--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We have built a government so large and…" description: "\"We have built a government so large and so expensive here in Washington that not even the richest economy in the history of mankind can afford it. That..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/126/marco-rubio-355_afford_we-have-built-a-government-so-large-and_453832.png" --- # We have built a government so large and so expensive here… ![“We have built a government so large and so expensive here in Washington that not even the richest economy in the history of mankind can afford it. That's how big it's gotten.” quote by Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/126/marco-rubio-355_afford_we-have-built-a-government-so-large-and_453832.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/126/marco-rubio-355_afford_we-have-built-a-government-so-large-and_453832.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/126/marco-rubio-355_afford_we-have-built-a-government-so-large-and_453832.png) > “We have built a government so large and so expensive here in Washington that not even the richest economy in the history of mankind can afford it. That's how big it's gotten.” [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote criticizes the unsustainable size and cost of government, suggesting even the wealthiest economies cannot support it. **In simple terms:** Government spending is too large and costly. Key Takeaway Advocate for fiscal responsibility. Themes government economics budget policy Mood concerned critical Type political policy When to use this quote - budget debates - policy reform - tax discussions Key Concepts fiscal sustainability public finance Questions to Reflect On - What reforms could reduce waste? - How to balance services with fiscal health? A Different Perspective Complex issues may require nuanced solutions beyond size reduction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Afford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afford/) [Big](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big/) [Built](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/built/) [Economy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economy/) [Even](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/even/) [Expensive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expensive/) [Expensive Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expensive-washington-3954510/) [Gotten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gotten/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Government Large](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government-large-280942/) [Here](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/here/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [How](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/how/) [Large](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/large/) [Large Expensive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/large-expensive-3329322/) [Mankind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mankind/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Richest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/richest/) [Richest Economy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/richest-economy-623545/) [The history of](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/the-history-of/) [Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/washington/) [Washington Richest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/washington-richest-1347859/) ## Related quotes > [“Purchasing a large and expensive home during a real estate boom turned into the biggest financial mistake that I ever made.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/purchasing-a-large-and-expensive-home-during-a-real-estate-boom/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“Washington was the richest man of his day. Whatever he did to help the business interests of the country helped him more than anybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/washington-was-the-richest-man-of-his-day-whatever-he-did-to-help-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [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/) > [We're the richest economy in the history of the world. For the majority of Americans not to get the benefits of this extraordinarily prosperous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reich/we-re-the-richest-economy-in-the-history-of-the-world-for-the/) [Robert Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reich/) > [“When the government becomes large and intrusive and feels that it has the right to as much of the resources owned by the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-carson/when-the-government-becomes-large-and-intrusive-and-feels-that-it-has/) [Ben Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-carson/) > [For more than two decades, I repeatedly voiced the mantra that — situated as we are virtually on the coastline of the world's richest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-seaga/for-more-than-two-decades-i-repeatedly-voiced-the-mantra-that/) [Edward Seaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-seaga/) > [“Don't envy what people have, emulate what they did to have it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-fargo/don-t-envy-what-people-have-emulate-what-they-did-to-have-it/) [Tim Fargo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-fargo/) > [If the U.S. is the richest country in the world, why is it also the most unequal?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-kasparian/if-the-u-s-is-the-richest-country-in-the-world-why-is-it-also-the/) [Ana Kasparian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-kasparian/) > [Facebook has become the richest and most powerful publisher in history by replacing editors with algorithms - shattering the public square into millions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-viner/facebook-has-become-the-richest-and-most-powerful-publisher-in/) [Katharine Viner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-viner/) > [Saturated fat is a fundamental building block for brain cells. It's certainly interesting to consider that one of the richest sources of saturated fat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-perlmutter/saturated-fat-is-a-fundamental-building-block-for-brain-cells-it-s/) [David Perlmutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-perlmutter/) > [“All my possessions for a moment of time. This was Queen Elizabeth I’s last words. Rest assured that he who has the longest time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/all-my-possessions-for-a-moment-of-time-this-was-queen-elizabeth-i-s/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [I intend to be, the richest man in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-hughes/i-intend-to-be-the-richest-man-in-the-world/) [Howard Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-hughes/) > [“Eschew evil and it's machinations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaachynma-n-e-agu/eschew-evil-and-it-s-machinations/) [Jaachynma N.E. Agu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaachynma-n-e-agu/) > [“You will get your father's wealth one day but not his legacy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/you-will-get-your-father-s-wealth-one-day-but-not-his-legacy/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [Yahoo! is committed to building the richest set of premium and personalized content experiences for our users.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-levinsohn/yahoo-is-committed-to-building-the-richest-set-of-premium-and/) [Ross Levinsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-levinsohn/) ## More by Marco Rubio > [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/) > [However, however, if the goal is to abandon America's free enterprise economy, if the goal is to convert America into a submissive member of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/however-however-if-the-goal-is-to-abandon-america-s-free-enterprise/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [The president we have today is a typical Washington politician that's prone to hyperbole and decisiveness and false outrage. And I think it's very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/the-president-we-have-today-is-a-typical-washington-politician-that-s/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [Donald Trump is not going to be the nominee, because we are not going to allow - people will wake up and we're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/donald-trump-is-not-going-to-be-the-nominee-because-we-are-not-going/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [My first job paid well for a young attorney. I was making over $50,000, which was more than either of my parents had ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/my-first-job-paid-well-for-a-young-attorney-i-was-making-over-50-000/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [My dad was a bartender. My mom was a cashier, a maid and a stock clerk at K-Mart. They never made it big. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/my-dad-was-a-bartender-my-mom-was-a-cashier-a-maid-and-a-stock-clerk/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [Now, look, it's true, Americans do want leaders that will come to Washington, D.C. and work together to get things done, but that comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/now-look-it-s-true-americans-do-want-leaders-that-will-come-to/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [I have been an underdog my whole life, both in life and in politics. We're going to do well. We're going to pick up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/i-have-been-an-underdog-my-whole-life-both-in-life-and-in-politics-we/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [Certainly being governor is an important job](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/certainly-being-governor-is-an-important-job/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [The conservative movement is about government playing its important yet limited role, and about not falling into the trap of believing that every problem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/the-conservative-movement-is-about-government-playing-its-important/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [The greatest thing that we can do for the world is be America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/the-greatest-thing-that-we-can-do-for-the-world-is-be-america/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [Our people want jobs. They don't want a safety net as a way of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/our-people-want-jobs-they-don-t-want-a-safety-net-as-a-way-of-life/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [I believe that every single human being is entitled to the protection of our laws, whether they can vote or not. Whether they can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/i-believe-that-every-single-human-being-is-entitled-to-the-protection/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [I don't measure success by how many buildings have my name on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/i-don-t-measure-success-by-how-many-buildings-have-my-name-on-it/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [Any time you can degrade or take away the top leadership of an organization, it's a positive step forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/any-time-you-can-degrade-or-take-away-the-top-leadership-of-an/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) [Explore all 649 Marco Rubio quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) ## More Afford quotes > [We can't afford any president to fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/we-can-t-afford-any-president-to-fail/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) > [Just because you can afford it doesn't mean you should buy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suze-orman/just-because-you-can-afford-it-doesn-t-mean-you-should-buy-it/) [Suze Orman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suze-orman/) > [I am not a Ph.D. in economics or a doctorate in literature that I can afford to take my singing lightly. Even if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailash-kher/i-am-not-a-ph-d-in-economics-or-a-doctorate-in-literature-that-i-can/) [Kailash Kher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailash-kher/) > [Now I'm having to live with sales of around 50,000 per album - but I'm pretty content with my place in the general scheme…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-knopfler/now-i-m-having-to-live-with-sales-of-around-50-000-per-album-but-i-m/) [David Knopfler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-knopfler/) > [I was lucky because I got so successful so early, and when you get successful early, then you can afford to be a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-von-furstenberg/i-was-lucky-because-i-got-so-successful-so-early-and-when-you-get/) [Diane von Furstenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-von-furstenberg/) > [I have crooked toes from wearing boots that didn't fit me because that's all I could afford as a kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lomu/i-have-crooked-toes-from-wearing-boots-that-didn-t-fit-me-because/) [Jonah Lomu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lomu/) > [The most common reason new mothers return to work sooner than they'd like to is because they can't afford to go without their salaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexa-von-tobel/the-most-common-reason-new-mothers-return-to-work-sooner-than-they-d/) [Alexa Von Tobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexa-von-tobel/) > [This fatigue can not afford to do](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israa-ali/this-fatigue-can-not-afford-to-do/) [ISRAA ALI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israa-ali/) > [A good player is a good player, it's just that we cannot afford signings that do not work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-dyche/a-good-player-is-a-good-player-it-s-just-that-we-cannot-afford/) [Sean Dyche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-dyche/) > [I'm not the most talented writer in the world. I know that. But I also know that I'm disciplined, that I work my butt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-b-coe/i-m-not-the-most-talented-writer-in-the-world-i-know-that-but-i-also/) [David B. Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-b-coe/) > [Unfortunately, some people go to a restaurant, and they aren't really there to enjoy themselves. They're there because they think they deserve to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dinicol/unfortunately-some-people-go-to-a-restaurant-and-they-aren-t-really/) [Joe Dinicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dinicol/) > [Nobody has so many friends that he can afford to lose one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/nobody-has-so-many-friends-that-he-can-afford-to-lose-one/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [My earliest memories were when my mom would put me in the plays that she was in because she couldn't afford a babysitter... she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-applegate/my-earliest-memories-were-when-my-mom-would-put-me-in-the-plays-that/) [Christina Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-applegate/) > [In Washington journalists can afford to live almost as well as people who work for a living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/in-washington-journalists-can-afford-to-live-almost-as-well-as-people/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [I'm a little bit tough because I can't afford to get my heart broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandi-glanville/i-m-a-little-bit-tough-because-i-can-t-afford-to-get-my-heart-broken/) [Brandi Glanville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandi-glanville/) [Browse all 784 Afford quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afford/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We have built a government so large and so expensive here in Washington that not even the richest economy in the history of mankind can afford it. 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