--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think a lot of programs, policies have…" description: "\"I think a lot of programs, policies have been put in place since 9/11, have prevented a 9/11-style attack. On the other hand, I think the threat has be..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee1/michael-mccaul-16498_attack_i-think-a-lot-of-programs-policies-have_1433622.jpg" --- # I think a lot of programs, policies have been put in place… ![“I think a lot of programs, policies have been put in place since 9/11, have prevented a 9/11-style attack. On the other hand, I think the threat has become greater, not lesser.” quote by Michael McCaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee1/michael-mccaul-16498_attack_i-think-a-lot-of-programs-policies-have_1433622.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee1/michael-mccaul-16498_attack_i-think-a-lot-of-programs-policies-have_1433622.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee1/michael-mccaul-16498_attack_i-think-a-lot-of-programs-policies-have_1433622.jpg) > “I think a lot of programs, policies have been put in place since 9/11, have prevented a 9/11-style attack. On the other hand, I think the threat has become greater, not lesser.” [Michael McCaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mccaul/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Security measures after 9/11 have reduced certain attacks but also created new vulnerabilities and complexities. **In simple terms:** Post‑9/11 policies improve safety but also raise new risks. Key Takeaway Balance vigilance with adaptability. Themes security policy risk management Mood cautious analytical Type political strategic When to use this quote - government planning - public safety - risk assessment - civil liberties - technology surveillance Key Concepts counterterrorism policy fatigue Questions to Reflect On - How can we ensure security without expanding risk? - What trade‑offs are acceptable in counterterrorism? A Different Perspective Measures may unintentionally increase threat surfaces. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attack/) [Become](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/become/) [Been](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/been/) [Greater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greater/) [Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hand/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [I think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-think/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lesser/) [Lot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lot/) [Other](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/other/) [Place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/place/) [Policies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/policies/) [Policy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/policy/) [Prevented](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prevented-237138/) [Prevented 11](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prevented-11-2764362/) [Program](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/program/) [Programs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programs/) [Put](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/put/) [Since](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/since/) [Style](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/style/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Think Threat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-threat-1496398/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Threat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threat/) [Threat Greater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threat-greater-5110423/) ## Related quotes > [There was no silver bullet that could have prevented the 11 September attacks. There was nothing demonstrating or showing that something was coming in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/there-was-no-silver-bullet-that-could-have-prevented-the-11-september/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [There was no silver bullet that could have prevented the 9/11 attacks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/there-was-no-silver-bullet-that-could-have-prevented-the-9-11-attacks/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [ I think it would be a threat \[Donald's Trump presidency\] to the conduct of our foreign policy and our position in the world at… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/i-think-it-would-be-a-threat-donald-s-trump-presidency-to-the-conduct/) [William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/) > [“It's a terrible thing, to think it might be me that would be the threat, that I could kill you with my love-but it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/it-s-a-terrible-thing-to-think-it-might-be-me-that-would-be-the/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [I think that I am a serious threat to anybody out there who is trying to get that medal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-gatlin/i-think-that-i-am-a-serious-threat-to-anybody-out-there-who-is-trying/) [Justin Gatlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-gatlin/) > [If I am a Republican shill, wouldn't you think I am the least amount of a threat to the president?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-gannon/if-i-am-a-republican-shill-wouldn-t-you-think-i-am-the-least-amount/) [Jeff Gannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-gannon/) > [Just like Sept. 11, only with nuclear weapons this time, that's the threat. I think that is the threat. I think it's just facing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bolton/just-like-sept-11-only-with-nuclear-weapons-this-time-that-s-the/) [John Bolton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bolton/) > [If you get rid of emotion for a minute and think about the threat of terrorism statistically, it's not even there. The probability that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pavel-durov/if-you-get-rid-of-emotion-for-a-minute-and-think-about-the-threat-of/) [Pavel Durov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pavel-durov/) > [I don't think there's anything, any threat out there today that anyone can point to, that justifies placing an entire population under mass surveillance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/i-don-t-think-there-s-anything-any-threat-out-there-today-that-anyone/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [I've been pretty clear about saying that I think that the No. 1 threat to our national security is our debt. And we've got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mullen/i-ve-been-pretty-clear-about-saying-that-i-think-that-the-no-1-threat/) [Michael Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mullen/) > [“Nothing could have been prevented. But still you know that somehow something wasn't watching. Something let attention lapse, releasing everything that follows, as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-smartt-bell/nothing-could-have-been-prevented-but-still-you-know-that-somehow/) [Madison Smartt Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-smartt-bell/) > [Climate change is not going to be prevented. It's not even going to be mitigated to the degree a rational person would want. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-jamieson/climate-change-is-not-going-to-be-prevented-it-s-not-even-going-to-be/) [Dale Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-jamieson/) > [Impossibility never prevented anything from happening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errico-malatesta/impossibility-never-prevented-anything-from-happening/) [Errico Malatesta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errico-malatesta/) > [A man can be prevented from breaking into other persons' houses by shutting him up, but shutting him up may not alter his disposition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/a-man-can-be-prevented-from-breaking-into-other-persons-houses-by/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [The events which can not be prevented, must be directed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/klemens-von-metternich/the-events-which-can-not-be-prevented-must-be-directed/) [Klemens von Metternich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/klemens-von-metternich/) ## More by Michael McCaul > [Currently, the United States provides 22 percent of the U.N. annual budgets, over $900 million in fiscal year 2007, and some of that funding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mccaul/currently-the-united-states-provides-22-percent-of-the-u-n-annual/) [Michael McCaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mccaul/) > [Last week, the House of Representatives passed a resolution honoring the victims and heroes of September 11th. As we commemorate the anniversary of 9-11,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mccaul/last-week-the-house-of-representatives-passed-a-resolution-honoring/) [Michael McCaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mccaul/) > [Our farmers and ranchers have never faced as many problems as they do today with drought, range fires, high gas prices and an ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mccaul/our-farmers-and-ranchers-have-never-faced-as-many-problems-as-they-do/) [Michael McCaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mccaul/) > [We're making it more difficult to obtain the necessary ingredients to produce meth and tightening criminal penalties for those who deal in this dangerous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mccaul/we-re-making-it-more-difficult-to-obtain-the-necessary-ingredients-to/) [Michael McCaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mccaul/) > [Over the past year, several cases of human rights abuses, specifically sexual exploitation and abuse, by individuals involved in U.N. peacekeeping operations have raised…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mccaul/over-the-past-year-several-cases-of-human-rights-abuses-specifically/) [Michael McCaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mccaul/) > [In my home State of Texas, the Port of Houston operates as the United States' top port for foreign tonnage and our second largest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mccaul/in-my-home-state-of-texas-the-port-of-houston-operates-as-the-united/) [Michael McCaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mccaul/) > [Any Human Rights Council reform that allows countries that sponsor terrorism to remain as members, such as Cuba, is not real reform. And in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mccaul/any-human-rights-council-reform-that-allows-countries-that-sponsor/) [Michael McCaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mccaul/) > [I think drones are a good tool to go after high-valued targets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mccaul/i-think-drones-are-a-good-tool-to-go-after-high-valued-targets/) [Michael McCaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mccaul/) > [Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid tried to pass a proposed omnibus budget bill with 6,714 earmarks worth $8.3 billion, but pulled it after Americans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mccaul/senate-majority-leader-harry-reid-tried-to-pass-a-proposed-omnibus/) [Michael McCaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mccaul/) > [Meth is too easy to make, and unfortunately right now all the ingredients need to make this highly addictive drug are legal and readily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mccaul/meth-is-too-easy-to-make-and-unfortunately-right-now-all-the/) [Michael McCaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mccaul/) > [Texas has been hit especially hard this year by a continuing drought, threatening high winds and increasingly destructive range fires. Simply, these conditions have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mccaul/texas-has-been-hit-especially-hard-this-year-by-a-continuing-drought/) [Michael McCaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mccaul/) > [I would argue it should be a policy to defeat ISIS where they are, where they exist and prevent them from coming into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mccaul/i-would-argue-it-should-be-a-policy-to-defeat-isis-where-they-are/) [Michael McCaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mccaul/) > [In the Steven F. 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The kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/the-unforgiven-tell-me-if-you-ve-ever-had-to-deal-with-these-kinds-of/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [When I hit bottom, I can attack the problem and get to where I want to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-rodman/when-i-hit-bottom-i-can-attack-the-problem-and-get-to-where-i-want-to/) [Dennis Rodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-rodman/) > [It was both necessary and desirable for us to be so strong at sea that no Sea Power could attack us without risk, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-von-bulow/it-was-both-necessary-and-desirable-for-us-to-be-so-strong-at-sea/) [Bernhard von Bulow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-von-bulow/) > [The best way to counter-attack a hater is to make it blatantly obvious that their attack has had no impact on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-ferriss/the-best-way-to-counter-attack-a-hater-is-to-make-it-blatantly/) [Tim Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-ferriss/) > [President Obama has never summarized the Obama Doctrine with such clarity, but here is what it would look like: 'I will undertake any military…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/president-obama-has-never-summarized-the-obama-doctrine-with-such/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [Everything has got a place in my house. If something is moved I get a panic attack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rylan-clark-neal/everything-has-got-a-place-in-my-house-if-something-is-moved-i-get-a/) [Rylan Clark-Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rylan-clark-neal/) > [I mean, it's not just the rappers, you know what i'm saying? People want to attack anybody that's a large figure, you know what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-notorious-b-i-g/i-mean-it-s-not-just-the-rappers-you-know-what-i-m-saying-people-want/) [The Notorious B.I.G](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-notorious-b-i-g/) > [Sometimes when you take a tough action against one side in the conflict, they see you as part of the conflict and they attack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/sometimes-when-you-take-a-tough-action-against-one-side-in-the/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [“Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/hence-when-able-to-attack-we-must-seem-unable-when-using-our-forces/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [Free speech has a very small constituency on the modern campus, particularly if the speaker under attack is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-leo/free-speech-has-a-very-small-constituency-on-the-modern-campus/) [John Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-leo/) > [Daniil is a player who will not give you many chances to attack. If I have enough power and choose the right moment, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrey-rublev/daniil-is-a-player-who-will-not-give-you-many-chances-to-attack-if-i/) [Andrey Rublev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrey-rublev/) > [Distributed ledgers are inherently harder to attack because instead of a single database, there are multiple shared copies of the same database, so a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-walport/distributed-ledgers-are-inherently-harder-to-attack-because-instead/) [Mark Walport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-walport/) > [Attack life. It's going to kill you anyways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/attack-life-it-s-going-to-kill-you-anyways/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For those of us in the political business, generally, it's been pretty much an unwritten but understood rule that family and children are out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-nutter/for-those-of-us-in-the-political-business-generally-it-s-been-pretty/) [Michael Nutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-nutter/) [Browse all 1,074 Attack quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attack/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think a lot of programs, policies have been put in place since 9/11, have prevented a 9/11-style attack. 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