--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Think tanks do have points of view, and…" description: "\"Think tanks do have points of view, and they are absolutely entitled to defend them.\" — David Frum" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b56/david-frum-3455_defend_think-tanks-do-have-points-of-view-and-t_2272174.jpg" --- # Think tanks do have points of view, and they are… ![“Think tanks do have points of view, and they are absolutely entitled to defend them.” quote by David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b56/david-frum-3455_defend_think-tanks-do-have-points-of-view-and-t_2272174.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b56/david-frum-3455_defend_think-tanks-do-have-points-of-view-and-t_2272174.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b56/david-frum-3455_defend_think-tanks-do-have-points-of-view-and-t_2272174.jpg) > “Think tanks do have points of view, and they are absolutely entitled to defend them.” [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Think tanks hold opinions and are justified in defending them. **In simple terms:** Think tanks have viewpoints they can defend. Key Takeaway Engage critically with think‑tank arguments. Themes policy research opinion defense intellectual discourse Mood analytical critical Type political philosophical When to use this quote - policy formulation - academic debate - media commentary - strategic planning Key Concepts public policy ideological bias Questions to Reflect On - What responsibilities do think tanks have to objectivity? - How can we assess the credibility of their arguments? A Different Perspective Defending a point may ignore opposing evidence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absolutely Entitled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absolutely-entitled-5269703/) [Defend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defend/) [Entitled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entitled/) [Entitled Defend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entitled-defend-5269702/) [Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion/) [Point of view](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/point-of-view/) [Tanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tanks/) [Tanks Points](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tanks-points-5269704/) [Think Tanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-tanks-258466/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Views](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/views/) ## Related quotes > [But the thought leaders on talk radio and Fox do more than shape opinion. Backed by their own wing of the book-publishing industry and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/but-the-thought-leaders-on-talk-radio-and-fox-do-more-than-shape/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [My understanding is that Exxon, in particular, did fund a variety of small think tanks to generate what amounts to propaganda against understanding of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-holdren/my-understanding-is-that-exxon-in-particular-did-fund-a-variety-of/) [John Holdren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-holdren/) > [There's been a 40-year effort on the far right to build up think tanks, academic programs, advocacy groups, to push a particular ideology. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/there-s-been-a-40-year-effort-on-the-far-right-to-build-up-think/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [Scratch the surface at conservative think tanks and universities that house free-market economists, and it's not hard to find proponents of a carbon tax.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-easton/scratch-the-surface-at-conservative-think-tanks-and-universities-that/) [Nina Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-easton/) > [Think tanks are chiefly supposed to provide independent expertise to policymakers. But they also seek to be politically relevant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bari-weiss/think-tanks-are-chiefly-supposed-to-provide-independent-expertise-to/) [Bari Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bari-weiss/) > [Washington, D.C. is full of think tanks, theoreticians and advocacy groups. 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But there is an emerging intellectual set coming out of Washington think tanks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/i-think-the-universities-have-co-opted-the-intellectual-by-and-large/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [There are people who appear on television who are paid for by shadowy think tanks whose financing they won't come clean about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-esler/there-are-people-who-appear-on-television-who-are-paid-for-by-shadowy/) [Gavin Esler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-esler/) ## More by David Frum > [While there is an attempt by the Trump people to say that California isn't really America. California certainly seems like America to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/while-there-is-an-attempt-by-the-trump-people-to-say-that-california/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [I always believed as a speechwriter that if you could persuade the president to commit himself to certain words, he would feel himself committed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/i-always-believed-as-a-speechwriter-that-if-you-could-persuade-the/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [One of the things we're all going to have to discover, establishment is just an abusive term for institutions. 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That tomorrow we'll do the same for you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/the-system-we-have-is-one-that-protects-my-rights-under-a-president-i/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [ \[democrats\] hated Richard Nixon, and no wonder. It was Nixon who sent Alger Hiss to jail, and Nixon who waged the Vietnam War after… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/democrats-hated-richard-nixon-and-no-wonder-it-was-nixon-who-sent/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [Crown Prince Rupprecht, the heir to the throne of Bavaria who commanded the army group facing the British at the Somme, was the senior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/crown-prince-rupprecht-the-heir-to-the-throne-of-bavaria-who/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [Partly because of the desperate economic situation in the country, what were once the leading institutions of conservatism are constrained.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/partly-because-of-the-desperate-economic-situation-in-the-country/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [ \[In politics,\] when there is no reason to speak, there is a reason not to speak. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/in-politics-when-there-is-no-reason-to-speak-there-is-a-reason-not-to/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [Look, the media are trapped by changes in the technology and business of their industry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/look-the-media-are-trapped-by-changes-in-the-technology-and-business/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) [Explore all 130 David Frum quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) ## More Defend quotes > [My first Olympics memory was watching Haile Gebrselassie in Sydney 2000. 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It's the one weapon I have to defend myself against destiny when it elects to strike without pity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-pirlo/swearing-s-my-release-it-s-the-one-weapon-i-have-to-defend-myself/) [Andrea Pirlo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-pirlo/) > [Having kids is the deal-breaker on shyness! Once you have a baby, you learn to speak up loud and clear to protect them, defend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-foster/having-kids-is-the-deal-breaker-on-shyness-once-you-have-a-baby-you/) [Lori Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lori-foster/) > [We will defend ourselves, and we have full rights to do so. 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From 1915 to 1917, 1.5 million Armenians, unable to defend themselves, were exterminated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-wurzelbacher/in-1911-turkey-established-gun-control-from-1915-to-1917-1-5-million/) [Joe Wurzelbacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-wurzelbacher/) > [“There are always those who take it upon themselves to defend God, as if Ultimate Reality, as if the sustaining frame of existence were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/there-are-always-those-who-take-it-upon-themselves-to-defend-god-as/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“defend women’s right to be wrong, at least occasionally.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/defend-women-s-right-to-be-wrong-at-least-occasionally/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [There are a lot of things you can practise to unsettle teams that defend deep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/didier-deschamps/there-are-a-lot-of-things-you-can-practise-to-unsettle-teams-that/) [Didier Deschamps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/didier-deschamps/) > [The more you defend a lie, the angrier you become.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/the-more-you-defend-a-lie-the-angrier-you-become/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [I'm very willing to defend creative things that I believe in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-schneider/i-m-very-willing-to-defend-creative-things-that-i-believe-in/) [Dan Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-schneider/) > [Sometimes it is difficult to play against teams who just drop back and try to defend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadio-mane/sometimes-it-is-difficult-to-play-against-teams-who-just-drop-back/) [Sadio Mane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadio-mane/) [Browse all 993 Defend quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defend/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Think tanks do have points of view, and they are absolutely entitled to defend them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Frum" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/think-tanks-do-have-points-of-view-and-they-are-absolutely-entitled/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Defend" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/think-tanks-do-have-points-of-view-and-they-are-absolutely-entitled/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b56/david-frum-3455_defend_think-tanks-do-have-points-of-view-and-t_2272174.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b56/david-frum-3455_defend_think-tanks-do-have-points-of-view-and-t_2272174.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b56/david-frum-3455_defend_think-tanks-do-have-points-of-view-and-t_2272174.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Think tanks do have points of view, and they are absolutely entitled to defend them.” — David Frum", "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": "David Frum", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Think tanks do have points of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/think-tanks-do-have-points-of-view-and-they-are-absolutely-entitled/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/think-tanks-do-have-points-of-view-and-they-are-absolutely-entitled/#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 } } ] } ```