--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Even if drugs are fully as destructive as…" description: "\"Even if drugs are fully as destructive as they are usually claimed to be, it is morally wrong and demonstrably more destructive for government to depri..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff9/l-neil-smith-3636_cost_even-if-drugs-are-fully-as-destructive-a_2004859.png" --- # Even if drugs are fully as destructive as they are usually… ![“Even if drugs are fully as destructive as they are usually claimed to be, it is morally wrong and demonstrably more destructive for government to deprive people of their unalienable, individual, civil, Constitutional, and human right to make an utter mess of their own lives. Since human beings are…” quote by L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff9/l-neil-smith-3636_cost_even-if-drugs-are-fully-as-destructive-a_2004859.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff9/l-neil-smith-3636_cost_even-if-drugs-are-fully-as-destructive-a_2004859.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff9/l-neil-smith-3636_cost_even-if-drugs-are-fully-as-destructive-a_2004859.png) > “Even if drugs are fully as destructive as they are usually claimed to be, it is morally wrong and demonstrably more destructive for government to deprive people of their unalienable, individual, civil, Constitutional, and human right to make an utter mess of their own lives. Since human beings are inclined to learn more from the mistakes they make, rather than from their triumphs, the right to fail, for individuals and groups alike, may be even more important than the right to succeed, and it must be fiercely protected at almost any cost.” [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Government should not deny individuals the right to make personal mistakes, even if those mistakes are harmful, because learning from failure is essential. **In simple terms:** Freedom to fail is vital. Key Takeaway Defend personal autonomy. Themes freedom government personal responsibility Mood defiant reflective Type political philosophical When to use this quote - policy debates - education - risk‑taking - personal development Key Concepts libertarianism right to fail self‑determination Questions to Reflect On - How does society benefit from allowing failure? - When should limits be set? A Different Perspective Balancing public health concerns with individual liberty is complex. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Drug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drug/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Human beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) [Human Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-right/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [Morally wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morally-wrong/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Triumph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/triumph/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/) ## Related quotes > [“We must take the money out of politics, and end psychopathic, self-destructive government and corporate madness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/we-must-take-the-money-out-of-politics-and-end-psychopathic-self/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [There is, however, one other human right which is infrequently mentioned but which seems to be destined to become very important: this is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/there-is-however-one-other-human-right-which-is-infrequently/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Every man, woman, and responsible child has an unalienable individual, civil, Constitutional, and human right to obtain, own, and carry, openly or concealed, any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/every-man-woman-and-responsible-child-has-an-unalienable-individual/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [And it is undeniably true that the greatest and most important right of a British subject is that he shall be governed by no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-warren/and-it-is-undeniably-true-that-the-greatest-and-most-important-right/) [Joseph Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-warren/) > [Wrong turns are as important as right turns. More important, sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/wrong-turns-are-as-important-as-right-turns-more-important-sometimes/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [It is important and right that all privileges of the law be ours, but it is vastly more important that we be prepared for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/it-is-important-and-right-that-all-privileges-of-the-law-be-ours-but/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [“...in the presence of God, it is less important who is right than what is right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-p-ching/in-the-presence-of-god-it-is-less-important-who-is-right-than-what-is/) [G.P. Ching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-p-ching/) > [I just feel it's important to do what's right and not necessarily what is right for you but right for everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmella/i-just-feel-it-s-important-to-do-what-s-right-and-not-necessarily/) [Carmella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmella/) > [When you're young, you want to convince everyone that you're right and they're wrong. As you get older, it's not important if you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gino-vannelli/when-you-re-young-you-want-to-convince-everyone-that-you-re-right-and/) [Gino Vannelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gino-vannelli/) > [Circumstances can be very important. 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I think it's very important to get it right, and I think it's good to question it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-meeker/i-love-data-i-think-it-s-very-important-to-get-it-right-and-i-think/) [Mary Meeker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-meeker/) > [The right question is usually more important than the right answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/the-right-question-is-usually-more-important-than-the-right-answer/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [It’s not important to be consistent, it’s important to be right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-davis/it-s-not-important-to-be-consistent-it-s-important-to-be-right/) [Al Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-davis/) > [Being kind is m0re important than being right. :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megz/being-kind-is-m0re-important-than-being-right/) Megz > [In a democracy, voting is a huge and most important right of a common man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pankaj-tripathi/in-a-democracy-voting-is-a-huge-and-most-important-right-of-a-common/) [Pankaj Tripathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pankaj-tripathi/) ## More by L. Neil Smith > [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Great men don't 'move to the center' - great men move the center!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/great-men-don-t-move-to-the-center-great-men-move-the-center/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [I suggest due process, speedy trials, and public hangings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/i-suggest-due-process-speedy-trials-and-public-hangings/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Guns cause crime like flies cause garbage!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/guns-cause-crime-like-flies-cause-garbage/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [I have a recurring daymare that when the Glorious People's SWAT Teams smash their way in, most of us - by which I mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/i-have-a-recurring-daymare-that-when-the-glorious-people-s-swat-teams/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [I'll remind you all, however, that for government, existence is a privilege, not a right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/i-ll-remind-you-all-however-that-for-government-existence-is-a/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [I propose a Constitutional Amendment providing that, if any public official, elected or appointed, at any level of government, is caught lying to any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/i-propose-a-constitutional-amendment-providing-that-if-any-public/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Victim disarmament types are sick, sick people, who'd rather see a woman raped in an alley and strangled with her own pantyhose than see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/victim-disarmament-types-are-sick-sick-people-who-d-rather-see-a/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Money, first and foremost, is a medium of communication, conveying the information we call 'price'. Government control of the money supply is censorship, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/money-first-and-foremost-is-a-medium-of-communication-conveying-the/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [A libertarian is a person who believes that no one has the right, under any circumstances, to initiate force against another human being, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/a-libertarian-is-a-person-who-believes-that-no-one-has-the-right/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [“...occasionally I like carrying raw steel to remind myself of an important lesson. The blade's an extension of the hand, the agent--no pun intended--of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/occasionally-i-like-carrying-raw-steel-to-remind-myself-of-an/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Thanks to guys like Boss Tweed, famous for saying, 'I don't give a damn who does the voting, as long as I do the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/thanks-to-guys-like-boss-tweed-famous-for-saying-i-don-t-give-a-damn/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Taxes are a barbaric remnant of ancient times in which early farmers, tied to the land, no longer able to roam freely, unable to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/taxes-are-a-barbaric-remnant-of-ancient-times-in-which-early-farmers/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [If conservatives really believed in individual liberty, as they endlessly claim and if they used both halves of their brains then they'd be libertarians.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/if-conservatives-really-believed-in-individual-liberty-as-they/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [You cannot force me to agree with you. You can force me to act as though I agree with you but then you'll have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/you-cannot-force-me-to-agree-with-you-you-can-force-me-to-act-as/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) [Explore all 125 L. Neil Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) ## More Cost quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I would borrow money all day long, if the cost of borrowing is less than the expected return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/i-would-borrow-money-all-day-long-if-the-cost-of-borrowing-is-less/) [Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/) > [I do not want to live at the cost of the life even of a snake. I should let him bite me to death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-to-live-at-the-cost-of-the-life-even-of-a-snake-i/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/) Jessica Yu > [ \[Photography is \] likewise even French impressionists. So the Sculls bought pop. It was politics, and they moved with it. And I think that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-winogrand/photography-is-likewise-even-french-impressionists-so-the-sculls/) [Garry Winogrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-winogrand/) > [What has drug addiction done for me? It's cost me my career, my fortune and basically my sex life when I found out I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbin-crosby/what-has-drug-addiction-done-for-me-it-s-cost-me-my-career-my-fortune/) Robbin Crosby > [I agreed a long time ago, I would not live at any cost. If I am moved or forced away from what I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-agreed-a-long-time-ago-i-would-not-live-at-any-cost-if-i-am-moved/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I believe that government is too large, costs too much, spends too much, and has too much regulatory power in our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-walberg/i-believe-that-government-is-too-large-costs-too-much-spends-too-much/) [Tim Walberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-walberg/) > [One reason for the tremendous increase in health-care costs in the U.S. is managerial neglect of the "hotel services" by the people who dominate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/one-reason-for-the-tremendous-increase-in-health-care-costs-in-the-u/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [They brought on someone who cost more than our stadium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-rodgers/they-brought-on-someone-who-cost-more-than-our-stadium/) [Brendan Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendan-rodgers/) > [When the government pays, health care's lack of affordability becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. In health care, as in other things, government is the high-cost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-kling/when-the-government-pays-health-care-s-lack-of-affordability-becomes/) [Arnold Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-kling/) > [“In your goals to go the extra mile, prepare to pay an extra cost. Excellence is to be exceptional, surpassing, more competent and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/in-your-goals-to-go-the-extra-mile-prepare-to-pay-an-extra-cost/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [First impressions are often the truest, as we find (not infrequently) to our cost, when we have been wheedled out of them by plausible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/first-impressions-are-often-the-truest-as-we-find-not-infrequently-to/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [The term 'cost shifting,' as I use it, refers to those items in a university's budget that used to be reimbursed by the federal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-term-cost-shifting-as-i-use-it-refers-to-those-items-in-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Beauty's a doubtful good, a glass, a flower, Lost, faded, broken, dead within an hour; And beauty, blemish'd once, for ever's lost, In spite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/beauty-s-a-doubtful-good-a-glass-a-flower-lost-faded-broken-dead/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) Browse all 3,987 Cost quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Even if drugs are fully as destructive as they are usually claimed to be, it is morally wrong and demonstrably more destructive for government to deprive people of their unalienable, individual, civil, Constitutional, and human right to make an utter mess of their own lives. 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