--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's almost no way of doing importing…" description: "\"There's almost no way of doing importing honestly, because if you do you're at such a disadvantage competitively. So people spend huge amounts of effor..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ea/esther-dyson-8125_amount_there-s-almost-no-way-of-doing-importing_321486.jpg" --- # There's almost no way of doing importing honestly, because… ![“There's almost no way of doing importing honestly, because if you do you're at such a disadvantage competitively. So people spend huge amounts of effort getting around stupid laws and not paying taxes.” quote by Esther Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ea/esther-dyson-8125_amount_there-s-almost-no-way-of-doing-importing_321486.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ea/esther-dyson-8125_amount_there-s-almost-no-way-of-doing-importing_321486.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ea/esther-dyson-8125_amount_there-s-almost-no-way-of-doing-importing_321486.jpg) > “There's almost no way of doing importing honestly, because if you do you're at such a disadvantage competitively. So people spend huge amounts of effort getting around stupid laws and not paying taxes.” [Esther Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-dyson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Unethical shortcuts create competitive imbalance and drive costly workarounds. **In simple terms:** Cheating harms everyone. Key Takeaway Avoid dishonest shortcuts. Themes ethics competition integrity Mood cautious critical Type reflective ethical When to use this quote - business strategy - tax planning - industry standards Key Concepts fairness regulation risk management Questions to Reflect On - Why do people rationalize cheating? - What incentives could promote ethical behavior? A Different Perspective Short‑term gains may lead to legal and reputational damage. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Paying taxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paying-taxes/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Taxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taxes/) ## Related quotes > [The essence of tyranny is the enforcement of stupid laws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/the-essence-of-tyranny-is-the-enforcement-of-stupid-laws/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [In the game of politics, both parties are sometimes guilty of passing really stupid laws that, in reality, are purely symbolic and have no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-tilson/in-the-game-of-politics-both-parties-are-sometimes-guilty-of-passing/) [Whitney Tilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-tilson/) > [Like wars, forest fires and bad marriages, really stupid laws are much easier to begin than they are to end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-taibbi/like-wars-forest-fires-and-bad-marriages-really-stupid-laws-are-much/) [Matt Taibbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-taibbi/) > [There is no intrinsic reason African countries should be importing, rather than exporting, basic staples like rice or higher value products like frozen chicken,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arancha-gonzalez/there-is-no-intrinsic-reason-african-countries-should-be-importing/) [Arancha Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arancha-gonzalez/) > [I worked in a bookstore in Oslo, importing the English-language books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/per-petterson/i-worked-in-a-bookstore-in-oslo-importing-the-english-language-books/) [Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-petterson/) > [I didn't think of myself as importing, I thought it was more interesting to write about things people didn't know about than what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/i-didn-t-think-of-myself-as-importing-i-thought-it-was-more/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [The U.S. is excellent at importing cheap products from the rest of the world. Let's try importing some human capital instead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/the-u-s-is-excellent-at-importing-cheap-products-from-the-rest-of-the/) [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) > [Most people I know have had problems paying their taxes. I am just like everybody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caputo/most-people-i-know-have-had-problems-paying-their-taxes-i-am-just/) [Michael Caputo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caputo/) > [ Look at what I am proposing, and we \[wih Bernie Sanders\] have a vigorous agreement here. 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If a Country is good enough to pay taxes to while you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/i-don-t-see-why-a-man-shouldn-t-pay-an-inheritance-tax-if-a-country/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [If I had the day off and knew everyone else was voting, I wouldn't miss it. It would become a routine part of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-grant/if-i-had-the-day-off-and-knew-everyone-else-was-voting-i-wouldn-t/) [Adam Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-grant/) > [I have no problem paying taxes. It doesn't bother me, because I want to live in a society that's happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-meaden/i-have-no-problem-paying-taxes-it-doesn-t-bother-me-because-i-want-to/) [Deborah Meaden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-meaden/) > [Two things suck about becoming an adult male - paying taxes and getting a finger in your butt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-code/two-things-suck-about-becoming-an-adult-male-paying-taxes-and-getting/) Guy Code ## More by Esther Dyson > [Since I became chairman, I've tried to turn EFF into civil liberties and responsibilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-dyson/since-i-became-chairman-i-ve-tried-to-turn-eff-into-civil-liberties/) [Esther Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-dyson/) > [Owning the intellectual property is like owning land: You need to keep investing in it again and again to get a payoff; you can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-dyson/owning-the-intellectual-property-is-like-owning-land-you-need-to-keep/) [Esther Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-dyson/) > [Don't leave hold of your common sense. Think about what you're doing and how the technology can enhance it. Don't think about technology first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-dyson/don-t-leave-hold-of-your-common-sense-think-about-what-you-re-doing/) [Esther Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-dyson/) > [People need to understand that the technology is for them. It's not to them. It's not over them. People still sometimes want to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-dyson/people-need-to-understand-that-the-technology-is-for-them-it-s-not-to/) [Esther Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-dyson/) > [The challenge of ensuring adequate, nutrient-rich food for an expanding global population is a daunting one, especially given constraints on key resources like water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-dyson/the-challenge-of-ensuring-adequate-nutrient-rich-food-for-an/) [Esther Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-dyson/) > [What I'm thinking about more and more these days is simply the importance of transparency, and Jefferson's saying that he'd rather have a free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-dyson/what-i-m-thinking-about-more-and-more-these-days-is-simply-the/) [Esther Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-dyson/) > [Anyone will tell you if you want to run a business, you need to monitor costs and revenues. 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What matters is what that amount represents in terms of your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/the-amount-you-give-isn-t-important-what-matters-is-what-that-amount/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [There's a place in Botswana where there are 100,000 elephants living in a single population. Think of the amount of space they need. Remember,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-bergin/there-s-a-place-in-botswana-where-there-are-100-000-elephants-living/) [Patrick Bergin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-bergin/) > [How could you justify giving Holland twice the amount of money that you gave Belgium? Well, finally, I put it up to them. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-averell-harriman/how-could-you-justify-giving-holland-twice-the-amount-of-money-that/) [W. Averell Harriman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-averell-harriman/) > [I am not a great believer in dialectical struggle. I am much more of a fusion person. I see it as a dialogue, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/i-am-not-a-great-believer-in-dialectical-struggle-i-am-much-more-of-a/) [Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/) > [The risk of developing carcinoma of the lung increases steadily as the amount smoked increases. If the risk among non-smokers is taken as unity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-doll/the-risk-of-developing-carcinoma-of-the-lung-increases-steadily-as/) Richard Doll > [Both fact and logic seem to me to support the view that savings invested in privately owned economic tools of production amount to an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-a-harper/both-fact-and-logic-seem-to-me-to-support-the-view-that-savings/) F. A. 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