--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How can thinking people believe that a…" description: "\"How can thinking people believe that a government that cannot deliver the mail can deliver gas better than Exxon, Mobil, Texaco, Gulf, and the rest?\" —..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3a/milton-friedman-616_believe_how-can-thinking-people-believe-that-a-g_2868589.jpg" --- # How can thinking people believe that a government that… ![“How can thinking people believe that a government that cannot deliver the mail can deliver gas better than Exxon, Mobil, Texaco, Gulf, and the rest?” quote by Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3a/milton-friedman-616_believe_how-can-thinking-people-believe-that-a-g_2868589.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3a/milton-friedman-616_believe_how-can-thinking-people-believe-that-a-g_2868589.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3a/milton-friedman-616_believe_how-can-thinking-people-believe-that-a-g_2868589.jpg) > “How can thinking people believe that a government that cannot deliver the mail can deliver gas better than Exxon, Mobil, Texaco, Gulf, and the rest?” [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Criticizes government's inefficiency by comparing mail delivery to energy sector performance **In simple terms:** Government may be inefficient compared to private firms Key Takeaway Question government competence Themes skepticism politics efficiency Mood critical skeptical Type political analytical When to use this quote - voting decisions - policy debates - consumer choices Key Concepts public policy government failure energy markets Questions to Reflect On - What evidence supports government superiority? - How do regulatory constraints affect outcomes? A Different Perspective Private firms may also face challenges ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Believe Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-government/) [Better Exxon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-exxon-3911821/) [Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Deliver Gas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deliver-gas-3911822/) [Gas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gas/) [Gas Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gas-better-1015159/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Government Deliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government-deliver-900087/) [Mail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mail/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [Most people are fed up to the back teeth with the never-ending wrangle over Brexit. All they want is for a competent government to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-soubry/most-people-are-fed-up-to-the-back-teeth-with-the-never-ending/) [Anna Soubry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-soubry/) > [Natural gas is a better transportation fuel than gasoline, so if that's the case, it's cheaper, it's cleaner and it's a domestic resource.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-boone-pickens/natural-gas-is-a-better-transportation-fuel-than-gasoline-so-if-that/) [T. Boone Pickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-boone-pickens/) > [First of all, the idea that natural gas is better than coal is a lie, especially when it comes to fracking for natural gas.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-fox/first-of-all-the-idea-that-natural-gas-is-better-than-coal-is-a-lie/) [Josh Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-fox/) > [People want government to deliver - here and now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atal-bihari-vajpayee/people-want-government-to-deliver-here-and-now/) [Atal Bihari Vajpayee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atal-bihari-vajpayee/) > [Government can't deliver a free lunch to the country as a whole. It can, however, determine who pays for lunch. And last week the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/government-can-t-deliver-a-free-lunch-to-the-country-as-a-whole-it/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [Natural gas is better distributed than any other fuel in the United States. It's down every street and up every alley. There's a pipeline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-boone-pickens/natural-gas-is-better-distributed-than-any-other-fuel-in-the-united/) [T. Boone Pickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-boone-pickens/) > [I believe government should be loyal to parents, teachers and children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-watts/i-believe-government-should-be-loyal-to-parents-teachers-and-children/) [J. C. Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-watts/) > [You can't believe the government - on anything. 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A government has only one holy book - our Constitution. A government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/i-believe-that-a-government-has-only-one-religion-india-first-a/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [The modern day anarchists known as the Tea Party, they believe in no government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-reid/the-modern-day-anarchists-known-as-the-tea-party-they-believe-in-no/) [Harry Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-reid/) > [My most earnest wish is to see the republican element of popular control pushed to the maximum of its practicable exercise. I shall then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/my-most-earnest-wish-is-to-see-the-republican-element-of-popular/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [I believe that government should confine itself to the public realm and that it should be as stripped down as possible, within reason. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/i-believe-that-government-should-confine-itself-to-the-public-realm/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [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/) ## More by Milton Friedman > [The government solution to a problem is usually as bad as the problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/the-government-solution-to-a-problem-is-usually-as-bad-as-the-problem/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [I believe the role that people like myself have played in the transformation of public opinion has been by persistently presenting a different point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/i-believe-the-role-that-people-like-myself-have-played-in-the/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [To really understand something you've got to reduce it to its principles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/to-really-understand-something-you-ve-got-to-reduce-it-to-its/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [It is a mark of how far we have gone on the road to serfdom that government allocation and rationing of oil is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/it-is-a-mark-of-how-far-we-have-gone-on-the-road-to-serfdom-that/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [Economic freedom is an essential requisite for political freedom. 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The only power it has is to take from some and give to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/the-government-doesn-t-have-any-money-the-only-power-it-has-is-to/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [What would the people who sold us goods do with the money? They'd get dollars. What would they do with the dollars? Eat them?!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/what-would-the-people-who-sold-us-goods-do-with-the-money-they-d-get/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [World trade depends on differences among countries, not similarities. Different countries are in different stages of development. It is appropriate for them to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/world-trade-depends-on-differences-among-countries-not-similarities/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [Is there some society you know of that doesn't run on greed? 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