---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Under the neoliberal worldview…"
description: "\"“Under the neoliberal worldview, governments exist in order to create the optimal conditions for private interests to maximize their profits and wealth..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04b/naomi-klein-1072_capitalism_under-the-neoliberal-worldview-governmen_2622809.png"
---

#  Under the neoliberal worldview, governments exist in order…

![“Under the neoliberal worldview, governments exist in order to create the optimal conditions for private interests to maximize their profits and wealth, based on the theory that the profits and economic growth that follow will benefit everyone in the trickle-down from the top - eventually.” quote by Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04b/naomi-klein-1072_capitalism_under-the-neoliberal-worldview-governmen_2622809.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04b/naomi-klein-1072_capitalism_under-the-neoliberal-worldview-governmen_2622809.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04b/naomi-klein-1072_capitalism_under-the-neoliberal-worldview-governmen_2622809.png)

> ““Under the neoliberal worldview, governments exist in order to create the optimal conditions for private interests to maximize their profits and wealth, based on the theory that the profits and economic growth that follow will benefit everyone in the trickle-down from the top - eventually.””

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Neoliberal policies prioritize profit over public good, assuming wealth trickles down, which often fails.

**In simple terms:** Profit‑first policies hurt many.

Key Takeaway

Question the profit‑first mindset.

Themes

economics politics inequality

Mood

critical analytical

Type

non‑fiction political

When to use this quote

- government budgeting
- social welfare

Key Concepts

neoliberalism public policy

Questions to Reflect On

- What alternatives exist for equitable growth?
- How does profit focus affect your community?

A Different Perspective

Assumes trickle‑down works universally.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Capitalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capitalism/) [Economic growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economic-growth/) [Neoliberal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neoliberal/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/)

## Related quotes

> [Journalism was being whittled away by a Wall Street theory that profits can be maximized by minimizing the product.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-baker/journalism-was-being-whittled-away-by-a-wall-street-theory-that/)

[Russell Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-baker/)

> [Governments exist to protect the rights of minorities. The loved and the rich need no protection: they have many friends and few enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/governments-exist-to-protect-the-rights-of-minorities-the-loved-and/)

[Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/)

> [“The crucial lesson of Brexit and of Trump’s victory, is that leaders who are seen as representing the failed neoliberal status quo are no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/the-crucial-lesson-of-brexit-and-of-trump-s-victory-is-that-leaders-2/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [Indeed the three policy pillars of the neoliberal age-privatization of the public sphere, deregulation of the corporate sector, and the lowering of income and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/indeed-the-three-policy-pillars-of-the-neoliberal-age-privatization/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [Since the 1980s, we've been living in this era, really, of corporate rule, based on this idea that the role of government is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/since-the-1980s-we-ve-been-living-in-this-era-really-of-corporate/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [“It was always about using these sweeping deals, as well as a range of other tools, to lock in a global policy framework that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/it-was-always-about-using-these-sweeping-deals-as-well-as-a-range-of/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [The very design of neoliberal principles is a direct attack on democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-very-design-of-neoliberal-principles-is-a-direct-attack-on/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [There are degrees of incompatibility, and there are more factors relevant to upholding democracy and human rights than the operation of neoliberal markets. Perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-a-falk/there-are-degrees-of-incompatibility-and-there-are-more-factors/)

[Richard A. Falk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-a-falk/)

> [ \[Ruling elie\] haven't given up on neoliberal ideology, they use it. And I think they've normalized that ideology, the notion that, for instance, that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/ruling-elie-haven-t-given-up-on-neoliberal-ideology-they-use-it-and-i/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [Within neoliberal narratives, youth are mostly defined as a consumer market, a drain on the economy, or stand for trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/within-neoliberal-narratives-youth-are-mostly-defined-as-a-consumer/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [There are three dominant tendencies in a neoliberal society: financialized, privatized, militarized. And when it comes to black poor people, we get all three.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/there-are-three-dominant-tendencies-in-a-neoliberal-society/)

[Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/)

> [“Given greater freedom about where to send their children, parents of a kind would flock together and so prevent a healthy intermingling of children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/given-greater-freedom-about-where-to-send-their-children-parents-of-a/)

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

> [“The wealth creators of neoliberal mythology are some of the most effective wealth destroyers the world has ever seen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/the-wealth-creators-of-neoliberal-mythology-are-some-of-the-most/)

[George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/)

> [“The pressures of the current neoliberal capitalist system of health care and its financing force health professionals into a double bind. Either they spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-holmes/the-pressures-of-the-current-neoliberal-capitalist-system-of-health/)

Seth Holmes

> [NGOs have a complicated space in neoliberal politics. They are supposed to mop up the anger. Even when they are doing good work, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/ngos-have-a-complicated-space-in-neoliberal-politics-they-are/)

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

## More by Naomi Klein

> [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [But we need to be very clear: because of our decades of collective denial, no gradual, incremental options are now available to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/but-we-need-to-be-very-clear-because-of-our-decades-of-collective/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [As I explored Trump's inextricable relationship with his commercial brand, and its implications for the future of politics, I began to see why so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/as-i-explored-trump-s-inextricable-relationship-with-his-commercial/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [It doesn't have the ability to think rationally this economic model. It thinks like a drug addict: 'Where can I get my next fix?'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/it-doesn-t-have-the-ability-to-think-rationally-this-economic-model/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [Fury is an entirely appropriate response to a system that sends young people to kill other young people in a war that never should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/fury-is-an-entirely-appropriate-response-to-a-system-that-sends-young/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [Since the 1980s, we've been living in this era, really, of corporate rule, based on this idea that the role of government is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/since-the-1980s-we-ve-been-living-in-this-era-really-of-corporate/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [We live in a society that is powered by fossil fuels, but for the meantime, we're in it. Maybe there's, like, five people living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/we-live-in-a-society-that-is-powered-by-fossil-fuels-but-for-the/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [I can tell you Donald Trump's products may not be made in America, but Donald Trump was made in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/i-can-tell-you-donald-trump-s-products-may-not-be-made-in-america-but/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [Africa is poor because its investors and its creditors are unspeakably rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/africa-is-poor-because-its-investors-and-its-creditors-are/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [“It is a civilizational wake-up call. A powerful message—spoken in the language of fires, floods, droughts, and extinctions—telling us that we need an entirely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/it-is-a-civilizational-wake-up-call-a-powerful-message-spoken-in-the/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [“You have been negotiating all my life.” So said Canadian college student Anjali Appadurai, as she stared down the assembled government negotiators at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/you-have-been-negotiating-all-my-life-so-said-canadian-college/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [There's a property in Panama where Trump has collected somewhere around $30 million just from selling his name to this property - it's somewhere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/there-s-a-property-in-panama-where-trump-has-collected-somewhere/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [When I went to Australia, I had this feeling, like, 'Wow, this is really a different country.' I think that feeling of genuine foreignness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/when-i-went-to-australia-i-had-this-feeling-like-wow-this-is-really-a/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [I think there has been this really bad habit of environmentalists being insufferably smug, where they are sort of saying, 'This is the issue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/i-think-there-has-been-this-really-bad-habit-of-environmentalists/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [GLHR... has used Greenpeace-style media antics to draw more public attention to the plight of sweatshop workers than the multimillion - dollar international trade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/glhr-has-used-greenpeace-style-media-antics-to-draw-more-public/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

[Explore all 291 Naomi Klein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

## More Capitalism quotes

> [Don't let's lose sight of what creates wealth. It is open markets, it is capitalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/don-t-let-s-lose-sight-of-what-creates-wealth-it-is-open-markets-it/)

[Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/)

> [Crony capitalism is essentially a condition in which... public officials are giving favours to people in the private sector in payment of political favours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/crony-capitalism-is-essentially-a-condition-in-which-public-officials/)

[Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/)

> [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/)

[Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/)

> [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/)

[Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/)

> [ Neither Italian fascism nor German national "socialism" have anything in common with such a \[Soviet socialistic\] society, primarily because private ownership of factories, plants,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/neither-italian-fascism-nor-german-national-socialism-have-anything/)

[Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/)

> [Corporations have nothing to do with values, and they know it, and sometimes say it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kierans/corporations-have-nothing-to-do-with-values-and-they-know-it-and/)

[Eric Kierans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kierans/)

> [Both fact and logic seem to me to support the view that savings invested in privately owned economic tools of production amount to an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-a-harper/both-fact-and-logic-seem-to-me-to-support-the-view-that-savings/)

F. A. Harper

> [The free market is ugly and stupid, like going to the mall; the unfree market is just as ugly and just as stupid, except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-free-market-is-ugly-and-stupid-like-going-to-the-mall-the-unfree/)

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

> [Capitalism, communism ... it's all garbage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mstislav-rostropovich/capitalism-communism-it-s-all-garbage/)

[Mstislav Rostropovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mstislav-rostropovich/)

> [There are no two countries with the same style of economic mechanism, with the same capitalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatoly-chubais/there-are-no-two-countries-with-the-same-style-of-economic-mechanism/)

[Anatoly Chubais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatoly-chubais/)

> [It is more than a little ironic that "capital accumulation" once a rather tendentious Marxian view of a supposed capitalist obsession, should have become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kuttner/it-is-more-than-a-little-ironic-that-capital-accumulation-once-a/)

[Robert Kuttner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kuttner/)

> [Historically, usury was defined as any interest whatever on an unproductive loan.Our whole banking system I have ever abhorred, I continue to abhor, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/historically-usury-was-defined-as-any-interest-whatever-on-an/)

[John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/)

> [Socialism is humanity's second nature. All politicians do is turn human vice into votes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/socialism-is-humanity-s-second-nature-all-politicians-do-is-turn/)

[Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/)

> [“Scholars have long debated whether capital markets lead to appropriate levels of saving and investment for future generations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-l-weimer/scholars-have-long-debated-whether-capital-markets-lead-to/)

David L. Weimer

> [“A car is one of the most interesting inventions, but driving is one of the most boring activities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/a-car-is-one-of-the-most-interesting-inventions-but-driving-is-one-of/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

[Browse all 3,832 Capitalism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capitalism/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Under the neoliberal worldview, governments exist in order to create the optimal conditions for private interests to maximize their profits and wealth, based on the theory that the profits and economic growth that follow will benefit everyone in the trickle-down from the top - eventually.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Naomi Klein"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/under-the-neoliberal-worldview-governments-exist-in-order-to-create/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Capitalism"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/under-the-neoliberal-worldview-governments-exist-in-order-to-create/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04b/naomi-klein-1072_capitalism_under-the-neoliberal-worldview-governmen_2622809.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04b/naomi-klein-1072_capitalism_under-the-neoliberal-worldview-governmen_2622809.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04b/naomi-klein-1072_capitalism_under-the-neoliberal-worldview-governmen_2622809.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Under the neoliberal worldview, governments exist in order to create the optimal conditions for private…” — Naomi Klein",
                "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": "Naomi Klein",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Under the neoliberal worldview, governments exist...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/under-the-neoliberal-worldview-governments-exist-in-order-to-create/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/under-the-neoliberal-worldview-governments-exist-in-order-to-create/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
