---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can not be a conservative if you're…"
description: "\"You can not be a conservative if you're going to keep promoting new programs that you're not going to pay for.\" — Rand Paul"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b47/rand-paul-606_can-not_you-can-not-be-a-conservative-if-you-re_1798839.jpg"
---

#  You can not be a conservative if you're going to keep…

![“You can not be a conservative if you're going to keep promoting new programs that you're not going to pay for.” quote by Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b47/rand-paul-606_can-not_you-can-not-be-a-conservative-if-you-re_1798839.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b47/rand-paul-606_can-not_you-can-not-be-a-conservative-if-you-re_1798839.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b47/rand-paul-606_can-not_you-can-not-be-a-conservative-if-you-re_1798839.jpg)

> “You can not be a conservative if you're going to keep promoting new programs that you're not going to pay for.”

[Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/)

## About This Quote

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

Advocating policies without funding contradicts conservative fiscal principles.

**In simple terms:** Conservatives shouldn't fund what they don't pay for.

Key Takeaway

Align policies with personal financial responsibility.

Themes

fiscal responsibility politics policy consistency

Mood

critical skeptical

Type

political ideological

When to use this quote

- budget planning
- legislative proposals
- tax policy
- government spending

Key Concepts

conservatism public finance political integrity

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance ideology with practical funding?
- What costs arise from unfunded promises?

A Different Perspective

May ignore long‑term benefits of investment.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Can not](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/can-not/) [Conservative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservative/) [Conservative Going](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservative-going-942620/) [Going Promoting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-promoting-1438035/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [New Programs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-programs-679485/) [Pay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pay/) [Program](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/program/) [Promoting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promoting/) [Promoting New](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promoting-new-2014163/)

## Related quotes

> [Going out there and promoting myself socially doesn't really intrigue me. I'd much rather have my work do it for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kwanten/going-out-there-and-promoting-myself-socially-doesn-t-really-intrigue/)

[Ryan Kwanten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kwanten/)

> [I do understand that going out and promoting the movie is a big responsibility, and part of the reason they give me the job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-wahlberg/i-do-understand-that-going-out-and-promoting-the-movie-is-a-big/)

[Mark Wahlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-wahlberg/)

> [When the kids start to beat you, you might need to start going to promoting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-mosley/when-the-kids-start-to-beat-you-you-might-need-to-start-going-to/)

[Shane Mosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-mosley/)

> [I am a Conservative: I'm never going to be anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/i-am-a-conservative-i-m-never-going-to-be-anything-else/)

[Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/)

> [People are not going to reelect Barack Obama. But will the new president govern as a real conservative? We're going to have to apply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-forbes/people-are-not-going-to-reelect-barack-obama-but-will-the-new/)

[Steve Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-forbes/)

> [Anything that I actually do drink myself or I do actually use myself, I'm going to be into promoting it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-brown/anything-that-i-actually-do-drink-myself-or-i-do-actually-use-myself/)

[Melanie Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-brown/)

> [“The world will not be saved by old minds with new programs. If the world is saved, it will be saved by new minds—with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-quinn/the-world-will-not-be-saved-by-old-minds-with-new-programs-if-the/)

[Daniel Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-quinn/)

> [But active programming consists of the design of new programs, rather than contemplation of old programs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niklaus-wirth/but-active-programming-consists-of-the-design-of-new-programs-rather/)

[Niklaus Wirth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niklaus-wirth/)

> [There are so many people who are interested in classical music. Fortunately, I think many of them are quite young, so it's wonderful to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafal-blechacz/there-are-so-many-people-who-are-interested-in-classical-music/)

[Rafal Blechacz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafal-blechacz/)

> [When you start new programs there's always things you can't anticipate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-capuano/when-you-start-new-programs-there-s-always-things-you-can-t-anticipate/)

[Michael Capuano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-capuano/)

> [Portability is for people who cannot write new programs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-torvalds/portability-is-for-people-who-cannot-write-new-programs/)

[Linus Torvalds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-torvalds/)

> [If the world is saved, it will not be by old minds with new programs but by new minds with no programs at all.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-quinn/if-the-world-is-saved-it-will-not-be-by-old-minds-with-new-programs/)

[Daniel Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-quinn/)

> [I’m not for profiling people on the color of their skin or on their religion. But I would take into account where they've been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/i-m-not-for-profiling-people-on-the-color-of-their-skin-or-on-their/)

[Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/)

> [… Our lives are made in these small hours, these little wonders, these twists &amp; turns of fate. Time falls away, but these small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-thomas/our-lives-are-made-in-these-small-hours-these-little-wonders-these/)

[Rob Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-thomas/)

> [Our beliefs are like the unquestioned commands, telling us how things are, what's possible and what's impossible, what we can and can not do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/our-beliefs-are-like-the-unquestioned-commands-telling-us-how-things/)

[Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/)

## More by Rand Paul

> [I have a question, a question for the president: Do you hate all rich people, or just rich people who don't contribute to your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/i-have-a-question-a-question-for-the-president-do-you-hate-all-rich/)

[Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/)

> [I am encouraged President Obama now says he will fulfill his constitutional obligation to seek authorization for any potential military action in Syria. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/i-am-encouraged-president-obama-now-says-he-will-fulfill-his/)

[Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/)

> [I can tell you who's planning terroris attacks. The leaders of ISIL. And I can tell you where they're at. They're in Raqqa, Syria.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/i-can-tell-you-who-s-planning-terroris-attacks-the-leaders-of-isil/)

[Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/)

> [There comes a time, in the history of Nations when fear and forgetfulness cause a nation to hesitate, to waver and perhaps even to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/there-comes-a-time-in-the-history-of-nations-when-fear-and/)

[Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/)

> [As long as I sit at Henry Clay's desk, I will remember his lifelong desire to forge agreement, but I will also keep close…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/as-long-as-i-sit-at-henry-clay-s-desk-i-will-remember-his-lifelong/)

[Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/)

> [I believe people ought to be treated fairly under the law. I see no reason why if the marriage contract conveys certain things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/i-believe-people-ought-to-be-treated-fairly-under-the-law-i-see-no/)

[Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/)

> [I think that, most importantly, when I see issues of war, I see them in a personal vein, and I am reluctant to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/i-think-that-most-importantly-when-i-see-issues-of-war-i-see-them-in/)

[Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/)

> [I would have handled it differently than the mayor of Baltimore, that's for sure. I think it's a mistake to say, hey, guys, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/i-would-have-handled-it-differently-than-the-mayor-of-baltimore-that/)

[Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/)

> [We have to think before we act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/we-have-to-think-before-we-act/)

[Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/)

> [I would introduce and support legislation to send Roe v. Wade back to the states.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/i-would-introduce-and-support-legislation-to-send-roe-v-wade-back-to/)

[Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/)

> [President Obama, I think, wanted what was best for the country, but I think it didn't work well. I think we have the death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/president-obama-i-think-wanted-what-was-best-for-the-country-but-i/)

[Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/)

> [I think it's a mistake to downgrade and say surveillance is no big deal. It is a huge deal that we are collecting millions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/i-think-it-s-a-mistake-to-downgrade-and-say-surveillance-is-no-big/)

[Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/)

> [We need a revival in the country,” Paul said. “We need another Great Awakening with tent revivals of thousands of people saying, 'reform or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/we-need-a-revival-in-the-country-paul-said-we-need-another-great/)

[Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/)

> [We do not project power from bankruptcy court. We're borrowing a million dollars a minute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/we-do-not-project-power-from-bankruptcy-court-we-re-borrowing-a/)

[Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/)

> [I can use most of the tools that every American teenager can master. Maybe not all of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/i-can-use-most-of-the-tools-that-every-american-teenager-can-master/)

[Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/)

[Explore all 449 Rand Paul quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/)

## More Can not quotes

> [Our beliefs are like the unquestioned commands, telling us how things are, what's possible and what's impossible, what we can and can not do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/our-beliefs-are-like-the-unquestioned-commands-telling-us-how-things/)

[Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/)

> [… Our lives are made in these small hours, these little wonders, these twists &amp; turns of fate. Time falls away, but these small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-thomas/our-lives-are-made-in-these-small-hours-these-little-wonders-these/)

[Rob Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-thomas/)

> [ He \[Moliere\] pleases all the world, but cannot please himself. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-boileau-despreaux/he-moliere-pleases-all-the-world-but-cannot-please-himself/)

[Nicolas Boileau-Despreaux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-boileau-despreaux/)

> [Our great thoughts, our great affections, the truths of our life, never leave us. Surely they can not separate from our consciousness, shall follow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/our-great-thoughts-our-great-affections-the-truths-of-our-life-never/)

[William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/)

> [You can not kill that which is already dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-undertaker/you-can-not-kill-that-which-is-already-dead/)

[The Undertaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-undertaker/)

> [Yes I try to do everything I can not to fail hideously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-balaban/yes-i-try-to-do-everything-i-can-not-to-fail-hideously/)

[Bob Balaban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-balaban/)

> [You can not have significance in this life if it is all about you. You get your significance, you find your joy in life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tudor-jones/you-can-not-have-significance-in-this-life-if-it-is-all-about-you-you/)

[Paul Tudor Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tudor-jones/)

> [If we are true to ourselves, we can not be false to anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/if-we-are-true-to-ourselves-we-can-not-be-false-to-anyone/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [If I can not dance, I shall die!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-pavlova/if-i-can-not-dance-i-shall-die/)

[Anna Pavlova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-pavlova/)

> [I have looked at so many photographs, I can not see them anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-heizer/i-have-looked-at-so-many-photographs-i-can-not-see-them-anymore/)

[Michael Heizer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-heizer/)

> [I think that freely available software can not only keep up with the evolution of commercial software, but often exceed what you can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-torvalds/i-think-that-freely-available-software-can-not-only-keep-up-with-the/)

[Linus Torvalds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-torvalds/)

> [Hinduism is not just a faith. It is the union of reason and intuition that can not be defined but is only to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarvepalli-radhakrishnan/hinduism-is-not-just-a-faith-it-is-the-union-of-reason-and-intuition/)

[Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarvepalli-radhakrishnan/)

> [Whether or not storms come, we can not choose. But where we stare during a storm, that we can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/whether-or-not-storms-come-we-can-not-choose-but-where-we-stare/)

[Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/)

> [All earth's full rivers can not fillThe sea that drinking thirsteth still.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-rossetti/all-earth-s-full-rivers-can-not-fillthe-sea-that-drinking-thirsteth/)

[Christina Rossetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-rossetti/)

> [Nations are beginning to look to some vague organization, some nebulous course of humanity, to pay their bills and tell them what to do.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/nations-are-beginning-to-look-to-some-vague-organization-some/)

[Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/)

[Browse all 567 Can not quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/can-not/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "You can not be a conservative if you're going to keep promoting new programs that you're not going to pay for.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Rand Paul"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/you-can-not-be-a-conservative-if-you-re-going-to-keep-promoting-new/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Can not"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/you-can-not-be-a-conservative-if-you-re-going-to-keep-promoting-new/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b47/rand-paul-606_can-not_you-can-not-be-a-conservative-if-you-re_1798839.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b47/rand-paul-606_can-not_you-can-not-be-a-conservative-if-you-re_1798839.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b47/rand-paul-606_can-not_you-can-not-be-a-conservative-if-you-re_1798839.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“You can not be a conservative if you're going to keep promoting new programs that you're not going to pay for.” — Rand Paul",
                "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": "Rand Paul",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "You can not be a conservative...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/you-can-not-be-a-conservative-if-you-re-going-to-keep-promoting-new/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/you-can-not-be-a-conservative-if-you-re-going-to-keep-promoting-new/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
