--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Private enterprise cannot rebuild the…" description: "\"Private enterprise cannot rebuild the nation's infrastructure or keep our research institutions vibrant. Government must do what only it can do.\" — Ric..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/483/richard-cohen-5202_business_private-enterprise-cannot-rebuild-the-na_2840053.jpg" --- # Private enterprise cannot rebuild the nation's… ![“Private enterprise cannot rebuild the nation's infrastructure or keep our research institutions vibrant. Government must do what only it can do.” quote by Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/483/richard-cohen-5202_business_private-enterprise-cannot-rebuild-the-na_2840053.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/483/richard-cohen-5202_business_private-enterprise-cannot-rebuild-the-na_2840053.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/483/richard-cohen-5202_business_private-enterprise-cannot-rebuild-the-na_2840053.jpg) > “Private enterprise cannot rebuild the nation's infrastructure or keep our research institutions vibrant. Government must do what only it can do.” [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Government uniquely handles large‑scale infrastructure and research, while private enterprise cannot replace these functions. **In simple terms:** Government must lead on national infrastructure and research. Key Takeaway Support strong public investment in critical systems. Themes government infrastructure research public policy private sector Mood analytical strategic Type policy economic When to use this quote - national infrastructure projects - research funding - public‑private partnerships Key Concepts public goods collective action state capacity Questions to Reflect On - What role should private firms play in public infrastructure? - How can government and business collaborate effectively? A Different Perspective Private sector can innovate but lacks scale for nation‑wide systems. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Infrastructure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infrastructure/) [Infrastructure Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infrastructure-research-3718223/) [Institutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutions/) [Nation Infrastructure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nation-infrastructure-1994167/) [Only](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only/) [Private enterprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/private-enterprise/) [Rebuild Nation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rebuild-nation-3718222/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) ## Related quotes > [Taxpayers across the U.S. have invested hundreds of billions of dollars building our nation's infrastructure, and that investment should be protected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-durbin/taxpayers-across-the-u-s-have-invested-hundreds-of-billions-of/) [Dick Durbin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-durbin/) > [The Postal Service's unmatched ability to reach every household and business in America six days a week is a vital part of the nation's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-baca/the-postal-service-s-unmatched-ability-to-reach-every-household-and/) [Joe Baca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-baca/) > [We need to rebuild our nation with a new foundation. A foundation rooted in love, and care, and equality. Where justice is truly real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaal-bowman/we-need-to-rebuild-our-nation-with-a-new-foundation-a-foundation/) [Jamaal Bowman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaal-bowman/) > [Our nation's infrastructure needs are tremendous, and they're growing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-lipinski/our-nation-s-infrastructure-needs-are-tremendous-and-they-re-growing/) [Bill Lipinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-lipinski/) > [ \[We\] mention the South China Sea, we mention North Korea, South Korea, we mention Ukraine. We could mention five others. Yemen, and this, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-mention-the-south-china-sea-we-mention-north-korea-south-korea-we/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [This is our history - from the Transcontinental Railroad to the Hoover Dam, to the dredging of our ports and building of our most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/this-is-our-history-from-the-transcontinental-railroad-to-the-hoover/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [The eyes of the nation were on the rebuilding of I-95. I hope Americans can use some of its lessons in taking advantage of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-shapiro/the-eyes-of-the-nation-were-on-the-rebuilding-of-i-95-i-hope/) [Josh Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-shapiro/) > [The corporate State considers that private enterprise in the sphere of production is the most effective and useful instrument in the interest of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benito-mussolini/the-corporate-state-considers-that-private-enterprise-in-the-sphere/) [Benito Mussolini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benito-mussolini/) > [As motherhood as a "private enterprise" declines and more mothers rely on the work of lower-paid specialists, the value accorded the work of mothering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlie-russell-hochschild/as-motherhood-as-a-private-enterprise-declines-and-more-mothers-rely/) [Arlie Russell Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlie-russell-hochschild/) > [“Some regard private enterprise as if it were a predatory tiger to be shot. Others look upon it as a cow that they can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/some-regard-private-enterprise-as-if-it-were-a-predatory-tiger-to-be/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [A newspaper is a private enterprise owing nothing whatsoever to the public, which grants it no franchise. It is therefore affected with no public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-peter-hamilton/a-newspaper-is-a-private-enterprise-owing-nothing-whatsoever-to-the/) [William Peter Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-peter-hamilton/) > [Private enterprise manages better all that to which it is equal. Anarchism declares that private enterprise, whether individual or cooperative, is equal to all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/private-enterprise-manages-better-all-that-to-which-it-is-equal/) [Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) > [ Some \[intentional communities\], like the Shakers and the Harmony Society, have endured for a century or even longer. The Hutterians, to cite an extreme… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-zablocki/some-intentional-communities-like-the-shakers-and-the-harmony-society/) [Benjamin Zablocki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-zablocki/) > [The orthodox doctrines of economics which were dominant in the last quarter of the nineteenth century had a clear message. They supported laisser faire,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-robinson/the-orthodox-doctrines-of-economics-which-were-dominant-in-the-last/) [Joan Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-robinson/) > [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) ## More by Richard Cohen > [Republicans remain silent because Trump is doing what they want - lowering taxes on the rich, eviscerating regulations, bulldozing the environment, and insisting that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/republicans-remain-silent-because-trump-is-doing-what-they-want/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [Myths have a certain staying power because, really, they are aspirational - not always who we are, but always who we want to be.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/myths-have-a-certain-staying-power-because-really-they-are/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [We are a segmented society, living in our individual bubbles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/we-are-a-segmented-society-living-in-our-individual-bubbles/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [Maybe the best example of the unmuscled hero is Humphrey Bogart in 'Casablanca.' Bogart was 15 years older than Ingrid Bergman, and it did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/maybe-the-best-example-of-the-unmuscled-hero-is-humphrey-bogart-in/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [Israel may be beloved, but for American security, it is not essential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/israel-may-be-beloved-but-for-american-security-it-is-not-essential/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [We grow up to respect the gray. Black or white, one or the other, is childish. It represents the worldview of someone who does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/we-grow-up-to-respect-the-gray-black-or-white-one-or-the-other-is/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [The ultimate question is whether the name Donald Trump will be attached to an era - whether he will so change America that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/the-ultimate-question-is-whether-the-name-donald-trump-will-be/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [When I was a kid, I went door to door in my neighborhood asking for donations to the Jewish National Fund, best known then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/when-i-was-a-kid-i-went-door-to-door-in-my-neighborhood-asking-for/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [I met Clinton during her husband's first campaign for the White House. It was 1992, New Hampshire, and both Clintons had stopped at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/i-met-clinton-during-her-husband-s-first-campaign-for-the-white-house/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [In power politics, it's usually not enough to be liked. A nation has to be considered essential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/in-power-politics-it-s-usually-not-enough-to-be-liked-a-nation-has-to/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [Heroism is a matter of choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/heroism-is-a-matter-of-choice/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [My father was raised in an orphanage, and my mother was an immigrant from Poland whose first childhood memory was of hunger. Somehow, despite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/my-father-was-raised-in-an-orphanage-and-my-mother-was-an-immigrant/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [It's all right with me if Roman Polanski is freed by the Swiss authorities who have detained him at the request of the United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/it-s-all-right-with-me-if-roman-polanski-is-freed-by-the-swiss/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [“The book is warm. The book is handy. The book is handsome to the eye. The book occupies the shelf of the owner and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/the-book-is-warm-the-book-is-handy-the-book-is-handsome-to-the-eye/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [I don't like what George Zimmerman did, and I hate that Trayvon Martin is dead. But I also can understand why Zimmerman was suspicious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/i-don-t-like-what-george-zimmerman-did-and-i-hate-that-trayvon-martin/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) [Explore all 102 Richard Cohen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) ## More Business quotes > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/) [Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/) > [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/) [Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/) [Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/) > [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/) [Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/) [Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/) > [I'm not into business at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/i-m-not-into-business-at-all/) [Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) [Browse all 39,016 Business quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Private enterprise cannot rebuild the nation's infrastructure or keep our research institutions vibrant. Government must do what only it can do.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard Cohen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/private-enterprise-cannot-rebuild-the-nation-s-infrastructure-or-keep/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Business" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/private-enterprise-cannot-rebuild-the-nation-s-infrastructure-or-keep/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/483/richard-cohen-5202_business_private-enterprise-cannot-rebuild-the-na_2840053.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/483/richard-cohen-5202_business_private-enterprise-cannot-rebuild-the-na_2840053.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/483/richard-cohen-5202_business_private-enterprise-cannot-rebuild-the-na_2840053.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Private enterprise cannot rebuild the nation's infrastructure or keep our research institutions vibrant…” — Richard Cohen", "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": "Richard Cohen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Private enterprise cannot rebuild the nation's...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/private-enterprise-cannot-rebuild-the-nation-s-infrastructure-or-keep/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/private-enterprise-cannot-rebuild-the-nation-s-infrastructure-or-keep/#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 } } ] } ```