---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Government has no money of its own. All…"
description: "\"Government has no money of its own. All it does is take resources from one group and given them to another.\" — John Stossel"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b0/john-stossel-5146_doe_government-has-no-money-of-its-own-all-i_2584011.png"
---

#  Government has no money of its own. All it does is take…

![“Government has no money of its own. All it does is take resources from one group and given them to another.” quote by John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b0/john-stossel-5146_doe_government-has-no-money-of-its-own-all-i_2584011.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b0/john-stossel-5146_doe_government-has-no-money-of-its-own-all-i_2584011.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b0/john-stossel-5146_doe_government-has-no-money-of-its-own-all-i_2584011.png)

> “Government has no money of its own. All it does is take resources from one group and given them to another.”

[John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/)

## About This Quote

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

Government funds come from taxes, redistributing wealth from some citizens to others, rather than from its own revenue.

**In simple terms:** Governments collect taxes and give money to different groups.

Key Takeaway

Understand tax impact and demand fiscal transparency.

Themes

taxation redistribution government finance public policy economic equity

Mood

critical analytical

Type

political economic educational

When to use this quote

- budget planning
- public debate
- citizen advocacy
- policy analysis

Key Concepts

public finance fiscal policy wealth transfer

Questions to Reflect On

- How does tax redistribution affect economic growth?
- What alternatives exist to improve fiscal fairness?

A Different Perspective

Assumes all government spending is purely redistributive, ignoring debt financing and public services.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/)

## Related quotes

> [The government has no money of its own. It's all your money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/the-government-has-no-money-of-its-own-it-s-all-your-money/)

[Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/)

> [It is your tax which pays for public spending. The government have no money of their own. There is only taxpayers' money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/it-is-your-tax-which-pays-for-public-spending-the-government-have-no/)

[Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/)

> [Another strange notion pervading whole peoples is that the State has money of its own; and nowhere is this absurdity more firmly fixed than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/another-strange-notion-pervading-whole-peoples-is-that-the-state-has/)

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

> [When one is undone—sprawled across the cold tile of a public bathroom in a pool of one’s own vomit, or shivering in the back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aisha-tyler/when-one-is-undone-sprawled-across-the-cold-tile-of-a-public-bathroom/)

[Aisha Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aisha-tyler/)

> [Remember that government doesn't earn one single dollar it spends. In order for you to get money from the government, that money must first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ventura/remember-that-government-doesn-t-earn-one-single-dollar-it-spends-in/)

[Jesse Ventura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ventura/)

> [We are not spending the Federal Government's money, we are spending the taxpayer's money, and it must be spent n a way which guarantees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/we-are-not-spending-the-federal-government-s-money-we-are-spending/)

[Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/)

> [And I just think that we're at a point in our economic life here in our state - and - and, candidly, across the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-christie/and-i-just-think-that-we-re-at-a-point-in-our-economic-life-here-in/)

[Chris Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-christie/)

> [“That sounds like the sin of pride, Marshal. Better run downstairs and let Miss December flog it out of you. Webcam it and charge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-kadrey/that-sounds-like-the-sin-of-pride-marshal-better-run-downstairs-and/)

[Richard Kadrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-kadrey/)

> [Well private money can take risks in a way that government money often isn't willing to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/well-private-money-can-take-risks-in-a-way-that-government-money/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [Those who misspent the government's money, they should be arrested and locked up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jovenel-moise/those-who-misspent-the-government-s-money-they-should-be-arrested-and/)

[Jovenel Moise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jovenel-moise/)

> [Keep government out of the money of the people, schools of the people, and will of the people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/keep-government-out-of-the-money-of-the-people-schools-of-the-people/)

[Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/)

> [“The privilege of creating and issuing money is not only the supreme prerogative of Government, but it is the Government's greatest creative opportunity. By…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/the-privilege-of-creating-and-issuing-money-is-not-only-the-supreme/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [Social Security got passed because John D. Rockefeller was sick of having to take money out of his profits to pay for his workers'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-swartz/social-security-got-passed-because-john-d-rockefeller-was-sick-of/)

[Aaron Swartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-swartz/)

> [A federal government with enough money to buy iPads for local gym teachers is not a federal government that has been cut to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/a-federal-government-with-enough-money-to-buy-ipads-for-local-gym/)

[Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/)

> [ They engage in activities aimed at bringing them \[clients\] to Jesus. That's fine, but it shouldn't be done with government money. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-saperstein/they-engage-in-activities-aimed-at-bringing-them-clients-to-jesus/)

[David Saperstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-saperstein/)

## More by John Stossel

> [Fraud will always exist. Enforcement of anti-fraud laws is a useful deterrent, but in the end there's no substitute for investor vigilance. Government regulations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/fraud-will-always-exist-enforcement-of-anti-fraud-laws-is-a-useful/)

[John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/)

> [The welfare state has done to Black Americans what slavery (and Jim Crow and racism) could not have done. . .break up the black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/the-welfare-state-has-done-to-black-americans-what-slavery-and-jim/)

[John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/)

> [“If overpopulation or lack of resources created poverty, then Hong Kong should be poor. Hong Kong has 20 times as many people per square…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/if-overpopulation-or-lack-of-resources-created-poverty-then-hong-kong/)

[John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/)

> [But nothing is better than the market, where the customer and the business deal directly with each other, because if you rip people off,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/but-nothing-is-better-than-the-market-where-the-customer-and-the/)

[John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/)

> [The people who have the biggest passion for restricting other people's behavior are the very people we should worry about most. Unfortunately, they keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/the-people-who-have-the-biggest-passion-for-restricting-other-people/)

[John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/)

> [Happiness comes when we test our skills towards some meaningful purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/happiness-comes-when-we-test-our-skills-towards-some-meaningful/)

[John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/)

> [What I've learned in 40 years of consumer reporting is that the market is imperfect, and some people get ripped off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/what-i-ve-learned-in-40-years-of-consumer-reporting-is-that-the/)

[John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/)

> [Patrick Henry did not say, 'Give me absolutely safety or give me death.' America is supposed to be about freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/patrick-henry-did-not-say-give-me-absolutely-safety-or-give-me-death/)

[John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/)

> [Asking someone in the media about liberal bias is like asking a fish about water. 'Huh, what are you talking about? Where is it?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/asking-someone-in-the-media-about-liberal-bias-is-like-asking-a-fish/)

[John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/)

> [Government is so big today that more than half the population gets a major part of its income from the state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/government-is-so-big-today-that-more-than-half-the-population-gets-a/)

[John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/)

> [I'm an American. I'm for prosperity. I've discovered, from 40 years of reporting, that what creates prosperity is limited government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/i-m-an-american-i-m-for-prosperity-i-ve-discovered-from-40-years-of/)

[John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/)

> [“Cornelius Vanderbilt and his fellow tycoon John D. Rockefeller were often called 'robber barons'. Newspapers said they were evil, and ran cartoons showing Vanderbilt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/cornelius-vanderbilt-and-his-fellow-tycoon-john-d-rockefeller-were/)

[John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/)

> [A handful of people who probably never even ran a small business actually think they can reinvent the health care system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/a-handful-of-people-who-probably-never-even-ran-a-small-business/)

[John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/)

> [Freedom works, and government, when it grows beyond the barest minimum, keeps people poor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/freedom-works-and-government-when-it-grows-beyond-the-barest-minimum/)

[John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/)

> [“In 1999 the National Research Council concluded that 'the total exposure to naturally occurring carcinogens exceeds the exposure to synthetic carcinogens.'... The point was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/in-1999-the-national-research-council-concluded-that-the-total/)

[John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/)

[Explore all 102 John Stossel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/)

## More Doe quotes

> [So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self- satisfied; in fact, he can easily become dangerous, as it does not take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/so-the-fool-as-distinct-from-the-scoundrel-is-completely-self/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [I cannot forbid a person to marry several wives, for it does not contradict Scripture. MARTIN LUTHER, letter to Chancellor Gregory Brück, January 13,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/i-cannot-forbid-a-person-to-marry-several-wives-for-it-does-not/)

[Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/)

> [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [Sometimes a sign or a quote is simply interesting by itself and does not require anything beyond being framed on a page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/sometimes-a-sign-or-a-quote-is-simply-interesting-by-itself-and-does/)

[Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/)

> [A home is not a museum. It doesn't have to be furnished with Picasso paintings, or Sheraton suites, or Oriental rugs, or Chinese pottery.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/a-home-is-not-a-museum-it-doesn-t-have-to-be-furnished-with-picasso/)

[James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/)

> [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/)

> [He's a fool that marries; but he's a greater fool that does not marry a fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wycherley/he-s-a-fool-that-marries-but-he-s-a-greater-fool-that-does-not-marry/)

[William Wycherley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wycherley/)

> [Nothing old is ever reborn but neither does it totally disappear. And that which has once been born, will always reappear in a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvar-aalto/nothing-old-is-ever-reborn-but-neither-does-it-totally-disappear-and/)

[Alvar Aalto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvar-aalto/)

> [One of the things the United States does well is building coalitions. What the U.S. knows is that if you don't have a coalition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/one-of-the-things-the-united-states-does-well-is-building-coalitions/)

[Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/)

> [Preaching to the choir actually arms the choir with arguments and elevates the choir's discourse. There's a reason the right does it and does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/preaching-to-the-choir-actually-arms-the-choir-with-arguments-and/)

[Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [If Wall Street crashes, does Main Street follow? Not necessarily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bernanke/if-wall-street-crashes-does-main-street-follow-not-necessarily/)

[Ben Bernanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bernanke/)

> [It does not seem to me to be sufficiently recognized everywhere among the officials that the existence or non-existence of our people and Empire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-von-hindenburg/it-does-not-seem-to-me-to-be-sufficiently-recognized-everywhere-among/)

[Paul von Hindenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-von-hindenburg/)

Browse all 25,574 Doe quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Government has no money of its own. All it does is take resources from one group and given them to another.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Stossel"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/government-has-no-money-of-its-own-all-it-does-is-take-resources-from/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Doe"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/government-has-no-money-of-its-own-all-it-does-is-take-resources-from/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b0/john-stossel-5146_doe_government-has-no-money-of-its-own-all-i_2584011.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b0/john-stossel-5146_doe_government-has-no-money-of-its-own-all-i_2584011.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b0/john-stossel-5146_doe_government-has-no-money-of-its-own-all-i_2584011.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Government has no money of its own. All it does is take resources from one group and given them to another.” — John Stossel",
                "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 Stossel",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Government has no money of its...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/government-has-no-money-of-its-own-all-it-does-is-take-resources-from/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/government-has-no-money-of-its-own-all-it-does-is-take-resources-from/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
