---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In the conventional wisdom of…"
description: "\"In the conventional wisdom of conservatives, the modern search for security is regularly billed as the greatest single threat to economic progress.\" — ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26f/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_conservatism_in-the-conventional-wisdom-of-conservati_2810232.png"
---

#  In the conventional wisdom of conservatives, the modern…

![“In the conventional wisdom of conservatives, the modern search for security is regularly billed as the greatest single threat to economic progress.” quote by John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26f/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_conservatism_in-the-conventional-wisdom-of-conservati_2810232.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26f/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_conservatism_in-the-conventional-wisdom-of-conservati_2810232.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26f/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_conservatism_in-the-conventional-wisdom-of-conservati_2810232.png)

> “In the conventional wisdom of conservatives, the modern search for security is regularly billed as the greatest single threat to economic progress.”

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

## About This Quote

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

The pursuit of security is framed as a major obstacle to economic growth, suggesting that fear of risk hampers progress.

**In simple terms:** Security concerns can block economic advancement.

Key Takeaway

Balance risk and safety.

Themes

economics politics risk management

Mood

analytical cautious

Type

economic strategic

When to use this quote

- business strategy
- public policy
- personal finance
- investment decisions

Key Concepts

growth theory behavioral economics

Questions to Reflect On

- How much security is enough for growth?
- What risks are worth taking?

A Different Perspective

Excessive security can stifle innovation and adaptability.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Conservatism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservatism/) [Conservatives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservatives/) [Conventional wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conventional-wisdom/) [Cybersecurity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cybersecurity/) [Economic progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economic-progress/) [Progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progress/) [Security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/security/) [Threat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threat/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/)

## Related quotes

> [Cyber-enabled theft of trade secrets by state actors in China has emerged as a major threat to our economic and, thus, national security.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-baucus/cyber-enabled-theft-of-trade-secrets-by-state-actors-in-china-has/)

[Max Baucus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-baucus/)

> [The longer u stay Single.. the more u become a threat to other's relationship and a public temptation :P](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/komal/the-longer-u-stay-single-the-more-u-become-a-threat-to-other-s/)

[Komal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/komal/)

> [The enemy of the conventional wisdom is not ideas but the march of events.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/the-enemy-of-the-conventional-wisdom-is-not-ideas-but-the-march-of/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [In the old days, you lived in one neighborhood, you knew all your neighbors and your daughter married the guy next door. That was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/in-the-old-days-you-lived-in-one-neighborhood-you-knew-all-your/)

[Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/)

> [There are some people who think that at some time in the future, China may challenge us for supremacy in the Pacific, and therefore,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/there-are-some-people-who-think-that-at-some-time-in-the-future-china/)

[Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/)

> [The largest tax reduction in American history, one page tax form, reducing government spending. Those are all the keys to economic progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/the-largest-tax-reduction-in-american-history-one-page-tax-form/)

[Rudy Giuliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/)

> [The history of economic progress consists of charging a fee for what once was free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-joseph-pine-ii/the-history-of-economic-progress-consists-of-charging-a-fee-for-what/)

[B. Joseph Pine II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-joseph-pine-ii/)

> [We need more emphasis on linking jobs and economic progress with environmental issues, and not allowing environmentally damaging industries to be brought into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-robinson/we-need-more-emphasis-on-linking-jobs-and-economic-progress-with/)

[Mary Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-robinson/)

> [Economic progress, in capitalist society, means turmoil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-a-schumpeter/economic-progress-in-capitalist-society-means-turmoil/)

[Joseph A. Schumpeter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-a-schumpeter/)

> [The arts are an integral part of the city's economic progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-kain/the-arts-are-an-integral-part-of-the-city-s-economic-progress/)

[Karen Kain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-kain/)

> [ We understand that most of the middle class doesn't know what to do, doesn't feel like they have economic progress, and \[Hillary Clinton\] goes,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/we-understand-that-most-of-the-middle-class-doesn-t-know-what-to-do/)

[Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/)

> [Capitalism as a social order and as a creed is the expression of the belief in economic progress as leading toward the freedom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/capitalism-as-a-social-order-and-as-a-creed-is-the-expression-of-the/)

[Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/)

> [The Office of Community Development &amp; Rural Prosperity marks a crucial step in driving economic progress across our entire state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-burgum/the-office-of-community-development-rural-prosperity-marks-a-crucial/)

[Doug Burgum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-burgum/)

> [Everywhere, and at all times, economic progress has meant far more to the poor than to the rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/everywhere-and-at-all-times-economic-progress-has-meant-far-more-to/)

[Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/)

> [If economic progress is not translated into better quality of life and respect for citizens' rights, we will witness more Tahrir Squares in Africa.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-ibrahim/if-economic-progress-is-not-translated-into-better-quality-of-life/)

[Mo Ibrahim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-ibrahim/)

## More by John Kenneth Galbraith

> [Getting on the cover of TIME guarantees the existence of opposition in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/getting-on-the-cover-of-time-guarantees-the-existence-of-opposition/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [Technology means the systematic application of scientific or other organized knowledge to practical tasks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/technology-means-the-systematic-application-of-scientific-or-other/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [“Men can labor to make sense out of single steps toward the goal without ever pausing to reflect that the goal itself is ludicrous.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/men-can-labor-to-make-sense-out-of-single-steps-toward-the-goal/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [Consumer wants can have bizarre, frivolous, or even immoral origins, and an admirable case can still be made for a society that seeks to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/consumer-wants-can-have-bizarre-frivolous-or-even-immoral-origins-and/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [That one never need to look beyond the love of money for explanation of human behavior is one of the most jealously guarded simplification…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/that-one-never-need-to-look-beyond-the-love-of-money-for-explanation/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [Agriculture is one economic activity that does not obey the laws of demand and supply.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/agriculture-is-one-economic-activity-that-does-not-obey-the-laws-of/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [If we were not in Vietnam, all that part of the world would be enjoying the obscurity it so richly deserves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/if-we-were-not-in-vietnam-all-that-part-of-the-world-would-be/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [Washington is a place where men praise courage and act on elaborate personal cost-benefit calculations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/washington-is-a-place-where-men-praise-courage-and-act-on-elaborate/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [World War II revealed two of the enduring features of the Keynesian Revolution. One was the moral difference between spending for welfare and spending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/world-war-ii-revealed-two-of-the-enduring-features-of-the-keynesian/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [Money is what fueled the industrial society. But in the informational society, the fuel, the power, is knowledge. One has now come to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/money-is-what-fueled-the-industrial-society-but-in-the-informational/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [While it will be desirable to achieve planned results, it will be even more important to avoid unplanned disasters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/while-it-will-be-desirable-to-achieve-planned-results-it-will-be-even/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [A bad book is the worse that it cannot repent. It has not been the devil's policy to keep the masses of mankind in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/a-bad-book-is-the-worse-that-it-cannot-repent-it-has-not-been-the/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [Genius is a rising stock market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/genius-is-a-rising-stock-market/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [Mr. David Stockman has said that supply-side economics was merely a cover for the trickle-down approach to economic policy—what an older and less elegant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/mr-david-stockman-has-said-that-supply-side-economics-was-merely-a/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [Inventions that are not made, like babies that are not born, are rarely missed. In the absence of new developments, old ones may seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/inventions-that-are-not-made-like-babies-that-are-not-born-are-rarely/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

[Explore all 434 John Kenneth Galbraith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

## More Conservatism quotes

> [Conservatism is not about leaving people behind. Conservatism is about empowering people to catch up, to give them the tools at their disposable that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/conservatism-is-not-about-leaving-people-behind-conservatism-is-about/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [“Conservatism aims to maintain in working order the loyalties of the community to perceived truths and also to those truths which in their judgment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr-2/conservatism-aims-to-maintain-in-working-order-the-loyalties-of-the/)

[William F. Buckley Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr-2/)

> [Conservative feminism is such an artificial term that doesn't mean much to me. For me conservatism means accepting reality. I acknowledge that there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristina-schroder/conservative-feminism-is-such-an-artificial-term-that-doesn-t-mean/)

[Kristina Schroder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristina-schroder/)

> [Conservatism is affecting the way women perceive who they are in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/conservatism-is-affecting-the-way-women-perceive-who-they-are-in-the/)

[Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/)

> [Admirers can be a tremendous force for conservatism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/admirers-can-be-a-tremendous-force-for-conservatism/)

[Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/)

> [Conservatism defends those coercive arrangements which a still-lingering savageness makes requisite. Radicalism endeavours to realize a state more in harmony with the character of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/conservatism-defends-those-coercive-arrangements-which-a-still/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [Conservatism is about the basic rights of individuals. God created us. As far as the government goes, the Founding Fathers based the Constitution off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-wurzelbacher/conservatism-is-about-the-basic-rights-of-individuals-god-created-us/)

[Joe Wurzelbacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-wurzelbacher/)

> [A liberal is only a bundle of prejudices until he has mastered, has understood, experienced the philosophy of Conservatism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-acton/a-liberal-is-only-a-bundle-of-prejudices-until-he-has-mastered-has/)

[Lord Acton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-acton/)

> [“At the time, he told his children to watch themselves, to understand that the tides of conservatism came and went and if they could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/at-the-time-he-told-his-children-to-watch-themselves-to-understand/)

[Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/)

> [Conservatism is the worship of dead revolutions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clinton-rossiter/conservatism-is-the-worship-of-dead-revolutions/)

[Clinton Rossiter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clinton-rossiter/)

> [Weirdly, there have been a lot of critics of conservatism, but very few critics of innovation. As a culture, we are deeply paranoid about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/weirdly-there-have-been-a-lot-of-critics-of-conservatism-but-very-few/)

[Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/)

> [“It's almost hard to imagine anything more undemocratic than the view that political officials should not debate American wars in public, but only express…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/it-s-almost-hard-to-imagine-anything-more-undemocratic-than-the-view/)

[Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/)

> [The need of black conservatives to gain the respect of their white peers deeply shapes certain elements of their conservatism. In this regard, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-need-of-black-conservatives-to-gain-the-respect-of-their-white/)

[Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/)

> [Social and cultural change, however desirable, should not be effected by the engines of national power. Let us, through persuasion and education, seek to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-goldwater/social-and-cultural-change-however-desirable-should-not-be-effected/)

[Barry Goldwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-goldwater/)

> [If Theresa May is big enough to admit her mistakes and put a kinder Conservatism into the heart of her government, she may survive,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-soubry/if-theresa-may-is-big-enough-to-admit-her-mistakes-and-put-a-kinder/)

[Anna Soubry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-soubry/)

[Browse all 522 Conservatism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservatism/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "In the conventional wisdom of conservatives, the modern search for security is regularly billed as the greatest single threat to economic progress.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Kenneth Galbraith"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/in-the-conventional-wisdom-of-conservatives-the-modern-search-for/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Conservatism"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/in-the-conventional-wisdom-of-conservatives-the-modern-search-for/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26f/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_conservatism_in-the-conventional-wisdom-of-conservati_2810232.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26f/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_conservatism_in-the-conventional-wisdom-of-conservati_2810232.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26f/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_conservatism_in-the-conventional-wisdom-of-conservati_2810232.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In the conventional wisdom of conservatives, the modern search for security is regularly billed as the…” — John Kenneth Galbraith",
                "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": "John Kenneth Galbraith",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "In the conventional wisdom of conservatives,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/in-the-conventional-wisdom-of-conservatives-the-modern-search-for/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/in-the-conventional-wisdom-of-conservatives-the-modern-search-for/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
