--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think it's absolutely clear that the…" description: "\"I think it's absolutely clear that the fiscal path we are on is not sustainable, and for me, the best analogy is these deficits are like a cancer, and ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ea/erskine-bowles-35072_analogies_i-think-it-s-absolutely-clear-that-the-f_940670.png" --- # I think it's absolutely clear that the fiscal path we are… ![“I think it's absolutely clear that the fiscal path we are on is not sustainable, and for me, the best analogy is these deficits are like a cancer, and over time they will destroy the country from within.” quote by Erskine Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ea/erskine-bowles-35072_analogies_i-think-it-s-absolutely-clear-that-the-f_940670.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ea/erskine-bowles-35072_analogies_i-think-it-s-absolutely-clear-that-the-f_940670.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ea/erskine-bowles-35072_analogies_i-think-it-s-absolutely-clear-that-the-f_940670.png) > “I think it's absolutely clear that the fiscal path we are on is not sustainable, and for me, the best analogy is these deficits are like a cancer, and over time they will destroy the country from within.” [Erskine Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erskine-bowles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fiscal deficits act like a disease, eroding national stability over time if left unchecked. **In simple terms:** Deficits harm the country like a disease. Key Takeaway Address deficits early to protect the nation. Themes economics public policy national security responsibility Mood serious urgent Type political economic When to use this quote - government budgeting - tax policy - public debt management - economic planning Key Concepts fiscal sustainability budgetary health Questions to Reflect On - What are the long‑term costs of ignoring deficits? - How can societies balance short‑term needs with fiscal health? A Different Perspective Political opposition may resist deficit reduction measures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Analogies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/analogies/) [Cancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cancer/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Path](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/path/) [Taxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taxes/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Deficits are like putting dynamite in the hands of children. They can get out of control very quickly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/deficits-are-like-putting-dynamite-in-the-hands-of-children-they-can/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [I believe, as a matter of principle, that the debt is a problem that must be addressed sooner rather than later. I also know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-mulvaney/i-believe-as-a-matter-of-principle-that-the-debt-is-a-problem-that/) [Mick Mulvaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-mulvaney/) > [But if they want to really think about the fiscal future of this country, then think about how we have moved from hundreds of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaka-fattah/but-if-they-want-to-really-think-about-the-fiscal-future-of-this/) [Chaka Fattah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaka-fattah/) > [The tea party movement and its passion arose in response to trillion dollar deficits as far as the eye can see and out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-fleischer/the-tea-party-movement-and-its-passion-arose-in-response-to-trillion/) [Ari Fleischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-fleischer/) > [We cannot win the future, expand the economy and spur job creation if we are saddled with increasingly growing deficits. That is why the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-cannot-win-the-future-expand-the-economy-and-spur-job-creation-if/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Under President Obama, we have spent more money - he has spent more money than any other president in this history, actually, the combined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/under-president-obama-we-have-spent-more-money-he-has-spent-more/) [Cathy McMorris Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/) > [The truth of the matter is that countries the world over have deficits. Let us remember this about Scotland's deficit: it was not created…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-sturgeon/the-truth-of-the-matter-is-that-countries-the-world-over-have/) [Nicola Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-sturgeon/) > [Yes, deficits are a problem. I've been saying so for more than a quarter of a century now. But the problem is not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/yes-deficits-are-a-problem-i-ve-been-saying-so-for-more-than-a/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [We must create wealth and we must cut our deficits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manuel-valls/we-must-create-wealth-and-we-must-cut-our-deficits/) [Manuel Valls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manuel-valls/) > [To avoid large and unsustainable budget deficits, the nation will ultimately have to choose among higher taxes, modifications to entitlement programs such as Social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bernanke/to-avoid-large-and-unsustainable-budget-deficits-the-nation-will/) [Ben Bernanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bernanke/) > [Deficits. Most people of knowledge say it's the biggest single problem facing the economic free world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hartman/deficits-most-people-of-knowledge-say-it-s-the-biggest-single-problem/) David Hartman > [It seems to me there are good deficits and bad deficits. Now, we have a deficit that comes from the militarization of our society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-seems-to-me-there-are-good-deficits-and-bad-deficits-now-we-have-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [At the outset of the creation of the euro in 1999, it was expected that the southern eurozone economies would behave like those in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/at-the-outset-of-the-creation-of-the-euro-in-1999-it-was-expected/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [When we run these big trade deficits and send our jobs offshore, we hold our wages down and our income down. That feeds right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-navarro/when-we-run-these-big-trade-deficits-and-send-our-jobs-offshore-we/) [Peter Navarro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-navarro/) > [What works for Germany can't work for the rest of Europe: No country can run a chronic surplus without others running deficits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/what-works-for-germany-can-t-work-for-the-rest-of-europe-no-country/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) ## More by Erskine Bowles > [Leadership is the key to 99 percent of all successful efforts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erskine-bowles/leadership-is-the-key-to-99-percent-of-all-successful-efforts/) [Erskine Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erskine-bowles/) > [I believe in working in a bipartisan manner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erskine-bowles/i-believe-in-working-in-a-bipartisan-manner/) [Erskine Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erskine-bowles/) > [And I believe in having an administration that has clearly defined goals, objectives and time lines such that it and its people can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erskine-bowles/and-i-believe-in-having-an-administration-that-has-clearly-defined/) [Erskine Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erskine-bowles/) > [The American people know that every day 3,000 kids begin to smoke, 1,000 of them die an early death. They're not going to allow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erskine-bowles/the-american-people-know-that-every-day-3-000-kids-begin-to-smoke-1/) [Erskine Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erskine-bowles/) > [We live in a time today where we face fierce global competition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erskine-bowles/we-live-in-a-time-today-where-we-face-fierce-global-competition/) [Erskine Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erskine-bowles/) > [Romney said that his tax reform proposal is 'very similar to the Simpson-Bowles plan.' How I wish it were.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erskine-bowles/romney-said-that-his-tax-reform-proposal-is-very-similar-to-the/) [Erskine Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erskine-bowles/) > [You always have certain strengths and certain weaknesses, and you want to compensate for your weaknesses... I have a real duty to earn the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erskine-bowles/you-always-have-certain-strengths-and-certain-weaknesses-and-you-want/) [Erskine Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erskine-bowles/) > [It will be about which candidate, which of the two candidates remaining, is best suited to make a positive difference in the lives of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erskine-bowles/it-will-be-about-which-candidate-which-of-the-two-candidates/) [Erskine Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erskine-bowles/) > [I think that if we don't get these politicians to come together we face the most predictable economic crisis in history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erskine-bowles/i-think-that-if-we-don-t-get-these-politicians-to-come-together-we/) [Erskine Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erskine-bowles/) > [I always thought that I was okay with arithmetic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erskine-bowles/i-always-thought-that-i-was-okay-with-arithmetic/) [Erskine Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erskine-bowles/) > [I believe in cooperating for the common good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erskine-bowles/i-believe-in-cooperating-for-the-common-good/) [Erskine Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erskine-bowles/) > [The US Debt is the single biggest threat I see to innovation in American business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erskine-bowles/the-us-debt-is-the-single-biggest-threat-i-see-to-innovation-in/) [Erskine Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erskine-bowles/) [Explore all 13 Erskine Bowles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erskine-bowles/) ## More Analogies quotes > [I always use the analogy that when you go to a jeans store and put on a new pair of jeans, it's a pair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bana/i-always-use-the-analogy-that-when-you-go-to-a-jeans-store-and-put-on/) [Eric Bana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bana/) > [ Kanye \[West\] just says the funniest analogies that are so random. I should start keeping a book - in 20 years, I'll have a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-kardashian/kanye-west-just-says-the-funniest-analogies-that-are-so-random-i/) [Kim Kardashian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-kardashian/) > [Historical analogy is the last refuge of people who can't grasp the current situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/historical-analogy-is-the-last-refuge-of-people-who-can-t-grasp-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Calvin: Today for show and tell, I've brought a tiny miracle of nature: a single snowflake! I think we might all learn a lesson…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/calvin-today-for-show-and-tell-i-ve-brought-a-tiny-miracle-of-nature/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [For some people, getting pregnant is as easy as catching cold." And there certainly was an analogy there: Colds and babies were both caused…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/for-some-people-getting-pregnant-is-as-easy-as-catching-cold-and/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [That is why the analogy of stealing does not work. With a thief, we want to know how much money he or she stole,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lukas-foss/that-is-why-the-analogy-of-stealing-does-not-work-with-a-thief-we/) [Lukas Foss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lukas-foss/) > [The nude does not simply represent the body, but relates it, by analogy, to all structures that have become part of our imaginative experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/the-nude-does-not-simply-represent-the-body-but-relates-it-by-analogy/) [Kenneth Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/) > [His lessons were chock-full of analogies for a variety of musical situations. Those little things were my favorites. 'No . . . that's too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manny-laureano/his-lessons-were-chock-full-of-analogies-for-a-variety-of-musical/) Manny Laureano > [E-books are impervious to analogy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/e-books-are-impervious-to-analogy/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [Imagination runs out. But it makes sense, right? We probably just imagine things based on what we already know, and we run out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/imagination-runs-out-but-it-makes-sense-right-we-probably-just/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [Apt analogies are among the most formidable weapons of the rhetorician.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/apt-analogies-are-among-the-most-formidable-weapons-of-the-rhetorician/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [In my photographic work I'm generally attracted to places that contain memories, history, atmospheres and stories. I'm interested in the places where people have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kenna/in-my-photographic-work-i-m-generally-attracted-to-places-that/) [Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) > [There is then no analogy whatever between the operations of the Chess-Player, and those of the calculating machine of Mr. Babbage , and if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/there-is-then-no-analogy-whatever-between-the-operations-of-the-chess/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [The real achievement in discoveries... is seeing an analogy where no one saw one before... The essence of discovery is that unlikely marriage of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-real-achievement-in-discoveries-is-seeing-an-analogy-where-no-one/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [The expressive techniques of painting are capable of conveying an analogy but not an impossible photograph of a moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edouard-vuillard/the-expressive-techniques-of-painting-are-capable-of-conveying-an/) [Edouard Vuillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edouard-vuillard/) [Browse all 311 Analogies quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/analogies/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think it's absolutely clear that the fiscal path we are on is not sustainable, and for me, the best analogy is these deficits are like a cancer, and over time they will destroy the country from within.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Erskine Bowles" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erskine-bowles/i-think-it-s-absolutely-clear-that-the-fiscal-path-we-are-on-is-not/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Analogies" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erskine-bowles/i-think-it-s-absolutely-clear-that-the-fiscal-path-we-are-on-is-not/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ea/erskine-bowles-35072_analogies_i-think-it-s-absolutely-clear-that-the-f_940670.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ea/erskine-bowles-35072_analogies_i-think-it-s-absolutely-clear-that-the-f_940670.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ea/erskine-bowles-35072_analogies_i-think-it-s-absolutely-clear-that-the-f_940670.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think it's absolutely clear that the fiscal path we are on is not sustainable, and for me, the best…” — Erskine Bowles", "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": "Erskine Bowles", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erskine-bowles/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think it's absolutely clear that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erskine-bowles/i-think-it-s-absolutely-clear-that-the-fiscal-path-we-are-on-is-not/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erskine-bowles/i-think-it-s-absolutely-clear-that-the-fiscal-path-we-are-on-is-not/#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 } } ] } ```