--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It isn't possible to give government just…" description: "\"It isn't possible to give government just a little control over the economy and our lives. Once we cede that power to government, it uses the power to ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/483/harry-browne-3285_economy_it-isn-t-possible-to-give-government-jus_2063815.jpg" --- # It isn't possible to give government just a little control… ![“It isn't possible to give government just a little control over the economy and our lives. Once we cede that power to government, it uses the power to take more from us. That's why every year the government controls more of our lives.” quote by Harry Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/483/harry-browne-3285_economy_it-isn-t-possible-to-give-government-jus_2063815.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/483/harry-browne-3285_economy_it-isn-t-possible-to-give-government-jus_2063815.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/483/harry-browne-3285_economy_it-isn-t-possible-to-give-government-jus_2063815.jpg) > “It isn't possible to give government just a little control over the economy and our lives. Once we cede that power to government, it uses the power to take more from us. That's why every year the government controls more of our lives.” [Harry Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-browne/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Power gradually expands when surrendered; initial concessions lead to broader control over personal and economic life. **In simple terms:** Giving up small freedoms leads to larger government control. Key Takeaway Guard your freedoms vigilantly. Themes freedom government power control Mood cautious concerned Type political warning When to use this quote - voting decisions - policy debates - personal budgeting - activism - community organizing Key Concepts political theory slippery slope Questions to Reflect On - What freedoms are you willing to trade for security? - How can citizens effectively limit government overreach? A Different Perspective Assumes all governments act uniformly; may overlook democratic safeguards. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Economy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economy/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) ## Related quotes > [Over the year,s the government launched more than one 'war on corruption,' and they all failed. Why? Because they all started from the bottom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammad-bin-salman/over-the-year-s-the-government-launched-more-than-one-war-on/) [Mohammad bin Salman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammad-bin-salman/) > [The problem is big government. 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It was about government power, dependency, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-crowley/if-the-government-controls-your-health-care-the-government-controls/) [Monica Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-crowley/) > [There can be no compromise between freedom and government controls; to accept 'just a few controls' is to surrender the principle of inalienable individual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/there-can-be-no-compromise-between-freedom-and-government-controls-to/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [When the government controls a limited supply, the government gets to decide who gets the vaccines and who doesn't. 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You don't have to work at any particular job. You don't have to participate in any given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-browne/you-don-t-have-to-buy-from-anyone-you-don-t-have-to-work-at-any/) [Harry Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-browne/) > [The American way was for commerce, personal relationships, and religion to be voluntary. No one was forced to participate in something he didn't want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-browne/the-american-way-was-for-commerce-personal-relationships-and-religion/) [Harry Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-browne/) > [Conservatives say the government can't end poverty by force, but they believe it can use force to make people moral. Liberals say government can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-browne/conservatives-say-the-government-can-t-end-poverty-by-force-but-they/) [Harry Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-browne/) > [Everyone will experience the consequences of his own acts. 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Only people who bear the consequences of their own acts will care about those consequences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-browne/only-free-people-have-an-incentive-to-be-virtuous-only-people-who/) [Harry Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-browne/) > [So what is government?... Very simply, it is an agency of coercion. Of course, there are other agencies of coercion - such as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-browne/so-what-is-government-very-simply-it-is-an-agency-of-coercion-of/) [Harry Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-browne/) > [The Constitution isn't written in Chinese, Swahili or Sanskrit. It's in plain English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-browne/the-constitution-isn-t-written-in-chinese-swahili-or-sanskrit-it-s-in/) [Harry Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-browne/) > [The press is hostile to the idea of liberty. Most people in the press are for big government. Most people think that the solution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-browne/the-press-is-hostile-to-the-idea-of-liberty-most-people-in-the-press/) [Harry Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-browne/) > [There's nothing shameful in acknowledging that you don't have the answers to every question about life. Just accept the fact that you know only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-browne/there-s-nothing-shameful-in-acknowledging-that-you-don-t-have-the/) [Harry Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-browne/) > [Forcing people to be generous isn't humanitarian, effective, compassionate or moral. Only acts that are truly voluntary for all concerned can be truly compassionate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-browne/forcing-people-to-be-generous-isn-t-humanitarian-effective/) [Harry Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-browne/) > [Democratic politicians want to solve the crisis of poor education by taking more of your money and using it to reduce classroom sizes in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-browne/democratic-politicians-want-to-solve-the-crisis-of-poor-education-by/) [Harry Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-browne/) [Explore all 134 Harry Browne quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-browne/) ## More Economy quotes > [Things are going well in Germany because the economy is booming and as an export-driven nation, we are profiting from the fact that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-schulz/things-are-going-well-in-germany-because-the-economy-is-booming-and/) [Martin Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-schulz/) > [Advances in technology will continue to reach far into every sector of our economy. 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It is about the power of the state. It is about the power of the state as applied to individuals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-rudd/politics-is-about-power-it-is-about-the-power-of-the-state-it-is/) [Kevin Rudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-rudd/) > [We're going to create factory jobs for recent immigrants, and Donald Trump is going to take care of them. That's why his numbers, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-sessions/we-re-going-to-create-factory-jobs-for-recent-immigrants-and-donald/) [Jeff Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-sessions/) > [Having an economy that works for the 99% is achievable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winnie-byanyima/having-an-economy-that-works-for-the-99-is-achievable/) [Winnie Byanyima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winnie-byanyima/) > [Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy and employ almost half of the working population. 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