--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is much in American society which I…" description: "\"There is much in American society which I admire, but I have long held the view that the absence of an effective safety net in that country means that ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06d/john-howard-13037_absence_there-is-much-in-american-society-which_1986699.png" --- # There is much in American society which I admire, but I… ![“There is much in American society which I admire, but I have long held the view that the absence of an effective safety net in that country means that too many needy citizens fall by the wayside. That is not the path that Australia will tread. Nor do we want the burdens of nanny state paternalism…” quote by John Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06d/john-howard-13037_absence_there-is-much-in-american-society-which_1986699.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06d/john-howard-13037_absence_there-is-much-in-american-society-which_1986699.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06d/john-howard-13037_absence_there-is-much-in-american-society-which_1986699.png) > “There is much in American society which I admire, but I have long held the view that the absence of an effective safety net in that country means that too many needy citizens fall by the wayside. That is not the path that Australia will tread. Nor do we want the burdens of nanny state paternalism that now weigh down many economies in Europe.” [John Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-howard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Australia should maintain a safety net without becoming overly paternalistic, unlike some other nations. **In simple terms:** Balance welfare with personal responsibility. Key Takeaway Support needy while encouraging independence. Themes social policy welfare government Mood critical policy‑focused Type political analytical When to use this quote - public health - employment programs - tax policy Key Concepts economics political theory Questions to Reflect On - How can policies aid without fostering dependency? - What examples show effective safety nets? A Different Perspective Too much support can reduce personal initiative. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence/) [American society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-society/) [Australia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/australia/) [Burden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burden/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Economy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economy/) [Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/) [Nannies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nannies/) [Paternalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paternalism/) [Path](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/path/) [Safety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safety/) [Safety net](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safety-net/) ## Related quotes > [The welfare state creates its own victim/client constituency. By making individuals free and independent, we reduce the need for 'charity' to those truly needy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-norquist/the-welfare-state-creates-its-own-victim-client-constituency-by/) [Grover Norquist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-norquist/) > [I think Franklin Roosevelt was a lousy president. What he did- which is to impose this great nanny state on America- was a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-crane/i-think-franklin-roosevelt-was-a-lousy-president-what-he-did-which-is/) [Ed Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-crane/) > [If Singapore is a nanny state, then I am proud to have fostered one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/if-singapore-is-a-nanny-state-then-i-am-proud-to-have-fostered-one/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [Under the constitution, there was never meant to be a federal police force. Even an FBI limited only to investigations was not accepted until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/under-the-constitution-there-was-never-meant-to-be-a-federal-police/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [I don't want to live in a nanny state where people are telling me where I can go and what I can do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/i-don-t-want-to-live-in-a-nanny-state-where-people-are-telling-me/) [Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/) > [We're not going to get the jack-booted thugs stomping on a human face that you get in '1984' but we might get the 'Brave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-re-not-going-to-get-the-jack-booted-thugs-stomping-on-a-human-face/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Simply because the nanny-state wants to hug you doesn't mean it's not tyrannical if you don't want to be hugged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-goldberg/simply-because-the-nanny-state-wants-to-hug-you-doesn-t-mean-it-s-not/) [Jonah Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-goldberg/) > [Folks know that while I respect Barack Obama and do not cheap-shot the president, I am very skeptical of his big government, nanny-state philosophy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/folks-know-that-while-i-respect-barack-obama-and-do-not-cheap-shot/) [Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/) > [Central planning, judicial activism, and the nanny state all presume vastly more knowledge than any elite have ever possessed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/central-planning-judicial-activism-and-the-nanny-state-all-presume/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Liberalism had come to mean spending more on everything-speech police, failed poverty programs that reward dependence, a bigger nanny state telling us we cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/liberalism-had-come-to-mean-spending-more-on-everything-speech-police/) [John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/) > [Nobody wants a nanny state, where the government is stamping out initiative and telling us what to do, but the idea that the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/nobody-wants-a-nanny-state-where-the-government-is-stamping-out/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [I hate the endless admonishments of a nanny state that lives in fear of its lawyers. While colonies of dim-witted traffic wardens swarm about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-fowler/i-hate-the-endless-admonishments-of-a-nanny-state-that-lives-in-fear/) [Christopher Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-fowler/) > [Most nanny-state initiatives begin on a local level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harsanyi/most-nanny-state-initiatives-begin-on-a-local-level/) [David Harsanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harsanyi/) > [Well, generally, I don't like sin taxes at all, because sin taxes and nanny state politics represent the government making a moral judgment on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-hoover/well-generally-i-don-t-like-sin-taxes-at-all-because-sin-taxes-and/) [Margaret Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-hoover/) > [“The nation is divided, roughly half-and-half, between people who instinctively resent the Nanny State, and those who instinctively long for its ministrations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-warren/the-nation-is-divided-roughly-half-and-half-between-people-who/) David Warren ## More by John Howard > [I think when people talk about civil liberties, they sometimes forget that action taken to protect the citizen against physical violence and physical attack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-howard/i-think-when-people-talk-about-civil-liberties-they-sometimes-forget/) [John Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-howard/) > [I accept that climate change is a challenge, I accept the broad theory about global warming. 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Ambedkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-r-ambedkar/) [Browse all 2,057 Absence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is much in American society which I admire, but I have long held the view that the absence of an effective safety net in that country means that too many needy citizens fall by the wayside. That is not the path that Australia will tread. 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