--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Permission from the government is an…" description: "\"Permission from the government is an expensive commodity. New ideas rarely have this kind of support. Old ideas often have deep legislative connections..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e5/lawrence-lessig-3201_commodity_permission-from-the-government-is-an-exp_2794416.png" --- # Permission from the government is an expensive commodity… ![“Permission from the government is an expensive commodity. New ideas rarely have this kind of support. Old ideas often have deep legislative connections to defend them against the new.” quote by Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e5/lawrence-lessig-3201_commodity_permission-from-the-government-is-an-exp_2794416.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e5/lawrence-lessig-3201_commodity_permission-from-the-government-is-an-exp_2794416.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e5/lawrence-lessig-3201_commodity_permission-from-the-government-is-an-exp_2794416.png) > “Permission from the government is an expensive commodity. New ideas rarely have this kind of support. Old ideas often have deep legislative connections to defend them against the new.” [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Government support is costly, favoring established ideas and hindering innovative proposals. **In simple terms:** Government favors old ideas over new ones. Key Takeaway Advocate for independent funding for innovation. Themes politics innovation policy Mood critical analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - startup funding - policy reform - grassroots advocacy - academic research Key Concepts Regulatory capture public goods Questions to Reflect On - How can innovators secure resources without political backing? - What mechanisms can democratize idea support? A Different Perspective Change often requires navigating entrenched interests. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Commodity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commodity/) [Connections](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/connections/) [Deep Legislative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deep-legislative-3402810/) [Expensive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expensive/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Government Expensive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government-expensive-753615/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Ideas Rarely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas-rarely-1845785/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [New ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-ideas/) [Old ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-ideas/) [Permission](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/permission/) [Permission Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/permission-government-3402809/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Support](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/support/) ## Related quotes > [It is a law of nature that everything run by the government will get more expensive and worse over time. Everything run by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/it-is-a-law-of-nature-that-everything-run-by-the-government-will-get/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [When something has to be done, do it! 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We gather our team in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-best/why-is-it-that-when-we-want-to-think-outside-the-proverbial-box-we/) [Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) ## More by Lawrence Lessig > [It's fine to talk about politics with people you agree with. But it is rude to argue about politics with people you disagree with.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/it-s-fine-to-talk-about-politics-with-people-you-agree-with-but-it-is/) [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) > [As I've indicated, most books go out of print within one year. The same is true of music and film. 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Freedom is about stopping the past, but we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/remember-the-refrain-we-always-build-on-the-past-the-past-always/) [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) > [Politics is that rare sport where the amateur contest is actually more interesting than the professional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/politics-is-that-rare-sport-where-the-amateur-contest-is-actually/) [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) > [But, like all metaphoric wars, the copyright wars are not actual conflicts of survival. Or at least, they are not conflicts for survival of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/but-like-all-metaphoric-wars-the-copyright-wars-are-not-actual/) [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) > [If the only way a library can offer an Internet exhibit about the New Deal is to hire a lawyer to clear the rights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/if-the-only-way-a-library-can-offer-an-internet-exhibit-about-the-new/) [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) > [Some blame the drug companies. I don't. They are corporations. Their managers are ordered by law to make money for the corporation. 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