [Gary Vaynerchuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-vaynerchuk/) > [I always wished my dad was there to intimidate my boyfriends or something. It's supposed to be your dad giving your guys friends the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iliza-shlesinger/i-always-wished-my-dad-was-there-to-intimidate-my-boyfriends-or/) [Iliza Shlesinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iliza-shlesinger/) > [His mom lived in Long Island for ten years or so. God rest her soul. And...although, she's...wait...your mom's still...your mom's still alive. Your dad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/his-mom-lived-in-long-island-for-ten-years-or-so-god-rest-her-soul/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [We all understand genetics. You get your eyes from your dad, your mom's nose, there's nothing you can do about that. But your spiritual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-gardner/we-all-understand-genetics-you-get-your-eyes-from-your-dad-your-mom-s/) [Chris Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-gardner/) > [That wasn't your mom in you—that was your dad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-carter/that-wasn-t-your-mom-in-you-that-was-your-dad/) [Ally Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-carter/) > [And that's when I realized that there's really two ways people cry. You cry when you're sorry for yourself, and then you cry when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fuyumi-ono/and-that-s-when-i-realized-that-there-s-really-two-ways-people-cry/) [Fuyumi Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fuyumi-ono/) > [I don't agree with the libertarians. I want my security first. I'll deal with all the details after that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-lott/i-don-t-agree-with-the-libertarians-i-want-my-security-first-i-ll/) [Trent Lott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-lott/) ## More by David Boaz > [“The fatal conceit of intellectuals, he said, is to think that smart people can design an economy or a society better than the apparently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-boaz/the-fatal-conceit-of-intellectuals-he-said-is-to-think-that-smart/) [David Boaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-boaz/) > [Most change in America doesn't come from, politicians. It comes from people inventing things and creating. The telephone, the telegraph, the computer, all those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-boaz/most-change-in-america-doesn-t-come-from-politicians-it-comes-from/) [David Boaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-boaz/) > [The real reason to abolish departments like Energy and Education is not to promote efficiency, nor even to save taxpayers’ money. It is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-boaz/the-real-reason-to-abolish-departments-like-energy-and-education-is/) [David Boaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-boaz/) > [Each person has the right to live his life in any way he chooses so long as he respects the equal rights of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-boaz/each-person-has-the-right-to-live-his-life-in-any-way-he-chooses-so/) [David Boaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-boaz/) > [“A Government is not free to do as it pleases…. The law of nature stands as an eternal rule to all men, legislators as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-boaz/a-government-is-not-free-to-do-as-it-pleases-the-law-of-nature-stands/) [David Boaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-boaz/) > [People in government are self-interested just like people in business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-boaz/people-in-government-are-self-interested-just-like-people-in-business/) [David Boaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-boaz/) > [“Those who claim to believe in liberal principals but advocate more and more confiscation of the wealth created by productive people, more and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-boaz/those-who-claim-to-believe-in-liberal-principals-but-advocate-more/) [David Boaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-boaz/) > [“Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Thus”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-boaz/power-tends-to-corrupt-and-absolute-power-corrupts-absolutely-thus/) [David Boaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-boaz/) > [The difference between libertarianism and socialism is that libertarians will tolerate the existence of a socialist community, but socialists can't tolerate a libertarian community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-boaz/the-difference-between-libertarianism-and-socialism-is-that/) [David Boaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-boaz/) > [Maybe that's because guns are sold at a profit, while schools are provided by the government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-boaz/maybe-that-s-because-guns-are-sold-at-a-profit-while-schools-are/) [David Boaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-boaz/) > [Taxes should be lower, flatter, and simpler, in that order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-boaz/taxes-should-be-lower-flatter-and-simpler-in-that-order/) [David Boaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-boaz/) > [Don't hit other people, don't take their stuff and keep your promises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-boaz/don-t-hit-other-people-don-t-take-their-stuff-and-keep-your-promises/) [David Boaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-boaz/) > [“Karl Popper once said that attempts to create heaven on earth invariably produce hell. Libertarianism holds out the goal not of a perfect society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-boaz/karl-popper-once-said-that-attempts-to-create-heaven-on-earth/) [David Boaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-boaz/) > [In 1776, 1950, or now, there's never been a golden age of liberty, and there never will be. People who value freedom will always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-boaz/in-1776-1950-or-now-there-s-never-been-a-golden-age-of-liberty-and/) [David Boaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-boaz/) > [Libertarians have always battled the age-old scourge of war. They understood that war brought death and destruction on a grand scale, disrupted family and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-boaz/libertarians-have-always-battled-the-age-old-scourge-of-war-they/) [David Boaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-boaz/) [Explore all 25 David Boaz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-boaz/) ## More Adults quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. 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I do believe that young adults go to college to learn things, and that this process will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/i-do-not-believe-in-public-shaming-i-do-believe-that-young-adults-go/) [Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/) > [The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance”: “The differences between expert performers and normal adults are not immutable, that is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-anders-ericsson/the-role-of-deliberate-practice-in-the-acquisition-of-expert/) K. 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As much as we like them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-abagnale/when-i-was-a-child-at-sixteen-i-was-just-a-child-all-sixteen-year/) [Frank Abagnale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-abagnale/) [Browse all 3,113 Adults quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adults/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Conservatives want to be your daddy, telling you what to do and what not to do. Liberals want to be your mommy, feeding you, tucking you in, and wiping your nose. 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