--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What a nightmare it would be if we…" description: "\"What a nightmare it would be if we individually had to criminalise every single abuse of every single commodity, market or financial product. There are..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa6/emily-thornberry-6730_abuse_what-a-nightmare-it-would-be-if-we-indiv_813314.jpg" --- # What a nightmare it would be if we individually had to… ![“What a nightmare it would be if we individually had to criminalise every single abuse of every single commodity, market or financial product. There are thousands of these and new ones being invented every day. Such an approach would have disastrous implications for regulation and policy-making…” quote by Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa6/emily-thornberry-6730_abuse_what-a-nightmare-it-would-be-if-we-indiv_813314.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa6/emily-thornberry-6730_abuse_what-a-nightmare-it-would-be-if-we-indiv_813314.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa6/emily-thornberry-6730_abuse_what-a-nightmare-it-would-be-if-we-indiv_813314.jpg) > “What a nightmare it would be if we individually had to criminalise every single abuse of every single commodity, market or financial product. There are thousands of these and new ones being invented every day. Such an approach would have disastrous implications for regulation and policy-making. Any slide towards it must be resisted.” [Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Attempting to criminalise every abuse of each commodity or market would create an unmanageable legal system and cripple effective regulation. **In simple terms:** Over‑criminalising harms regulation. Key Takeaway Avoid blanket criminalisation; focus on targeted rules. Themes regulation policy law economics risk management Mood concerned serious cautious Type policy legal analytical When to use this quote - financial oversight - consumer protection - anti‑corruption enforcement Key Concepts legal complexity regulatory burden market dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance strict oversight with practical enforceability? - What criteria should determine when an abuse warrants criminal law? A Different Perspective Such broad criminalisation could stifle innovation and create enforcement chaos. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abuse/) [Criminalise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminalise-285962/) [Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day/) [Every day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-day/) [Implications Regulation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/implications-regulation-285964/) [Individually Criminalise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individually-criminalise-285961/) [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [New](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new/) [Regulation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regulation/) [Single Commodity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/single-commodity-285963/) ## Related quotes > [They will not criminalise us, rob us of our true identity, steal our individualism, depoliticise us, churn us out as systemised, institutionalised, decent law-abiding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-sands/they-will-not-criminalise-us-rob-us-of-our-true-identity-steal-our/) [Bobby Sands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-sands/) > [The police or any higher authority should never try and criminalise people for their sexuality. 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Never play favorites. Make them feel that justice tempered with mercy may always be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-a-lejeune/be-kindly-and-just-in-your-dealings-with-your-men-never-play/) [John A. Lejeune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-a-lejeune/) > [The trouble with government regulation of the market is that it prohibits capitalistic acts between consenting adults.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-nozick/the-trouble-with-government-regulation-of-the-market-is-that-it/) [Robert Nozick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-nozick/) > [Regulations grow at the same rate as weeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/regulations-grow-at-the-same-rate-as-weeds/) [Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/) > [Obamacare imposed an unprecedented level of regulation and standardization on individual-market health insurance all across America. 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While legitimate users of firearms encounter intense regulation, scrutiny and bureaucratic control, illicit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-d-polsby/gun-control-laws-don-t-work-what-is-worse-they-act-perversely-while/) [Daniel D. Polsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-d-polsby/) > [Fraud will always exist. Enforcement of anti-fraud laws is a useful deterrent, but in the end there's no substitute for investor vigilance. Government regulations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/fraud-will-always-exist-enforcement-of-anti-fraud-laws-is-a-useful/) [John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/) > [Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/throughout-human-history-as-our-species-has-faced-the-frightening/) [Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/) ## More by Emily Thornberry > [The notion of women being written out of history is as old as the Bible, but it always seems more galling when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/the-notion-of-women-being-written-out-of-history-is-as-old-as-the/) [Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/) > [The Human Rights Act is not a terrorists' charter. It enables ordinary citizens to seek redress when the government breaches fundamental freedoms enshrined in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/the-human-rights-act-is-not-a-terrorists-charter-it-enables-ordinary/) [Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/) > [The Fraud Act 2006 makes it perfectly clear that Libor rigging is prosecutable as a criminal offence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/the-fraud-act-2006-makes-it-perfectly-clear-that-libor-rigging-is/) [Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/) > [Given that GPs are essentially a private part of our health care system, providing services independently of the rest of the health service, NHS…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/given-that-gps-are-essentially-a-private-part-of-our-health-care/) [Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/) > [It's often been said that politics in Islington, in many ways, begins and ends with housing, and it's not hard to see why. 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This is one nation and there is one criminal law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/the-financial-elite-do-not-need-special-laws-for-themselves-this-is/) [Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/) > [When one party is really unpopular, like the Conservatives in 1997, AV can really skew the result disproportionately against them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/when-one-party-is-really-unpopular-like-the-conservatives-in-1997-av/) [Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/) > [All the evidence shows that establishing the habit of voting as early as possible is a vital tool in making sure that it's maintained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/all-the-evidence-shows-that-establishing-the-habit-of-voting-as-early/) [Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/) > [There was a time when a certain type of Tory could have been relied on to swing from the chandeliers in defence of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/there-was-a-time-when-a-certain-type-of-tory-could-have-been-relied/) [Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/) > [We need to build on our diplomatic networks, and the unrivalled expertise of our Foreign Office, to project a positive image for Britain as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/we-need-to-build-on-our-diplomatic-networks-and-the-unrivalled/) [Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/) > [Carving out our own role, distinct from America's, might not be easy. But we must ask ourselves: what alternative is there? Unthinking, uncritical loyalty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/carving-out-our-own-role-distinct-from-america-s-might-not-be-easy/) [Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/) > [Why the Tories are happy to subsidise home ownership for middle class graduates and affluent social tenants, but not for widows on low incomes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/why-the-tories-are-happy-to-subsidise-home-ownership-for-middle-class/) [Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/) [Explore all 98 Emily Thornberry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/) ## More Abuse quotes > [I wrote when I was a young teen, but I didn't put an eye on the available markets until I was seventeen. The next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-wrote-when-i-was-a-young-teen-but-i-didn-t-put-an-eye-on-the/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [Being nice is okay,but don't allow anybody to abuse it...try to fight for your self when you know your on the right way...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-nice-is-okay-but-don-t-allow-anybody-to-abuse-it-try-to-fight/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Build a bridge over shame by teaching kids about sexual abuse. Give them a chance to run to us should they encounter it. Be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-byers-ruch/build-a-bridge-over-shame-by-teaching-kids-about-sexual-abuse-give/) [Carolyn Byers Ruch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-byers-ruch/) > [It is sure that those are most desirous of honour or glory who cry out loudest of its abuse and the vanity of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baruch-spinoza/it-is-sure-that-those-are-most-desirous-of-honour-or-glory-who-cry/) [Baruch Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baruch-spinoza/) > [“The sole reason I stand to open it up now is that lots of people who are in pain just like I was, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-dsouza/the-sole-reason-i-stand-to-open-it-up-now-is-that-lots-of-people-who/) [Patricia Dsouza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-dsouza/) > [Democracy must be built through open societies that share information. When there is information, there is enlightenment. When there is debate, there are solutions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atifete-jahjaga/democracy-must-be-built-through-open-societies-that-share-information/) [Atifete Jahjaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atifete-jahjaga/) > [I have a theory that all abuse, no matter what kind of abuse it is, is foremost an assault on the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-westover/i-have-a-theory-that-all-abuse-no-matter-what-kind-of-abuse-it-is-is/) [Tara Westover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-westover/) > [“Blaming therapy, social work and other caring professions for the confabulation of testimony of 'satanic ritual abuse' legitimated a programme of political and social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/blaming-therapy-social-work-and-other-caring-professions-for-the/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [Finally, the scariest thing about abuse of any shape or form, is, in my opinion, not the abuse itself, but that if it continues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cumming/finally-the-scariest-thing-about-abuse-of-any-shape-or-form-is-in-my/) [Alan Cumming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cumming/) > [“Research on organised abuse emphasises the diversity of organised abuse cases, and the ways in which serious forms of child maltreatment cluster in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/research-on-organised-abuse-emphasises-the-diversity-of-organised/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [“Stand up for yourself. 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They will mirror your actions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hadinet-tekie/words-are-free-it-does-not-mean-you-should-abuse-them-be-kind-with/) [Hadinet Tekie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hadinet-tekie/) > [My illness is one often characterized by dramatic overspending - in my case through frenzied shopping sprees, credit card abuse, excessive hoarding of unnecessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/my-illness-is-one-often-characterized-by-dramatic-overspending-in-my/) [Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/) [Browse all 3,113 Abuse quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abuse/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What a nightmare it would be if we individually had to criminalise every single abuse of every single commodity, market or financial product. There are thousands of these and new ones being invented every day. 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