--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The more generous the benefit, the easier…" description: "\"The more generous the benefit, the easier you make it to stay on unemployment insurance, and the less incentive there is for people to actually go out ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/808/john-ensign-22201_benefits_the-more-generous-the-benefit-the-easier_1094913.jpg" --- # The more generous the benefit, the easier you make it to… ![“The more generous the benefit, the easier you make it to stay on unemployment insurance, and the less incentive there is for people to actually go out and do what it takes to get a job.” quote by John Ensign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/808/john-ensign-22201_benefits_the-more-generous-the-benefit-the-easier_1094913.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/808/john-ensign-22201_benefits_the-more-generous-the-benefit-the-easier_1094913.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/808/john-ensign-22201_benefits_the-more-generous-the-benefit-the-easier_1094913.jpg) > “The more generous the benefit, the easier you make it to stay on unemployment insurance, and the less incentive there is for people to actually go out and do what it takes to get a job.” [John Ensign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ensign/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Generous benefits reduce the pressure to find work, weakening job‑seeking motivation. **In simple terms:** Big benefits can discourage job hunting. Key Takeaway Design incentives that balance support and motivation. Themes unemployment policy incentives work ethic Mood cautious critical Type policy analysis When to use this quote - policy design - career counseling - job training programs - welfare reform Key Concepts behavioral economics public policy social safety net Questions to Reflect On - How can benefits be structured to aid without discouraging effort? - What alternative supports encourage job search? A Different Perspective May overlook structural barriers to employment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Generous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generous/) [Incentives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incentives/) [Job](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/job/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Unemployment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unemployment/) ## Related quotes > [When everybody is playing at the same level, there's so much more noise. And there's less incentive for the people who should be rising…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-meloy/when-everybody-is-playing-at-the-same-level-there-s-so-much-more/) [Colin Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-meloy/) > [You know, there is an argument to be made that these extensions of unemployment benefits keep people from going and finding jobs. In fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-delay/you-know-there-is-an-argument-to-be-made-that-these-extensions-of/) [Tom DeLay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-delay/) > [It's hard to bring up your children on benefit. It's easier if you can do part- time work, or even full-time work, and actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-harman/it-s-hard-to-bring-up-your-children-on-benefit-it-s-easier-if-you-can/) [Harriet Harman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-harman/) > [“What we learn from behavior economics is that the moment a metric is created it generates an incentive for people to pursue it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-amerland/what-we-learn-from-behavior-economics-is-that-the-moment-a-metric-is/) [David Amerland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-amerland/) > [I just think you've created an industry now, where you create the situation where very much you've created an incentive for people not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/i-just-think-you-ve-created-an-industry-now-where-you-create-the/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [The more government takes in taxes, the less incentive people have to work. 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You really have to be committed, to have a love and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-jericho/there-s-no-unemployment-insurance-if-you-don-t-have-a-job-in/) [Chris Jericho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-jericho/) > [It (Unemployment Insurance) provides prepaid vacations for a segment of our country which has made it a way of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/it-unemployment-insurance-provides-prepaid-vacations-for-a-segment-of/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Programs like food stamps, unemployment insurance, Medicaid, and job retraining help Americans get back on their feet when they are down and out and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-johnson/programs-like-food-stamps-unemployment-insurance-medicaid-and-job/) [Hank Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-johnson/) > [There should be unemployment insurance for fictional people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunn/there-should-be-unemployment-insurance-for-fictional-people/) [Katherine Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunn/) ## More by John Ensign > [It is irresponsible to set an arbitrary cap on how much therapy a Medicare beneficiary can receive. 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On Wall Street, they manipulate the odds while you are playing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ensign/in-las-vegas-people-know-that-the-odds-are-stacked-against-them-on/) [John Ensign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ensign/) > [I can honestly say that being a United States Senator has been the honor of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ensign/i-can-honestly-say-that-being-a-united-states-senator-has-been-the/) [John Ensign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ensign/) > [Medical liability reform is not a Republican or Democrat issue or even a doctor versus lawyer issue. It is a patient issue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ensign/medical-liability-reform-is-not-a-republican-or-democrat-issue-or/) [John Ensign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ensign/) > [Often times, the more power and prestige a person achieves, the more arrogant a person can become.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ensign/often-times-the-more-power-and-prestige-a-person-achieves-the-more/) [John Ensign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ensign/) > [Think about how much it costs to incarcerate someone. 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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/) > [Therefore, I see whatever exists as good, death is to me like life, sin like holiness, wisdom like foolishness, everything has to be as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/therefore-i-see-whatever-exists-as-good-death-is-to-me-like-life-sin/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Trust is about keeping commitments, but in many instances, circumstances change and organizations therefore shed commitments, things such as retiree medical benefits, pension obligations,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-pfeffer/trust-is-about-keeping-commitments-but-in-many-instances/) [Jeffrey Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-pfeffer/) > [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. 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