---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Most conservatives know better than to…"
description: "\"Most conservatives know better than to promote the state funding of art. The result of such funding is the mess that modern art has become. Atonal musi..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ac/gary-north-15454_art_most-conservatives-know-better-than-to-p_1595191.jpg"
---

#  Most conservatives know better than to promote the state…

![“Most conservatives know better than to promote the state funding of art. The result of such funding is the mess that modern art has become. Atonal music is to music what subsidized art is to art. ...The fact that cacophony has reigned almost supreme since 1900 is a testimony to Mises' original…” quote by Gary North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ac/gary-north-15454_art_most-conservatives-know-better-than-to-p_1595191.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ac/gary-north-15454_art_most-conservatives-know-better-than-to-p_1595191.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ac/gary-north-15454_art_most-conservatives-know-better-than-to-p_1595191.jpg)

> “Most conservatives know better than to promote the state funding of art. The result of such funding is the mess that modern art has become. Atonal music is to music what subsidized art is to art. ...The fact that cacophony has reigned almost supreme since 1900 is a testimony to Mises' original observation. Atonal music is to music what socialism is to economics: planned chaos.”

[Gary North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-north/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The author argues that government subsidies corrupt art, leading to chaotic, low-quality modern works, comparing it to socialist economic planning.

**In simple terms:** State funding harms art quality, causing chaos.

Key Takeaway

Avoid subsidizing art.

Themes

art criticism politics economics culture government policy

Mood

skeptical critical

Type

political philosophical

When to use this quote

- museum funding debates
- public art commissions
- cultural policy discussions

Key Concepts

Subsidy impact censorship artistic freedom

Questions to Reflect On

- Is all publicly funded art low quality?
- Can market forces alone sustain diverse art?

A Different Perspective

The claim overlooks that many valuable works were funded publicly.

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