--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What Mr. Friedman is suggesting is that…" description: "\"“What Mr. Friedman is suggesting is that if we don't drain the swamp where the rats are breeding, it won't really matter how many of these rats we kill..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcf/dick-couch-40483_drain-swamp_what-mr-friedman-is-suggesting-is-that-i_200521.jpg" --- # What Mr. Friedman is suggesting is that if we don't drain… ![“What Mr. Friedman is suggesting is that if we don't drain the swamp where the rats are breeding, it won't really matter how many of these rats we kill; they will continue to leave the swamp and migrate to our cities in numbers that are legion.” quote by Dick Couch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcf/dick-couch-40483_drain-swamp_what-mr-friedman-is-suggesting-is-that-i_200521.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcf/dick-couch-40483_drain-swamp_what-mr-friedman-is-suggesting-is-that-i_200521.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcf/dick-couch-40483_drain-swamp_what-mr-friedman-is-suggesting-is-that-i_200521.jpg) > ““What Mr. Friedman is suggesting is that if we don't drain the swamp where the rats are breeding, it won't really matter how many of these rats we kill; they will continue to leave the swamp and migrate to our cities in numbers that are legion.”” [Dick Couch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-couch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. If we don't address the root cause of a problem, treating symptoms won't stop it from spreading. **In simple terms:** Treating symptoms without fixing cause leads to ongoing issues. Key Takeaway Fix the source, not just the symptoms. Themes politics policy environment health systems Mood concerned urgent reflective Type analytical critical.advisory When to use this quote - urban planning - public health - environmental cleanup - policy reform - community outreach Key Concepts root cause analysis systemic risk migration population dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What underlying issues are being ignored? - How can we target the root cause effectively? A Different Perspective Addressing symptoms alone can be costly and ineffective. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [You can't drain the swamp, as President Trump has touted doing, without getting rid of Mitch McConnell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-mcgrath/you-can-t-drain-the-swamp-as-president-trump-has-touted-doing-without/) [Amy McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-mcgrath/) > [Trump is going to drain the swamp; he's going to get back control of America's borders, and if the establishment try and stand in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milo-yiannopoulos/trump-is-going-to-drain-the-swamp-he-s-going-to-get-back-control-of/) [Milo Yiannopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milo-yiannopoulos/) > [Trump assumed office promising to 'drain the swamp' in Washington, D.C. 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You cannot point that weapon at one of your brothers-or yourself. Know where you barrel is at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-couch/muzzle-control-has-to-be-a-religion-you-cannot-point-that-weapon-at/) [Dick Couch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-couch/) > [If you don't know or didn't understand, ASK! It's your responsibility to find out. Research; demonstrate an unquenchable desire to know everything about your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-couch/if-you-don-t-know-or-didn-t-understand-ask-it-s-your-responsibility/) [Dick Couch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-couch/) > [We have to work extra hard, because we in America are very ethnocentric--we think our culture is superior. Why's that? It's because we've got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-couch/we-have-to-work-extra-hard-because-we-in-america-are-very/) [Dick Couch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-couch/) > [It's easy to be disciplined when you have no freedoms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-couch/it-s-easy-to-be-disciplined-when-you-have-no-freedoms/) [Dick Couch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-couch/) > [“Patriotism is the primary moral armor of our ground combatants.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-couch/patriotism-is-the-primary-moral-armor-of-our-ground-combatants/) [Dick Couch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-couch/) > [“Out of every one-hundred men, ten shouldn’t even be there, eighty are just targets, nine are the real fighters, and we are lucky to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-couch/out-of-every-one-hundred-men-ten-shouldn-t-even-be-there-eighty-are/) [Dick Couch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-couch/) > [You may need help or information from some nongovernmental organization, and the local person heading that NGO may be some West Coast, liberal-educated, no-leg-shaving,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-couch/you-may-need-help-or-information-from-some-nongovernmental/) [Dick Couch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-couch/) > [Real bullets are for keeps, and concealment is not necessarily good cover.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-couch/real-bullets-are-for-keeps-and-concealment-is-not-necessarily-good/) [Dick Couch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-couch/) > [“Interestingly, when they are on our side, we usually refer to them as guerrillas or partisans or freedom fighters. When they, the men in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-couch/interestingly-when-they-are-on-our-side-we-usually-refer-to-them-as/) [Dick Couch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-couch/) > [“We are an impatient culture and an impatient electorate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-couch/we-are-an-impatient-culture-and-an-impatient-electorate/) [Dick Couch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-couch/) [Explore all 11 Dick Couch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-couch/) ## More Drain Swamp quotes > [You can't drain the swamp, as President Trump has touted doing, without getting rid of Mitch McConnell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-mcgrath/you-can-t-drain-the-swamp-as-president-trump-has-touted-doing-without/) [Amy McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-mcgrath/) > [Trump is going to drain the swamp; he's going to get back control of America's borders, and if the establishment try and stand in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milo-yiannopoulos/trump-is-going-to-drain-the-swamp-he-s-going-to-get-back-control-of/) [Milo Yiannopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milo-yiannopoulos/) > [Trump assumed office promising to 'drain the swamp' in Washington, D.C. Instead, the swamp has grown wider and deeper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stiglitz/trump-assumed-office-promising-to-drain-the-swamp-in-washington-d-c/) [Joseph Stiglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stiglitz/) > [We will build a great wall. 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