--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is no question that policy makers…" description: "\"There is no question that policy makers, corporate leaders, pension consultants, and journalists too have to get out into the real world to at least se..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/280/hedrick-smith-19137_journalist_there-is-no-question-that-policy-makers_2828117.jpg" --- # There is no question that policy makers, corporate… ![“There is no question that policy makers, corporate leaders, pension consultants, and journalists too have to get out into the real world to at least see the pain of retirement woes before they start to prescribe policies and solutions.” quote by Hedrick Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/280/hedrick-smith-19137_journalist_there-is-no-question-that-policy-makers_2828117.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/280/hedrick-smith-19137_journalist_there-is-no-question-that-policy-makers_2828117.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/280/hedrick-smith-19137_journalist_there-is-no-question-that-policy-makers_2828117.jpg) > “There is no question that policy makers, corporate leaders, pension consultants, and journalists too have to get out into the real world to at least see the pain of retirement woes before they start to prescribe policies and solutions.” [Hedrick Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hedrick-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Policy makers and influencers must experience real-world retirement challenges before creating solutions. **In simple terms:** Seeing retirees’ struggles informs better policies. Key Takeaway Engage directly with those affected by policies. Themes policy empathy retirement Mood thoughtful inspirational Type policy social When to use this quote - policy workshops - financial planning sessions - journalistic investigations Key Concepts social research human-centered design Questions to Reflect On - What methods can bridge the gap between policymakers and retirees? - How can empathy be cultivated in corporate leadership? A Different Perspective Time constraints may limit deep immersion in retirees’ lives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Journalist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalist/) [Leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leader/) [Leaders Pension](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leaders-pension-3639294/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Pain Retirement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain-retirement-2494878/) [Pension](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pension/) [Pension Consultants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pension-consultants-3639293/) [Policy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/policy/) [Policy makers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/policy-makers/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Real world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-world/) [Retirement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/retirement/) [Retirement Woes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/retirement-woes-3639292/) [Solutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solutions/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [The pain of retirement means loss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-murray/the-pain-of-retirement-means-loss/) [John Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-murray/) > [The issue of the pension gap has got to become visible and important to millions of people before Washington will respond seriously. Right now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hedrick-smith/the-issue-of-the-pension-gap-has-got-to-become-visible-and-important/) [Hedrick Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hedrick-smith/) > [In Western Europe, most countries have variations of the lifetime pension system for most workers so they are keeping the system that we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hedrick-smith/in-western-europe-most-countries-have-variations-of-the-lifetime/) [Hedrick Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hedrick-smith/) > [It really depends upon how much money you have in your account. Having a monthly paycheck come in for the rest of your life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hedrick-smith/it-really-depends-upon-how-much-money-you-have-in-your-account-having/) [Hedrick Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hedrick-smith/) > [It is profoundly troubling when you have Supreme Court justices not following their judicial oath. And taking the role of policy makers and legislators,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/it-is-profoundly-troubling-when-you-have-supreme-court-justices-not/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [High level policy makers and program managers do not normally listen to the voices of local people, local providers and local program managers when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-simmons/high-level-policy-makers-and-program-managers-do-not-normally-listen/) [Ruth Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-simmons/) > [“Policy-makers continue to discover that they cannot solve today’s problems with yesterday’s mindsets”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/widad-akrawi/policy-makers-continue-to-discover-that-they-cannot-solve-today-s/) [Widad Akrawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/widad-akrawi/) > [I would like to see policy makers and international donor agencies realize that it is not enough to give money for demonstration projects. From…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-simmons/i-would-like-to-see-policy-makers-and-international-donor-agencies/) [Ruth Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-simmons/) > [We want to bring enterprise back to blighted urban areas. People there have been told nothing is ever going to change. The policy makers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/majora-carter/we-want-to-bring-enterprise-back-to-blighted-urban-areas-people-there/) [Majora Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/majora-carter/) > [Every concerned citizen and policy maker should read this book. The environmentalists will hate it. The world's destitute masses will love it. And everyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niger-innis/every-concerned-citizen-and-policy-maker-should-read-this-book-the/) [Niger Innis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niger-innis/) > [Fiscal policy is a very important part of the tool kit for policy makers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gita-gopinath/fiscal-policy-is-a-very-important-part-of-the-tool-kit-for-policy/) [Gita Gopinath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gita-gopinath/) > [Judges are required by our democratic system not to overstep their positions to become policy makers or super-legislators.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-grassley/judges-are-required-by-our-democratic-system-not-to-overstep-their/) [Chuck Grassley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-grassley/) > [Children have in the past and continue to influence policy makers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-bellamy/children-have-in-the-past-and-continue-to-influence-policy-makers/) [Carol Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-bellamy/) > [The job of a judge is to figure out what the law says, not what he wants it to say. There is a difference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-thomas/the-job-of-a-judge-is-to-figure-out-what-the-law-says-not-what-he/) [Clarence Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-thomas/) > [Women are never again going to be mindless coffee-makers or mindless policy-makers in politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/women-are-never-again-going-to-be-mindless-coffee-makers-or-mindless/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) ## More by Hedrick Smith > [“Overall, more than fifty-nine thousand factories and production facilities were shut down all across America over the last decade, and employment in the core…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hedrick-smith/overall-more-than-fifty-nine-thousand-factories-and-production/) [Hedrick Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hedrick-smith/) > [“We are literally Two Americas, remarkably out of touch with each other— the fortunate living the American Dream but lacking any practical comprehension of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hedrick-smith/we-are-literally-two-americas-remarkably-out-of-touch-with-each-other/) [Hedrick Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hedrick-smith/) > [The most common mistakes were investing in money market funds by people who were so scared at the prospect of managing their own funds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hedrick-smith/the-most-common-mistakes-were-investing-in-money-market-funds-by/) [Hedrick Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hedrick-smith/) > [“Translating cold numbers into a graphic picture of the hard economic realities in the lives of ordinary people is a challenge. In the 1990s,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hedrick-smith/translating-cold-numbers-into-a-graphic-picture-of-the-hard-economic/) [Hedrick Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hedrick-smith/) > [Less money for retirees means less purchasing power means less economic growth overall. It's a big problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hedrick-smith/less-money-for-retirees-means-less-purchasing-power-means-less/) [Hedrick Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hedrick-smith/) > [Journalists cover words and delude themselves into thinking they have committed journalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hedrick-smith/journalists-cover-words-and-delude-themselves-into-thinking-they-have/) [Hedrick Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hedrick-smith/) > [One of the strongest lessons I learned in doing six months of work on retirement topic was how absolutely crucial the Social Security system…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hedrick-smith/one-of-the-strongest-lessons-i-learned-in-doing-six-months-of-work-on/) [Hedrick Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hedrick-smith/) > [“Two trends are primarily responsible for today’s hyperconcentration of wealth inAmerica— the collective decisions over time by America’s corporate power elite to take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hedrick-smith/two-trends-are-primarily-responsible-for-today-s-hyperconcentration/) [Hedrick Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hedrick-smith/) > [The main problems are insufficient diversification and the failure to pick age-appropriate strategies - that is, more aggressive when you're younger, and more conservative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hedrick-smith/the-main-problems-are-insufficient-diversification-and-the-failure-to/) [Hedrick Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hedrick-smith/) > [It really depends upon how much money you have in your account. Having a monthly paycheck come in for the rest of your life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hedrick-smith/it-really-depends-upon-how-much-money-you-have-in-your-account-having/) [Hedrick Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hedrick-smith/) > [“Henry Ford gave that idea popular currency when he brought out the famous Model T car and announced in 1914 that he would pay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hedrick-smith/henry-ford-gave-that-idea-popular-currency-when-he-brought-out-the/) [Hedrick Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hedrick-smith/) > [“Since the early 1990s, a shadow government has taken root along K Street, the Washington corridor that is home to block after stately block…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hedrick-smith/since-the-early-1990s-a-shadow-government-has-taken-root-along-k/) [Hedrick Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hedrick-smith/) > [Television's compelling power is its immediacy . .. this immediacy feeds the politics of emotions, gut reactions and impressions rather than the politics of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hedrick-smith/television-s-compelling-power-is-its-immediacy-this-immediacy-feeds/) [Hedrick Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hedrick-smith/) > [One of the difficulties in getting to the bottom of the poor prospects for retirement is that the policy and intellectual elites, including corporate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hedrick-smith/one-of-the-difficulties-in-getting-to-the-bottom-of-the-poor/) [Hedrick Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hedrick-smith/) > [In Western Europe, most countries have variations of the lifetime pension system for most workers so they are keeping the system that we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hedrick-smith/in-western-europe-most-countries-have-variations-of-the-lifetime/) [Hedrick Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hedrick-smith/) [Explore all 33 Hedrick Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hedrick-smith/) ## More Journalist quotes > [If, for instance, they have heard something from the postman, they attribute it to a semi-official statement; if they have fallen into conversation with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/if-for-instance-they-have-heard-something-from-the-postman-they/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [Music journalists love Elvis Costello and hate me because they look like Elvis Costello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lee-roth/music-journalists-love-elvis-costello-and-hate-me-because-they-look/) [David Lee Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lee-roth/) > [I realized I couldn't be a journalist because I like to take a side, to have an opinion and a point a view; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-leibovitz/i-realized-i-couldn-t-be-a-journalist-because-i-like-to-take-a-side/) [Annie Leibovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-leibovitz/) > [The official independence celebration was going to be held over four or five days, and a group of journalists from all over the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryszard-kapuscinski/the-official-independence-celebration-was-going-to-be-held-over-four/) [Ryszard Kapuscinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryszard-kapuscinski/) > [This ball was so crowded that it took me - a trained professional journalist with vast experience in this area - forty five minutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/this-ball-was-so-crowded-that-it-took-me-a-trained-professional/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [“I’m a journalist, and journalists need news. Deprive them of it, and they go a bit barking. Deprive them of news long enough, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/i-m-a-journalist-and-journalists-need-news-deprive-them-of-it-and/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [There's this American pretense, which is the pretense of the journalist with the view from nowhere - which has somehow morphed into the journalist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/there-s-this-american-pretense-which-is-the-pretense-of-the/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [No-deal Brexit could be Boris Johnson's biggest deception yet - worse than the Boris bus or the lies that had him sacked as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-davey/no-deal-brexit-could-be-boris-johnson-s-biggest-deception-yet-worse/) [Ed Davey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-davey/) > [I never intended to be a journalist. Frankly, I don't think I ever was a journalist. I backed into it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-shames/i-never-intended-to-be-a-journalist-frankly-i-don-t-think-i-ever-was/) [Laurence Shames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-shames/) > [A historian is not always a prophet facing backwards, but a journalist is always someone who afterwards knew everything beforehand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/a-historian-is-not-always-a-prophet-facing-backwards-but-a-journalist/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [In the end I'm still a writer. I'm still a journalist, and my first responsibility is to my readers. That's where I have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/in-the-end-i-m-still-a-writer-i-m-still-a-journalist-and-my-first/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [Journalists are notoriously easy to kid. All you have to do is speak to a journalist in a very serious tone of voice, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/journalists-are-notoriously-easy-to-kid-all-you-have-to-do-is-speak/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [I was for many years myself a journalist and it is not appropriate to say a programme should not be broadcast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-monckton/i-was-for-many-years-myself-a-journalist-and-it-is-not-appropriate-to/) [Christopher Monckton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-monckton/) > [Of necessity, we made the discovery that it is easier to turn poets into business journalists than to turn bookkeepers into writers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-r-luce/of-necessity-we-made-the-discovery-that-it-is-easier-to-turn-poets/) [Henry R. Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-r-luce/) > [Like a versatile baller, George Dohrmann swings seamlessly from position to position: investigative journalist, social critic, gifted storyteller. The result is a gem of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-jon-wertheim/like-a-versatile-baller-george-dohrmann-swings-seamlessly-from/) [L. Jon Wertheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-jon-wertheim/) [Browse all 1,737 Journalist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is no question that policy makers, corporate leaders, pension consultants, and journalists too have to get out into the real world to at least see the pain of retirement woes before they start to prescribe policies and solutions.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hedrick Smith" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hedrick-smith/there-is-no-question-that-policy-makers-corporate-leaders-pension/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Journalist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hedrick-smith/there-is-no-question-that-policy-makers-corporate-leaders-pension/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/280/hedrick-smith-19137_journalist_there-is-no-question-that-policy-makers_2828117.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/280/hedrick-smith-19137_journalist_there-is-no-question-that-policy-makers_2828117.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/280/hedrick-smith-19137_journalist_there-is-no-question-that-policy-makers_2828117.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is no question that policy makers, corporate leaders, pension consultants, and journalists too have to…” — Hedrick Smith", "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": "Hedrick Smith", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hedrick-smith/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There is no question that policy...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hedrick-smith/there-is-no-question-that-policy-makers-corporate-leaders-pension/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hedrick-smith/there-is-no-question-that-policy-makers-corporate-leaders-pension/#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 } } ] } ```