---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you subsidise poverty and failure…"
description: "\"When you subsidise poverty and failure, you get more of both\" — James Dale Davidson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/457/james-dale-davidson-17912_failure_when-you-subsidise-poverty-and-failure-y_1682564.jpg"
---

#  When you subsidise poverty and failure, you get more of both

![“When you subsidise poverty and failure, you get more of both” quote by James Dale Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/457/james-dale-davidson-17912_failure_when-you-subsidise-poverty-and-failure-y_1682564.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/457/james-dale-davidson-17912_failure_when-you-subsidise-poverty-and-failure-y_1682564.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/457/james-dale-davidson-17912_failure_when-you-subsidise-poverty-and-failure-y_1682564.jpg)

> “When you subsidise poverty and failure, you get more of both”

[James Dale Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dale-davidson/)

## About This Quote

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

Providing support to those who fail or live in poverty can unintentionally encourage continued dependency and lack of effort.

**In simple terms:** Helping the wrong way can sustain poverty.

Key Takeaway

Offer empowerment, not just aid.

Themes

poverty dependency policy economics social welfare

Mood

critical concerned

Type

political economic

When to use this quote

- social programs
- charitable giving
- economic policy
- community development

Key Concepts

incentive structures government aid

Questions to Reflect On

- What alternatives to direct aid could reduce dependency?
- How can policies balance support with self‑sufficiency?

A Different Perspective

Aid can create reliance if not paired with opportunity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) [Poverty Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty-failure-736401/) [Subsidise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subsidise-393955/) [Subsidise Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subsidise-poverty-971882/)

## Related quotes

> [The politicians don't just want your money. They want your soul. They want you to be worn down by taxes until you are dependent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dale-davidson/the-politicians-don-t-just-want-your-money-they-want-your-soul-they-2/)

[James Dale Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dale-davidson/)

> [When you subsidize poverty and failure, you get more of both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dale-davidson/when-you-subsidize-poverty-and-failure-you-get-more-of-both/)

[James Dale Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dale-davidson/)

> [It's not reasonable for companies that have chief executives and board members who are paid very considerable sums to subsidise low pay through in-work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/it-s-not-reasonable-for-companies-that-have-chief-executives-and/)

[Boris Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/)

> [We have already discovered the fact that fear is the chief reason for poverty and failure and misery that takes on a thousand different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/we-have-already-discovered-the-fact-that-fear-is-the-chief-reason-for/)

[Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/)

> [I was haunted always by my other life-my drab room in the Bronx, my square foot of the subway, my fixation upon the day's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/i-was-haunted-always-by-my-other-life-my-drab-room-in-the-bronx-my/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

> [Global poverty is the product of reversible policy failures overseen by politicians, past and present. The poorest of the poor don't vote in American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-evans/global-poverty-is-the-product-of-reversible-policy-failures-overseen/)

[Hugh Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-evans/)

> [All our efforts to defeat poverty and pursue sustainable development will be in vain if environmental degradation and natural resource depletion continue unabated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/all-our-efforts-to-defeat-poverty-and-pursue-sustainable-development/)

[Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/)

> [“In places where government priorities and market imperatives create a world so capricious that to help a neighbor is to risk your ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/in-places-where-government-priorities-and-market-imperatives-create-a/)

[Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/)

> [In comparative terms, there's no poverty in America by a long shot. Heritage Foundation political scientist Robert Rector has worked up figures showing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/in-comparative-terms-there-s-no-poverty-in-america-by-a-long-shot/)

[P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/)

> [“Poor people do not go on holiday; they go home.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/poor-people-do-not-go-on-holiday-they-go-home/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

> [Parents who are stressed or disturbed will have more difficulty in meeting their children's needs. Parents who have little support--from friends, relatives, neighbors, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-kamerman/parents-who-are-stressed-or-disturbed-will-have-more-difficulty-in/)

[Sheila Kamerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-kamerman/)

> [Give me, indulgent gods with mind serene, And guiltless heart, to range the sylvan scene, No splendid poverty, no smiling care, No well-bred hate,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/give-me-indulgent-gods-with-mind-serene-and-guiltless-heart-to-range/)

[Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/)

> [“The power of imagination is strongest in the place of solitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/the-power-of-imagination-is-strongest-in-the-place-of-solitude/)

[Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/)

> [I know that in the rap game you've got a lot of people, that come from poverty, was born in poverty and if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-connor/i-know-that-in-the-rap-game-you-ve-got-a-lot-of-people-that-come-from/)

[Jon Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-connor/)

> [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

## More by James Dale Davidson

> [“Topographic conditions were the foundation of Greek democracy, just as those of a different kind gave rise to the Oriental despotisms of Egypt and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dale-davidson/topographic-conditions-were-the-foundation-of-greek-democracy-just-as/)

[James Dale Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dale-davidson/)

> [“When the payoff for organizing violence at a large scale tumbles, the payoff from violence at a smaller scale is likely to jump. Violence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dale-davidson/when-the-payoff-for-organizing-violence-at-a-large-scale-tumbles-the/)

[James Dale Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dale-davidson/)

> [“To dare a thought is to risk being wrong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dale-davidson/to-dare-a-thought-is-to-risk-being-wrong/)

[James Dale Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dale-davidson/)

> [“The more apparent it is that a system is nearing an end, the more reluctant people will be to adhere to its laws.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dale-davidson/the-more-apparent-it-is-that-a-system-is-nearing-an-end-the-more/)

[James Dale Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dale-davidson/)

> [Place 5 percent to 10 percent of your total assets in gold bullion and selected gold and silver coins. No one knows with certainty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dale-davidson/place-5-percent-to-10-percent-of-your-total-assets-in-gold-bullion/)

[James Dale Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dale-davidson/)

> [“Faster than all but a few now imagine, microprocessing will subvert and destroy the nation-state, creating new forms of social organization in the process.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dale-davidson/faster-than-all-but-a-few-now-imagine-microprocessing-will-subvert/)

[James Dale Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dale-davidson/)

> [“Other things being equal, the more widely dispersed key technologies are, the more widely dispersed power will be, and the smaller the optimum scale…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dale-davidson/other-things-being-equal-the-more-widely-dispersed-key-technologies/)

[James Dale Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dale-davidson/)

> [America today has insufficient savings to finance both crucial investment and its consumption of imports.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dale-davidson/america-today-has-insufficient-savings-to-finance-both-crucial/)

[James Dale Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dale-davidson/)

> [“Cultures are not matters of taste but systems of adaptation to specific circumstances that may prove irrelevant or even counterproductive in other settings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dale-davidson/cultures-are-not-matters-of-taste-but-systems-of-adaptation-to/)

[James Dale Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dale-davidson/)

> [“Market forces, not political majorities, will compel societies to reconfigure themselves in ways that public opinion will neither comprehend nor welcome.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dale-davidson/market-forces-not-political-majorities-will-compel-societies-to/)

[James Dale Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dale-davidson/)

> [“This tended to increase the size of societies because contests of violence more often than not were won by the larger group.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dale-davidson/this-tended-to-increase-the-size-of-societies-because-contests-of/)

[James Dale Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dale-davidson/)

> [“Governments will ultimately have little choice but to treat populations in territories they serve more like customers, and less in the easy that organized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dale-davidson/governments-will-ultimately-have-little-choice-but-to-treat/)

[James Dale Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dale-davidson/)

> [“Every social order incorporates among its key taboos the notion that people living in it should not think about how it will end and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dale-davidson/every-social-order-incorporates-among-its-key-taboos-the-notion-that/)

[James Dale Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dale-davidson/)

> [“Wherever farming took root, violence emerged as a more important feature of social life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dale-davidson/wherever-farming-took-root-violence-emerged-as-a-more-important/)

[James Dale Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dale-davidson/)

> [“With the advent of farming, human horizons expanded.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dale-davidson/with-the-advent-of-farming-human-horizons-expanded/)

[James Dale Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dale-davidson/)

[Explore all 36 James Dale Davidson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dale-davidson/)

## More Failure quotes

> [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/)

[Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/)

> [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/)

[Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/)

> [No one is completely unhappy at the failure of his best friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/no-one-is-completely-unhappy-at-the-failure-of-his-best-friend/)

[Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/)

> [“Rhiannon's Law #28: If you're going to fuck up, be sure to fuck up good and proper. Nothing makes failure acceptable, so you might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/rhiannon-s-law-28-if-you-re-going-to-fuck-up-be-sure-to-fuck-up-good/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Failure is a part of life and you have to learn to deal with it. Failure is something that is part of life's cycle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/failure-is-a-part-of-life-and-you-have-to-learn-to-deal-with-it/)

[Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/)

> [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [First action was a mistake. What about the second? third? fourth and fifth?...Mehn you are bad...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/first-action-was-a-mistake-what-about-the-second-third-fourth-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [God's love never fail :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-s-love-never-fail/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Don’t you just hate nights like that, when you think over every mistake you’ve made, every hurt you’ve received, every bit of meanness you’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/don-t-you-just-hate-nights-like-that-when-you-think-over-every/)

[Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/)

> [“Our failure to understand another being's inner reality doesn't make that reality any less real, or any less valuable to that being. (p.255)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-schulz/our-failure-to-understand-another-being-s-inner-reality-doesn-t-make/)

[Kathryn Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-schulz/)

> [I hope that the Palestinians don't make the mistake of unleashing a new intifada. They've tried it twice before, and the consequences were bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segev/i-hope-that-the-palestinians-don-t-make-the-mistake-of-unleashing-a/)

[Tom Segev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segev/)

> [Don't take too much comfort in the fact that you're successful today because tomorrow could bring failure. There's no surety in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-savage/don-t-take-too-much-comfort-in-the-fact-that-you-re-successful-today/)

[Michael Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-savage/)

> [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/)

[Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/)

> [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/)

[Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/)

> [As we are coming to the end of the year, I want you to forget about the past, the failure, the negative thoughts or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-we-are-coming-to-the-end-of-the-year-i-want-you-to-forget-about/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Browse all 27,498 Failure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When you subsidise poverty and failure, you get more of both",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "James Dale Davidson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dale-davidson/when-you-subsidise-poverty-and-failure-you-get-more-of-both/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Failure"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dale-davidson/when-you-subsidise-poverty-and-failure-you-get-more-of-both/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/457/james-dale-davidson-17912_failure_when-you-subsidise-poverty-and-failure-y_1682564.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/457/james-dale-davidson-17912_failure_when-you-subsidise-poverty-and-failure-y_1682564.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/457/james-dale-davidson-17912_failure_when-you-subsidise-poverty-and-failure-y_1682564.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When you subsidise poverty and failure, you get more of both” — James Dale Davidson",
                "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": "James Dale Davidson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dale-davidson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When you subsidise poverty and failure,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dale-davidson/when-you-subsidise-poverty-and-failure-you-get-more-of-both/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dale-davidson/when-you-subsidise-poverty-and-failure-you-get-more-of-both/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
