--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The trouble with the social-democratic…" description: "\"The trouble with the social-democratic state is that, when government does too much, nobody else does much of anything.\" — Mark Steyn" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d60/mark-steyn-1844_democratic_the-trouble-with-the-social-democratic-s_2217223.png" --- # The trouble with the social-democratic state is that, when… ![“The trouble with the social-democratic state is that, when government does too much, nobody else does much of anything.” quote by Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d60/mark-steyn-1844_democratic_the-trouble-with-the-social-democratic-s_2217223.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d60/mark-steyn-1844_democratic_the-trouble-with-the-social-democratic-s_2217223.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d60/mark-steyn-1844_democratic_the-trouble-with-the-social-democratic-s_2217223.png) > “The trouble with the social-democratic state is that, when government does too much, nobody else does much of anything.” [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When the state overreaches, individuals and private sectors withdraw effort, leading to collective stagnation **In simple terms:** Too much government leads to less private initiative Key Takeaway Encourage balanced governance and personal responsibility Themes government individualism public policy responsibility Mood critical analytical Type political sociological When to use this quote - Policy debates - community organizing - entrepreneurial ventures Key Concepts State overreach civic disengagement collective action Questions to Reflect On - How can we ensure government supports without stifling initiative? - What incentives motivate private action when state support wanes? A Different Perspective Overregulation can also protect vulnerable groups ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Democratic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democratic/) [Democratic State](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democratic-state-247498/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Government Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government-does/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Social Democratic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-democratic-1021868/) [State government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/state-government/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [Too much](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-much/) [Trouble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trouble/) [Trouble Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trouble-social-4802391/) ## Related quotes > [I grew up in a world where the social democratic state was the norm, not the exception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/i-grew-up-in-a-world-where-the-social-democratic-state-was-the-norm/) [Tony Judt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-judt/) > [The trouble with not being into social networking is that people think you're anti-social when you're only anti-networking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/the-trouble-with-not-being-into-social-networking-is-that-people/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [The United States government does not negotiate with terrorists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cofer-black/the-united-states-government-does-not-negotiate-with-terrorists/) [Cofer Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cofer-black/) > [I am convinced that we will never build a democratic state based on rule of law if we do not at the same time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/i-am-convinced-that-we-will-never-build-a-democratic-state-based-on/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [There’s no democratic state that’s not compromised to the very core by its part in generating human misery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilles-deleuze/there-s-no-democratic-state-that-s-not-compromised-to-the-very-core/) [Gilles Deleuze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilles-deleuze/) > [The fact is that you literally, by definition, cannot have a Jewish state and a democratic state and have a whole bunch of Palestinians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/the-fact-is-that-you-literally-by-definition-cannot-have-a-jewish/) [John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) > [I am challenging Ezer Weizman to accept the democratic state where both of us can live in this democratic state. What confederation? No. One…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasser-arafat/i-am-challenging-ezer-weizman-to-accept-the-democratic-state-where/) [Yasser Arafat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasser-arafat/) > [So Israel won't be a democratic state, so what.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-adelson/so-israel-won-t-be-a-democratic-state-so-what/) [Sheldon Adelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-adelson/) > [ In the history of this country \[USA\], the reason we have never developed a social democratic base, the way they have in Europe -… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-walsh-anglund/in-the-history-of-this-country-usa-the-reason-we-have-never-developed/) [Joan Walsh Anglund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-walsh-anglund/) > [People finally understood that the role of the social-democratic party rests on its conscious leadership of the mass struggle against the existing society, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosa-luxemburg/people-finally-understood-that-the-role-of-the-social-democratic/) [Rosa Luxemburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosa-luxemburg/) > [The thing now is to seem concerned in a vaguely social-democratic way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/the-thing-now-is-to-seem-concerned-in-a-vaguely-social-democratic-way/) [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) > [The primary social goal of both systems of political economy is for middle-aged men to attract good-looking younger women. Democratic capitalists believe that good-looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-north/the-primary-social-goal-of-both-systems-of-political-economy-is-for/) [Gary North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-north/) > [Democratic capitalism: A cooperative enterprise to earn enough money to buy enough Congressional influence to gain control over the government's guns so as to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-north/democratic-capitalism-a-cooperative-enterprise-to-earn-enough-money/) [Gary North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-north/) > [“The late Ralf Dahrendorf, an Anglo-German political scientist well placed to appreciate the scale of the changes he had seen in his lifetime, wrote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/the-late-ralf-dahrendorf-an-anglo-german-political-scientist-well/) [Tony Judt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-judt/) > [A social democratic party without deep roots in the working class movement would quickly fade into an unrepresentative intellectual sect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-jenkins/a-social-democratic-party-without-deep-roots-in-the-working-class/) [Roy Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-jenkins/) ## More by Mark Steyn > [Popular culture as a whole is popular, but in today's fragmented market it's a jostle of competing unpopular popular cultures. As the critic Stanley…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/popular-culture-as-a-whole-is-popular-but-in-today-s-fragmented/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [“The populations of wealthy democratic societies expect to have total choice over their satellite TV packages, yet think it perfectly normal to allow the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/the-populations-of-wealthy-democratic-societies-expect-to-have-total/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [For Al Gore and Paul Ehrlich and Co., whatever the problem, the solution is always the same. Whether it's global cooling, global warming, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/for-al-gore-and-paul-ehrlich-and-co-whatever-the-problem-the-solution/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [Sadly, a U.S. invasion of Iraq 'would threaten the whole stability of the Middle East' - or so Amr Moussa, secretary-general of the Arab…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/sadly-a-u-s-invasion-of-iraq-would-threaten-the-whole-stability-of/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [I don't think Donald Trump is a conservative. I think his line on China for example, that he's going to talk tough to China.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/i-don-t-think-donald-trump-is-a-conservative-i-think-his-line-on/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [A big chunk of Western civilization, consciously or otherwise, has given the impression that it's dying to surrender to somebody, anybody. Reasonably enough, Islam…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/a-big-chunk-of-western-civilization-consciously-or-otherwise-has/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [“But that's Islam in the third millennium: they want the certainties of seventh-century society with the conveniences of the twenty-first century.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/but-that-s-islam-in-the-third-millennium-they-want-the-certainties-of/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [The progressive Left can be in favor of Big Government or population control but not both. The mutual incompatibility is about to plunge Europe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/the-progressive-left-can-be-in-favor-of-big-government-or-population/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [“But in practice the lack of belief in divine presence is just as likely to lead to humans avoiding responsibility: if there's nothing other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/but-in-practice-the-lack-of-belief-in-divine-presence-is-just-as/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [No family of an American hostage has ever been prosecuted for paying a ransom for the return of their loved ones. The last thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/no-family-of-an-american-hostage-has-ever-been-prosecuted-for-paying/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [“America is now a land that rewards failure--at the personal, corporate and state level. If you reward it, you get more of it. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/america-is-now-a-land-that-rewards-failure-at-the-personal-corporate/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [Obama's Nobel Peace Prize is an exquisite act of condescension from Norwegians, a dog biscuit and a pat on the head to the American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/obama-s-nobel-peace-prize-is-an-exquisite-act-of-condescension-from/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [“You cannot wage a sustained ideological assault on your own civilization without grave consequences. We are approaching the end of the Anglo-American moment, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/you-cannot-wage-a-sustained-ideological-assault-on-your-own/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [“Almost by definition, secularism cannot be a future: it's a present-tense culture that over time disconnects a society from cross-generational purpose. Which is why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/almost-by-definition-secularism-cannot-be-a-future-it-s-a-present/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [Her Majesty's government is engaging not merely in Orwellian Newspeak but in self-defeating Orwellian Newspeak. The broader message it sends is that ours is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/her-majesty-s-government-is-engaging-not-merely-in-orwellian-newspeak/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) [Explore all 204 Mark Steyn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) ## More Democratic quotes > [There is plenty of time for Republicans to have a Macaca moment. But right now, as of October 17, 2014, the Republican Senate candidates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-continetti/there-is-plenty-of-time-for-republicans-to-have-a-macaca-moment-but/) [Matthew Continetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-continetti/) > [I am convinced that we will never build a democratic state based on rule of law if we do not at the same time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/i-am-convinced-that-we-will-never-build-a-democratic-state-based-on/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [In a democratic nation, power must be linked with responsibility, and obliged to defend and justify itself within the framework of the general good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/in-a-democratic-nation-power-must-be-linked-with-responsibility-and/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [The Only cure for nihilism is for liberal democratic societies - their electorates, their judiciary, and their political leadership- to insist that force is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/the-only-cure-for-nihilism-is-for-liberal-democratic-societies-their/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [Further more Yemen is leading pioneer in democratic practice, lots of brothers and friends testified on that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-abdullah-saleh/further-more-yemen-is-leading-pioneer-in-democratic-practice-lots-of/) [Ali Abdullah Saleh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-abdullah-saleh/) > [If Robert Heinlein is more to your taste than George Lucas: “If you are part of a society that votes, then do so. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-drum/if-robert-heinlein-is-more-to-your-taste-than-george-lucas-if-you-are/) [Kevin Drum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-drum/) > [But I don't think the Democratic Party is at eye level with the middle class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-i-don-t-think-the-democratic-party-is-at-eye-level-with-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We fight to defend our democratic ideals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-austin/we-fight-to-defend-our-democratic-ideals/) [Lloyd Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-austin/) > [I'm going to do everything I can to get myself elected, but that's not enough. I'm going to try to help move the Senate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-m-going-to-do-everything-i-can-to-get-myself-elected-but-that-s-not/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [While not widely reported, our victories in Iraq are plentiful. National elections, a democratic parliament and the drafting of a constitution are just some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gillmor/while-not-widely-reported-our-victories-in-iraq-are-plentiful/) [Paul Gillmor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gillmor/) > [The way I look at it is, cancer research is absolutely nonpartisan. Cancer is very democratic in the sense that it attacks people regardless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-koch/the-way-i-look-at-it-is-cancer-research-is-absolutely-nonpartisan/) [David H. Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-koch/) > [While living in America when I attended Harvard in the early 1970s, I saw for myself the awesome, almost miraculous, power of a people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benazir-bhutto/while-living-in-america-when-i-attended-harvard-in-the-early-1970s-i/) [Benazir Bhutto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benazir-bhutto/) > [As the longest serving Independent in the history of the United States Congress, as somebody who came into office by defeating an incumbent Democratic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/as-the-longest-serving-independent-in-the-history-of-the-united/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [The creatives, they want to connect with people. These artists, the clothing designers, they want to connect with people the same way that music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/the-creatives-they-want-to-connect-with-people-these-artists-the/) [Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/) > [It's important to recognize that expanding the circle of opportunity and increasing the democratic potential of our own society, as well as those across…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/it-s-important-to-recognize-that-expanding-the-circle-of-opportunity/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) [Browse all 2,850 Democratic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democratic/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The trouble with the social-democratic state is that, when government does too much, nobody else does much of anything.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mark Steyn" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/the-trouble-with-the-social-democratic-state-is-that-when-government/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Democratic" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/the-trouble-with-the-social-democratic-state-is-that-when-government/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d60/mark-steyn-1844_democratic_the-trouble-with-the-social-democratic-s_2217223.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d60/mark-steyn-1844_democratic_the-trouble-with-the-social-democratic-s_2217223.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d60/mark-steyn-1844_democratic_the-trouble-with-the-social-democratic-s_2217223.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The trouble with the social-democratic state is that, when government does too much, nobody else does much…” — Mark Steyn", "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": "Mark Steyn", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The trouble with the social-democratic state...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/the-trouble-with-the-social-democratic-state-is-that-when-government/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/the-trouble-with-the-social-democratic-state-is-that-when-government/#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 } } ] } ```