---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In response to a suggestion that total…"
description: "\"In response to a suggestion that total free trade would end in cheaper foreign products flooding the market and causing unemployment.\" — Milton Friedman"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fb/milton-friedman-616_cheaper_in-response-to-a-suggestion-that-total-f_1637532.png"
---

#  In response to a suggestion that total free trade would…

![“In response to a suggestion that total free trade would end in cheaper foreign products flooding the market and causing unemployment.” quote by Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fb/milton-friedman-616_cheaper_in-response-to-a-suggestion-that-total-f_1637532.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fb/milton-friedman-616_cheaper_in-response-to-a-suggestion-that-total-f_1637532.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fb/milton-friedman-616_cheaper_in-response-to-a-suggestion-that-total-f_1637532.png)

> “In response to a suggestion that total free trade would end in cheaper foreign products flooding the market and causing unemployment.”

[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.

Free trade lowers prices but may cause job loss; policy must balance benefits and harms.

**In simple terms:** Trade benefits consumers, harms some workers.

Key Takeaway

Consider tradeoffs.

Themes

economics policy globalization

Mood

analytical balanced

Type

economic political

When to use this quote

- government regulation
- industry strategy
- consumer pricing

Key Concepts

comparative advantage labor displacement

Questions to Reflect On

- What measures protect displaced workers?
- How to ensure fair competition?

A Different Perspective

Protectionism can hurt economies.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Causing Unemployment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causing-unemployment-538606/) [Cheaper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheaper/) [China](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/china/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Flooding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flooding/) [Free trade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-trade/) [Market Causing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/market-causing-538607/) [Products](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/products/) [Response](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/response/) [Suggestions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suggestions/) [Trade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trade/) [Trade End](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trade-end-538608/) [Unemployment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unemployment/)

## Related quotes

> [“Trade it out so in the end everyone got something, and the better dealmaker got a little more.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/trade-it-out-so-in-the-end-everyone-got-something-and-the-better/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

> [The great danger to the consumer is the monopoly -whether private or governmental. His most effective protection is free competition at home and free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/the-great-danger-to-the-consumer-is-the-monopoly-whether-private-or/)

[Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/)

> [Complete free trade is not politically feasible. Why? Because it's only in the general interest and in no one's special interest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/complete-free-trade-is-not-politically-feasible-why-because-it-s-only/)

[Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/)

> [“You cannot simultaneously have free immigration and a welfare state. ... I am in favor of the unilateral reduction of tariffs, but the movement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/you-cannot-simultaneously-have-free-immigration-and-a-welfare-state-i/)

[Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/)

> [“Well first of all, tell me: Is there some society you know that doesn’t run on greed? You think Russia doesn’t run on greed?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/well-first-of-all-tell-me-is-there-some-society-you-know-that-doesn-t/)

[Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/)

> [A silence is needed before death, before life, before love. If you love a person you sit silently with the person. You would not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/a-silence-is-needed-before-death-before-life-before-love-if-you-love/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [In India, the poverty is so vast that the state cannot control it. It can beat people, but it can't prevent the poor from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/in-india-the-poverty-is-so-vast-that-the-state-cannot-control-it-it/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [“We can't always be the bridge. Sometimes we have to be the flooding river.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-weikel/we-can-t-always-be-the-bridge-sometimes-we-have-to-be-the-flooding/)

[K. Weikel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-weikel/)

> [Bashar Assad is a major cause of the refugees which are now flooding Europe and causing such consternation in the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/bashar-assad-is-a-major-cause-of-the-refugees-which-are-now-flooding/)

[John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/)

> [A convention is a social pattern we have chosen to prefer over whatever the raw world simply proffers. It is a sign of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-bartlett-giamatti/a-convention-is-a-social-pattern-we-have-chosen-to-prefer-over/)

[A. Bartlett Giamatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-bartlett-giamatti/)

> [People in low-lying countries like Bangladesh with almost 140 million people who are managing to feed themselves, whose carbon emissions can't really be calculated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/people-in-low-lying-countries-like-bangladesh-with-almost-140-million/)

[Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/)

> [“A lot of disabled people probably died in hurricane Ian.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/a-lot-of-disabled-people-probably-died-in-hurricane-ian/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [To everyone out there with no power, flooding and damage I hope you are safe and things get better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-everyone-out-there-with-no-power-flooding-and-damage-i-hope-you/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The seasons, like greater tides, ebb and flow across the continents. Spring advances up the United States at the average rate of about fifteen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-way-teale/the-seasons-like-greater-tides-ebb-and-flow-across-the-continents/)

[Edwin Way Teale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-way-teale/)

> [Protecting dozens of major coastal cities from future flooding will be challenging enough-rebuilding major coastal cities destroyed by super-hurricanes will be an almost impossible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-romm/protecting-dozens-of-major-coastal-cities-from-future-flooding-will/)

[Joseph J. Romm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-romm/)

## 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. By enabling people to cooperate with one another without coercion or central direction, it reduces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/economic-freedom-is-an-essential-requisite-for-political-freedom-by/)

[Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/)

> [“The people in one district can choose not to reelect their member of Congress, but that will not change the composition of the government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/the-people-in-one-district-can-choose-not-to-reelect-their-member-of/)

[Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/)

> [When you have a time of crisis what happens depends on what ideas are floating around, and what ideas have been developed, and thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/when-you-have-a-time-of-crisis-what-happens-depends-on-what-ideas-are/)

[Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/)

> [The government doesn't have any money. 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? You think Russia doesn't run on greed? You think China doesn't run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/is-there-some-society-you-know-of-that-doesn-t-run-on-greed-you-think/)

[Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/)

> [Well first of all, tell me, is there some society you know of that doesn't run on greed? You think Russia doesn't run on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/well-first-of-all-tell-me-is-there-some-society-you-know-of-that/)

[Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/)

> [I think almost every economist would agree that government gets itself in trouble when it tries to interfere with voluntary behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/i-think-almost-every-economist-would-agree-that-government-gets/)

[Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/)

> [It is most attractive about the US to people and countries with wealth is that it can provide security, insurance really, against political instability.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/it-is-most-attractive-about-the-us-to-people-and-countries-with/)

[Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/)

> [Hong Kong is the bellwether. If the Chinese stick to their agreement to let Hong Kong go its own path, then China will also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/hong-kong-is-the-bellwether-if-the-chinese-stick-to-their-agreement/)

[Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/)

[Explore all 444 Milton Friedman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/)

## More Cheaper quotes

> [The machines need to get faster. They need to get cheaper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/the-machines-need-to-get-faster-they-need-to-get-cheaper/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [If you're angry, you don't have to write a poem dealing with the cause of your anger. But it needs to be an angry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-asher/if-you-re-angry-you-don-t-have-to-write-a-poem-dealing-with-the-cause/)

[Jay Asher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-asher/)

> [For many oppositional movements, the Internet, while providing the opportunity to distribute information more quickly and cheaper, may have actually made their struggle more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/for-many-oppositional-movements-the-internet-while-providing-the/)

[Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/)

> [ We have the ability to take him \[President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez\] out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-robertson/we-have-the-ability-to-take-him-president-of-venezuela-hugo-chavez/)

[Pat Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-robertson/)

> [The smaller &amp; cheaper the pleasure, ¦the more richer you are!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/biman-gandhi/the-smaller-cheaper-the-pleasure-the-more-richer-you-are/)

[Biman Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/biman-gandhi/)

> [I don't really pay too much attention to designers, I know what I like and I just try to find it, and I always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bethany-cosentino/i-don-t-really-pay-too-much-attention-to-designers-i-know-what-i-like/)

[Bethany Cosentino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bethany-cosentino/)

> [There's a myth that free-to-play is cheaper than a $60 game. It's just elastic. For some users, it winds up being a lot more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-lasky/there-s-a-myth-that-free-to-play-is-cheaper-than-a-60-game-it-s-just/)

[Mitch Lasky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-lasky/)

> [I have a constant kind of soundtrack going on at all times. I almost always have a song in my head. I'm very musically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-davie/i-have-a-constant-kind-of-soundtrack-going-on-at-all-times-i-almost/)

[Erin Davie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-davie/)

> [ \[On President Bush's plan to get to Mars in 10 years\] Stupid. Robots would do a better job and be much cheaper because you… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/on-president-bush-s-plan-to-get-to-mars-in-10-years-stupid-robots/)

[Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/)

> [I thought to spend my declining years writing poetry and teaching - but that won't pay the Bergdorf's bill. I think I'll move to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/i-thought-to-spend-my-declining-years-writing-poetry-and-teaching-but/)

[Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/)

> [You don't make houses cheaper by making them more expensive to build.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-baillieu/you-don-t-make-houses-cheaper-by-making-them-more-expensive-to-build/)

[Ted Baillieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-baillieu/)

> [I buy my produce at the local farmer's market, which is actually cheaper than shopping at the grocery store.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-getty/i-buy-my-produce-at-the-local-farmer-s-market-which-is-actually/)

[Anna Getty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-getty/)

> [We've begun to long for the pitter-patter of little feet - so we bought a dog. Well, it's cheaper, and you get more feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-rudner/we-ve-begun-to-long-for-the-pitter-patter-of-little-feet-so-we-bought/)

[Rita Rudner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-rudner/)

> [Used books are the sluts of the literary world. Passed around from person to person, spreading their pages for anyone, getting cheaper and cheaper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/used-books-are-the-sluts-of-the-literary-world-passed-around-from/)

[Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/)

> [Try to find if something out there is similar. If it's already being done, now you need to find out if you can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-johnson/try-to-find-if-something-out-there-is-similar-if-it-s-already-being/)

[Cameron Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-johnson/)

[Browse all 411 Cheaper quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheaper/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "In response to a suggestion that total free trade would end in cheaper foreign products flooding the market and causing unemployment.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Milton Friedman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/in-response-to-a-suggestion-that-total-free-trade-would-end-in/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Cheaper"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/in-response-to-a-suggestion-that-total-free-trade-would-end-in/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fb/milton-friedman-616_cheaper_in-response-to-a-suggestion-that-total-f_1637532.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fb/milton-friedman-616_cheaper_in-response-to-a-suggestion-that-total-f_1637532.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fb/milton-friedman-616_cheaper_in-response-to-a-suggestion-that-total-f_1637532.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In response to a suggestion that total free trade would end in cheaper foreign products flooding the market…” — Milton Friedman",
                "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": "Milton Friedman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "In response to a suggestion that...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/in-response-to-a-suggestion-that-total-free-trade-would-end-in/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/in-response-to-a-suggestion-that-total-free-trade-would-end-in/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
