--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Advertising is the spur on the flank that…" description: "\"Advertising is the spur on the flank that keeps modern company-helping economy out of hand till the day common sense is restored, if ever it happens.\" ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/992/robert-w-sarnoff-88363_advertising_advertising-is-the-spur-on-the-flank-tha_831117.jpg" --- # Advertising is the spur on the flank that keeps modern… ![“Advertising is the spur on the flank that keeps modern company-helping economy out of hand till the day common sense is restored, if ever it happens.” quote by Robert W. Sarnoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/992/robert-w-sarnoff-88363_advertising_advertising-is-the-spur-on-the-flank-tha_831117.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/992/robert-w-sarnoff-88363_advertising_advertising-is-the-spur-on-the-flank-tha_831117.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/992/robert-w-sarnoff-88363_advertising_advertising-is-the-spur-on-the-flank-tha_831117.jpg) > “Advertising is the spur on the flank that keeps modern company-helping economy out of hand till the day common sense is restored, if ever it happens.” [Robert W. Sarnoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-w-sarnoff/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advertising drives unchecked growth until common sense intervenes, which may never happen. **In simple terms:** Advertising fuels excess; common sense is rare. Key Takeaway Question advertising’s influence critically. Themes consumerism economics critical thinking Mood cautionary analytical Type business philosophical When to use this quote - marketing strategy reviews - consumer education - policy advocacy Key Concepts media influence market dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How can individuals curb advertising’s grip? - What policies could limit unchecked consumerism? A Different Perspective Economic forces may resist change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Advertising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advertising/) [Advertising Spur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advertising-spur-559398/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common/) [Common sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-sense/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Economics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economics/) [Economy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economy/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens/) [Helping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping/) [Helping Economy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping-economy-559399/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Keeps Modern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/keeps-modern-559401/) [Marketing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marketing/) [Modern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern/) [Modern Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-company-559400/) [Spurs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spurs/) ## Related quotes > [By restraining spending and by cutting the deficit, Republican policies are helping to keep our economy strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hastert/by-restraining-spending-and-by-cutting-the-deficit-republican/) [Dennis Hastert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hastert/) > [“asked him to imagine the following: If I selected an employee of the company at random, from any level or function or region, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/asked-him-to-imagine-the-following-if-i-selected-an-employee-of-the/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [Advertising is the foot on the accelerator, the hand on the throttle, the spur on the flank that keeps our economy surging forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-w-sarnoff/advertising-is-the-foot-on-the-accelerator-the-hand-on-the-throttle/) [Robert W. Sarnoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-w-sarnoff/) > [Spurs have fallen into a habit of hiring pragmatic managers when fans want to be entertained.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-sutton/spurs-have-fallen-into-a-habit-of-hiring-pragmatic-managers-when-fans/) [Chris Sutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-sutton/) > [Worry, shame, and fear can't be the energy with which we deal with food and weight. It only spurs us to eat more food…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-crawford/worry-shame-and-fear-can-t-be-the-energy-with-which-we-deal-with-food/) [Bill Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-crawford/) > [Fame is the spur that the clear spirit doth raise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/fame-is-the-spur-that-the-clear-spirit-doth-raise/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [Patriotism is a salt against rottenness, a glorious spur to high endeavour; it recovers the half-obliterated virtue of loyalty, calls every man to service,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-dearmer/patriotism-is-a-salt-against-rottenness-a-glorious-spur-to-high/) [Percy Dearmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-dearmer/) > [Hunger's a great spur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-carlyle/hunger-s-a-great-spur/) [Robert Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-carlyle/) > [Vanity is often the unseen spur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/vanity-is-often-the-unseen-spur/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [What we suffer from today is humility in the wrong place...The old humility was a spur that prevented a man from stopping; not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/what-we-suffer-from-today-is-humility-in-the-wrong-place-the-old/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Girly’ products can spur Japan’s growth in this century every bit as much as, if not more than, the ‘manly’ technologies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morinosuke-kawaguchi/girly-products-can-spur-japan-s-growth-in-this-century-every-bit-as/) [Morinosuke Kawaguchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morinosuke-kawaguchi/) > [I spent so long at Spurs that it's my club. If I was to become a good coach then that would be by DNA…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-mason/i-spent-so-long-at-spurs-that-it-s-my-club-if-i-was-to-become-a-good/) [Ryan Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-mason/) > [I want to remind priests that the confessional must not be a torture chamber but rather an encounter with the Lord’s mercy which spurs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/i-want-to-remind-priests-that-the-confessional-must-not-be-a-torture/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [If you don't have to drag yourself off the field exhausted after 90 minutes, you can't claim to have done your best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nichols/if-you-don-t-have-to-drag-yourself-off-the-field-exhausted-after-90/) [Bill Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nichols/) > [Each one of us requires the spur of insecurity to force us to do our best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-w-dodds/each-one-of-us-requires-the-spur-of-insecurity-to-force-us-to-do-our/) [Harold W. Dodds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-w-dodds/) ## More by Robert W. Sarnoff > [“Finance is the art of passing money from hand to hand until it finally disappears.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-w-sarnoff/finance-is-the-art-of-passing-money-from-hand-to-hand-until-it/) [Robert W. Sarnoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-w-sarnoff/) > [Advertising is the foot on the accelerator, the hand on the throttle, the spur on the flank that keeps our economy surging forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-w-sarnoff/advertising-is-the-foot-on-the-accelerator-the-hand-on-the-throttle/) [Robert W. Sarnoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-w-sarnoff/) [Explore all 3 Robert W. Sarnoff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-w-sarnoff/) ## More Advertising quotes > [I saw this anti-drug commercial that showed a kid smoking pot in his dad's room with his friend. This kid finds a gun, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/i-saw-this-anti-drug-commercial-that-showed-a-kid-smoking-pot-in-his/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [“Salesmanship is usually the art of making it the prospect’s problem, the salesperson’s need or desire to earn money.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/salesmanship-is-usually-the-art-of-making-it-the-prospect-s-problem/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [Advertising justifies its existence when used in the public interest-it is much too powerful a tool to use solely for commercial purposes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-gossage/advertising-justifies-its-existence-when-used-in-the-public-interest/) [Howard Gossage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-gossage/) > [“Don't wait, just sweat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/don-t-wait-just-sweat/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [We have the capital, the resources, and the technology that we need to build a mobile advertising platform across the planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-tewari/we-have-the-capital-the-resources-and-the-technology-that-we-need-to/) [Naveen Tewari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-tewari/) > [“Never run advertising until the major publicity possibilities have been exploited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/never-run-advertising-until-the-major-publicity-possibilities-have/) [Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) > [God never talks. But the devil keeps advertising, Father. The devil does a lot of commercials.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-peter-blatty/god-never-talks-but-the-devil-keeps-advertising-father-the-devil-does/) [William Peter Blatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-peter-blatty/) > [I like Valentine's Day. The trouble is the florists and the candy-makers and the card people are all advertising so much, you don't dare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/i-like-valentine-s-day-the-trouble-is-the-florists-and-the-candy/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [I happened to be spotted by a modeling agent who offered me a part-time job at 16. Everything happened very quickly after that -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-happened-to-be-spotted-by-a-modeling-agent-who-offered-me-a-part/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [They say that Madison Avenue will only pay high dollars in advertising if they get the 18-35 age range.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gless/they-say-that-madison-avenue-will-only-pay-high-dollars-in/) [Sharon Gless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gless/) > [“There's not a branch of publishing or broadcasting that doesn't depend in some way on advertising. It'd be like an aquarium without water. Why,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/there-s-not-a-branch-of-publishing-or-broadcasting-that-doesn-t/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [I've driven people mad on films that I've made - I want more takes; I want to try new lines. Then I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-grant/i-ve-driven-people-mad-on-films-that-i-ve-made-i-want-more-takes-i/) [Hugh Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-grant/) > [This hype word bothers me though It always sounds like an accusation, what does it mean, advertising, column inches in the press? Bands themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-johnson/this-hype-word-bothers-me-though-it-always-sounds-like-an-accusation/) [Holly Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-johnson/) > [I'm supposed to be taking time off. But I'm still writing and I have this Gap advert lined up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-stone/i-m-supposed-to-be-taking-time-off-but-i-m-still-writing-and-i-have/) [Joss Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-stone/) > [Any seeming deception in a statement is costly, not only in the expense of the advertising but in the detrimental effect produced upon the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wanamaker/any-seeming-deception-in-a-statement-is-costly-not-only-in-the/) [John Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wanamaker/) [Browse all 1,942 Advertising quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advertising/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Advertising is the spur on the flank that keeps modern company-helping economy out of hand till the day common sense is restored, if ever it happens.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert W. 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