--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have no doubt that she is sincerely…" description: "\"“I have no doubt that she is sincerely desirous of seeing all the evils of suffering humanity remedied, and that she thinks this might easily be done, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe1/frederic-bastiat-2151_suffering-humanity_i-have-no-doubt-that-she-is-sincerely-de_582391.jpg" --- # I have no doubt that she is sincerely desirous of seeing… ![“I have no doubt that she is sincerely desirous of seeing all the evils of suffering humanity remedied, and that she thinks this might easily be done, if Government would only undertake it. But, alas! that poor unfortunate personage, like Figaro, knows not to whom to listen, nor where to turn. The…” quote by Frédéric Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe1/frederic-bastiat-2151_suffering-humanity_i-have-no-doubt-that-she-is-sincerely-de_582391.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe1/frederic-bastiat-2151_suffering-humanity_i-have-no-doubt-that-she-is-sincerely-de_582391.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe1/frederic-bastiat-2151_suffering-humanity_i-have-no-doubt-that-she-is-sincerely-de_582391.jpg) > ““I have no doubt that she is sincerely desirous of seeing all the evils of suffering humanity remedied, and that she thinks this might easily be done, if Government would only undertake it. But, alas! that poor unfortunate personage, like Figaro, knows not to whom to listen, nor where to turn. The hundred thousand mouths of the press and of the platform cry out all at once:-- "Organize labour and workmen. "Do away with egotism. "Repress insolence and the tyranny of capital. "Make experiments upon manure and eggs. "Cover the country with railways. "Irrigate the plains. "Plant the hills. "Make model farms. "Found social workshops. "Colonize Algeria. "Suckle children. "Instruct the youth. "Assist the aged. "Send the inhabitants of towns into the country. "Equalize the profits of all trades. "Lend money without interest to all who wish to borrow." "Emancipate Italy, Poland, and Hungary." "Rear and perfect the saddle-horse." "Encourage the arts, and provide us with musicians and dancers." "Restrict commerce, and at the same time create a merchant navy." "Discover truth, and put a grain of reason into our heads. The mission of Government is to enlighten, to develop, to extend, to fortify, to spiritualize, and to sanctify the soul of the people." "Do have a little patience, gentlemen," says Government in a beseeching tone. "I will do what I can to satisfy you, but for this I must have resources. I have been preparing plans for five or six taxes, which are quite new, and not at all oppressive. You will see how willingly people will pay them." Then comes a great exclamation:--"No! indeed! where is the merit of doing a thing with resources? Why, it does not deserve the name of a Government! So far from loading us with fresh taxes, we would have you withdraw the old ones. You ought to suppress "The salt tax, "The tax on liquors, "The tax on letters, "Custom-house duties, "Patents." In”” [Frédéric Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage satirizes the endless list of reforms and projects proposed by governments, highlighting the paradox of demanding resources for idealistic plans while neglecting practical fiscal restraint. **In simple terms:** Governments propose many reforms but ignore the need for responsible funding. Key Takeaway Demand fiscal discipline before expanding programs. Themes government reform fiscal policy idealism parody Mood critical ironic skeptical Type political satirical philosophical When to use this quote - policy making - budget planning - public administration - tax reform - social welfare programs Key Concepts public finance political satire resource allocation Questions to Reflect On - How can governments prioritize essential services over grandiose projects? - What mechanisms ensure fiscal responsibility in policy design? A Different Perspective Too many reforms without funding lead to fiscal strain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [Ultimately, taxpayers deserve a government that leverages technology to serve them, rather than one that deploys unsecure, decades old technology, and keeps sensitive information…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-hurd/ultimately-taxpayers-deserve-a-government-that-leverages-technology/) [Will Hurd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-hurd/) > [There isn't a day I do not work at my job, or a waking moment when I do not think through a work-related problem.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-isn-t-a-day-i-do-not-work-at-my-job-or-a-waking-moment-when-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Americans feel frustrated, distanced, and disenfranchised from our elected government. We deserve more: a government in which we truly all have a voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-swalwell/americans-feel-frustrated-distanced-and-disenfranchised-from-our/) [Eric Swalwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-swalwell/) > [Our residents deserve a government that is dedicated to changing with new technology and makes transactions as easy as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-lamont/our-residents-deserve-a-government-that-is-dedicated-to-changing-with/) [Ned Lamont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-lamont/) > [The American people expect and deserve a government that works and leaders who work together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-frist/the-american-people-expect-and-deserve-a-government-that-works-and/) [Bill Frist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-frist/) > [Millions of Americans who work hard & play by the rules every day deserve a government and a financial system that does the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/millions-of-americans-who-work-hard-play-by-the-rules-every-day/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The Liberal Party has dealt with the spill motion and now this matter is behind us, we think that when you elect a government,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/the-liberal-party-has-dealt-with-the-spill-motion-and-now-this-matter/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [Taxpayers deserve a government that harnesses technology to better serve the people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-blunt/taxpayers-deserve-a-government-that-harnesses-technology-to-better/) [Matt Blunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-blunt/) > [The American people deserve their government to be open and accountable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-boustany/the-american-people-deserve-their-government-to-be-open-and/) [Charles Boustany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-boustany/) > [The citizens of New Hampshire expect and deserve a government as clean as our mountain streams and as open as our blue skies. Today…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lynch/the-citizens-of-new-hampshire-expect-and-deserve-a-government-as/) [John Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lynch/) > [We poets don't tend to be certain a lot. Much of our art is made out of our own uncertainty. And there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hamill/we-poets-don-t-tend-to-be-certain-a-lot-much-of-our-art-is-made-out/) [Sam Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hamill/) > [Blessed be the inventor of photography! I set him above even the inventor of chloroform! It has given more positive pleasure to poor suffering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-welsh-carlyle/blessed-be-the-inventor-of-photography-i-set-him-above-even-the/) [Jane Welsh Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-welsh-carlyle/) > [“Perhaps our suffering is part of our humanity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-l-barr/perhaps-our-suffering-is-part-of-our-humanity/) [Christina L. Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-l-barr/) > [I did not bow down to you, I bowed down to all the suffering of humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoevsky/i-did-not-bow-down-to-you-i-bowed-down-to-all-the-suffering-of/) [Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoevsky/) > [“I think a look at suffering humanity would lead to the realization that trauma is perhaps the greatest mission field of the twenty-first century.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-mandt-langberg/i-think-a-look-at-suffering-humanity-would-lead-to-the-realization/) Diane Mandt Langberg ## More by Frédéric Bastiat > [The politician attempts to remedy the evil by increasing the very thing that caused the evil in the first place: legal plunder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/the-politician-attempts-to-remedy-the-evil-by-increasing-the-very/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [The law is the collective organization of the individual's right to lawful defense of his life, liberty and property. When it is used for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/the-law-is-the-collective-organization-of-the-individual-s-right-to/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [If every person has the right to defend - even by force - his person, his liberty, and his property, then it follows that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/if-every-person-has-the-right-to-defend-even-by-force-his-person-his/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [Sometimes the law defends plunder and participates in it. Sometimes the law places the whole apparatus of judges, police, prisons and gendarmes at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/sometimes-the-law-defends-plunder-and-participates-in-it-sometimes/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [Slavery, protection, and monopoly find defenders, not only in those who profit by them, but in those who suffer by them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/slavery-protection-and-monopoly-find-defenders-not-only-in-those-who/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [Often the masses are plundered and do not know it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/often-the-masses-are-plundered-and-do-not-know-it/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [Here I encounter the most popular fallacy of our times. It is not considered sufficient that the law should guarantee to every citizen the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/here-i-encounter-the-most-popular-fallacy-of-our-times-it-is-not/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [The state is the great fictitious entity by which everyone seeks to live at the expense of everyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/the-state-is-the-great-fictitious-entity-by-which-everyone-seeks-to/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [There is in all of a strong disposition to believe that anything lawful is also legitimate. This belief is so widespread that many persons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/there-is-in-all-of-a-strong-disposition-to-believe-that-anything/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [I believe that my theory is correct; for whatever be the question upon which I am arguing, whether it be religious, philosophical, political, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/i-believe-that-my-theory-is-correct-for-whatever-be-the-question-upon/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [The balance of trade is an article of faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/the-balance-of-trade-is-an-article-of-faith/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [There are people who think that plunder loses all its immorality as soon as it becomes legal. Personally, I cannot imagine a more alarming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/there-are-people-who-think-that-plunder-loses-all-its-immorality-as/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [“And now, after having vainly inflicted upon the social body so many systems, let them end where they ought to have begun—reject all systems,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/and-now-after-having-vainly-inflicted-upon-the-social-body-so-many/) [Frédéric Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [When misguided public opinion honors what is despicable and despises what is honorable, punishes virtue and rewards vice, encourages what is harmful and discourages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/when-misguided-public-opinion-honors-what-is-despicable-and-despises/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [There is only one difference between a bad economist and a good one: the bad economist confines himself to the visible effect; the good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/there-is-only-one-difference-between-a-bad-economist-and-a-good-one/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) [Explore all 182 Frédéric Bastiat quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) ## More Suffering Humanity quotes > [I did not bow down to you, I bowed down to all the suffering of humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoevsky/i-did-not-bow-down-to-you-i-bowed-down-to-all-the-suffering-of/) [Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoevsky/) > [“Perhaps our suffering is part of our humanity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-l-barr/perhaps-our-suffering-is-part-of-our-humanity/) [Christina L. Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-l-barr/) > [Blessed be the inventor of photography! I set him above even the inventor of chloroform! It has given more positive pleasure to poor suffering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-welsh-carlyle/blessed-be-the-inventor-of-photography-i-set-him-above-even-the/) [Jane Welsh Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-welsh-carlyle/) > [We poets don't tend to be certain a lot. Much of our art is made out of our own uncertainty. And there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hamill/we-poets-don-t-tend-to-be-certain-a-lot-much-of-our-art-is-made-out/) [Sam Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hamill/) > [“I think a look at suffering humanity would lead to the realization that trauma is perhaps the greatest mission field of the twenty-first century.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-mandt-langberg/i-think-a-look-at-suffering-humanity-would-lead-to-the-realization/) Diane Mandt Langberg > [I wanted to discuss the suffering of humanity in general, but perhaps we'd better confine ourselves to the sufferings of children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoevsky/i-wanted-to-discuss-the-suffering-of-humanity-in-general-but-perhaps/) [Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoevsky/) > [“All this talk about 'suffering humanity' is principally drivel based on the error of transferring one's own psychology to one's neighbour. The Golden Rule…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/all-this-talk-about-suffering-humanity-is-principally-drivel-based-on/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [Just imagine what would happen if practicing physicians, the ones who have come into contact directly with suffering humanity, had some acquaintance with Eastern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/just-imagine-what-would-happen-if-practicing-physicians-the-ones-who/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Hast thou attuned thyself to the suffering of humanity, O candidate for light?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-blavatsky/hast-thou-attuned-thyself-to-the-suffering-of-humanity-o-candidate/) [H. P. Blavatsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-blavatsky/) > [There will be no major solution to the suffering of humanity until we reach some understanding of who we are, what the purpose of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/there-will-be-no-major-solution-to-the-suffering-of-humanity-until-we/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [I am a rebel by birth... I contest anything that is unjust, that causes suffering in humanity. My feelings about that are so strong,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yip-harburg/i-am-a-rebel-by-birth-i-contest-anything-that-is-unjust-that-causes/) [Yip Harburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yip-harburg/) > [“all the suffering that humanity ever knew can be traced to the one fact that no man in the history of the Galaxy, until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/all-the-suffering-that-humanity-ever-knew-can-be-traced-to-the-one/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [I expect to plead not for the slave only, but for suffering humanity everywhere. Especially do I mean to labor for the elevation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-stone/i-expect-to-plead-not-for-the-slave-only-but-for-suffering-humanity/) [Lucy Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-stone/) > [I come to present the strong claims of suffering humanity. I come to place before the Legislature of Massachusetts the condition of the miserable,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothea-dix/i-come-to-present-the-strong-claims-of-suffering-humanity-i-come-to/) [Dorothea Dix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothea-dix/) > [We all, as engineers, doctors, have a big responsibility to bring smiles on the faces of suffering humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-r-narayana-murthy/we-all-as-engineers-doctors-have-a-big-responsibility-to-bring-smiles/) [N. R. Narayana Murthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-r-narayana-murthy/) Browse all 20 Suffering Humanity quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I have no doubt that she is sincerely desirous of seeing all the evils of suffering humanity remedied, and that she thinks this might easily be done, if Government would only undertake it. But, alas! that poor unfortunate personage, like Figaro, knows not to whom to listen, nor where to turn. The hundred thousand mouths of the press and of the platform cry out all at once:-- \"Organize labour and workmen. \"Do away with egotism. \"Repress insolence and the tyranny of capital. \"Make experiments upon manure and eggs. \"Cover the country with railways. \"Irrigate the plains. \"Plant the hills. \"Make model farms. \"Found social workshops. \"Colonize Algeria. \"Suckle children. \"Instruct the youth. \"Assist the aged. \"Send the inhabitants of towns into the country. \"Equalize the profits of all trades. \"Lend money without interest to all who wish to borrow.\" \"Emancipate Italy, Poland, and Hungary.\" \"Rear and perfect the saddle-horse.\" \"Encourage the arts, and provide us with musicians and dancers.\" \"Restrict commerce, and at the same time create a merchant navy.\" \"Discover truth, and put a grain of reason into our heads. The mission of Government is to enlighten, to develop, to extend, to fortify, to spiritualize, and to sanctify the soul of the people.\" \"Do have a little patience, gentlemen,\" says Government in a beseeching tone. \"I will do what I can to satisfy you, but for this I must have resources. I have been preparing plans for five or six taxes, which are quite new, and not at all oppressive. You will see how willingly people will pay them.\" Then comes a great exclamation:--\"No! indeed! where is the merit of doing a thing with resources? Why, it does not deserve the name of a Government! So far from loading us with fresh taxes, we would have you withdraw the old ones. You ought to suppress \"The salt tax, \"The tax on liquors, \"The tax on letters, \"Custom-house duties, \"Patents.\" In”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Frédéric Bastiat" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/i-have-no-doubt-that-she-is-sincerely-desirous-of-seeing-all-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Suffering Humanity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/i-have-no-doubt-that-she-is-sincerely-desirous-of-seeing-all-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe1/frederic-bastiat-2151_suffering-humanity_i-have-no-doubt-that-she-is-sincerely-de_582391.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe1/frederic-bastiat-2151_suffering-humanity_i-have-no-doubt-that-she-is-sincerely-de_582391.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe1/frederic-bastiat-2151_suffering-humanity_i-have-no-doubt-that-she-is-sincerely-de_582391.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I have no doubt that she is sincerely desirous of seeing all the evils of suffering humanity remedied, and…” — Frédéric Bastiat", "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": "Frédéric Bastiat", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I have no doubt that she...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/i-have-no-doubt-that-she-is-sincerely-desirous-of-seeing-all-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/i-have-no-doubt-that-she-is-sincerely-desirous-of-seeing-all-the/#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 } } ] } ```