--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If we assume the best in people, we can…" description: "\"If we assume the best in people, we can radically redesign our democracy and welfare states.\" — Rutger Bregman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/479/rutger-bregman-2463_best_if-we-assume-the-best-in-people-we-can-r_1838881.jpg" --- # If we assume the best in people, we can radically redesign… ![“If we assume the best in people, we can radically redesign our democracy and welfare states.” quote by Rutger Bregman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/479/rutger-bregman-2463_best_if-we-assume-the-best-in-people-we-can-r_1838881.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/479/rutger-bregman-2463_best_if-we-assume-the-best-in-people-we-can-r_1838881.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/479/rutger-bregman-2463_best_if-we-assume-the-best-in-people-we-can-r_1838881.jpg) > “If we assume the best in people, we can radically redesign our democracy and welfare states.” [Rutger Bregman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutger-bregman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Assuming goodwill can inspire radical reforms in governance and welfare. **In simple terms:** Believing in people’s goodness can reshape society. Key Takeaway Design policies based on trust. Themes politics trust social reform Mood hopeful critical Type philosophical political When to use this quote - community building - legislative design - social entrepreneurship Key Concepts utopianism public policy Questions to Reflect On - How to balance optimism with realism? - What safeguards protect against abuse? A Different Perspective Idealism may overlook human flaws. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Welfare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/welfare/) ## Related quotes > [I would radically redesign early years education to learn from the best bits of the Finnish system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-kendall/i-would-radically-redesign-early-years-education-to-learn-from-the/) [Liz Kendall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-kendall/) > [Citizens of liberal welfare states become increasingly narcissistic. The great preoccupations of vast numbers of Brits, Frenchmen, Germans and other Western Europeans are how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/citizens-of-liberal-welfare-states-become-increasingly-narcissistic/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [Socialism is a fundamentally different social system where the world's resources are not controlled by a greedy, undemocratic oligarchy. This is not the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kshama-sawant/socialism-is-a-fundamentally-different-social-system-where-the-world/) [Kshama Sawant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kshama-sawant/) > [The bigger the government, the less the citizens do for one another. 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The tax rates necessary to sustain the massive transfer programs are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-boaz/yet-today-all-over-the-developed-world-welfare-states-are-on-shaky/) [David Boaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-boaz/) > [By common consent, most European countries support the maintenance of robust welfare states and are comfortable with taxation systems that support them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kennedy/by-common-consent-most-european-countries-support-the-maintenance-of/) [Charles Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kennedy/) > [Citizens of liberal welfare states become increasingly narcissistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/citizens-of-liberal-welfare-states-become-increasingly-narcissistic-2/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [Fiscally, I'm very conservative. I don't believe in welfare states. I believe in giving people jobs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-simmons/fiscally-i-m-very-conservative-i-don-t-believe-in-welfare-states-i/) [Gene Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-simmons/) > [ “\[A\] central theme is why social, political, and economic institutions tend to coevolve in a manner that reinforces rather than undermines one another. The… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torben-iversen/a-central-theme-is-why-social-political-and-economic-institutions/) Torben Iversen > [“The welfare states of continental Europe—what the French call the Etat providence, or providential state—followed yet a third model. Here, the emphasis was primarily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/the-welfare-states-of-continental-europe-what-the-french-call-the/) [Tony Judt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-judt/) > [“Even at their height, the Scandinavian welfare states left the economy to the private sector—which was then taxed at very high rates to pay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/even-at-their-height-the-scandinavian-welfare-states-left-the-economy/) [Tony Judt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-judt/) > [“Ironically, opponents of basic income on the grounds that it would lead to a dismantling of the welfare state tend to support some variant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/ironically-opponents-of-basic-income-on-the-grounds-that-it-would/) [Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/) > [“the welfare states of western Europe were not politically divisive. They were socially re-distributive in general intent (some more than others) but not at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/the-welfare-states-of-western-europe-were-not-politically-divisive/) [Tony Judt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-judt/) > [The best performers in Europe are those who use their welfare states to help people adjust to change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-monks/the-best-performers-in-europe-are-those-who-use-their-welfare-states/) [John Monks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-monks/) ## More by Rutger Bregman > [“If all the developed countries would let in just 3% more immigrants, the world’s poor would have $305 billion more to spend, say scientists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutger-bregman/if-all-the-developed-countries-would-let-in-just-3-more-immigrants/) [Rutger Bregman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutger-bregman/) > [“When Lehman Brothers collapsed on September 15, 2008, and inaugurated the biggest crisis since the 1930s, there were no real alternatives to hand. No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutger-bregman/when-lehman-brothers-collapsed-on-september-15-2008-and-inaugurated/) [Rutger Bregman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutger-bregman/) > [I think one of the most important facts of basic income would be that it's not only a redistribution of income, but also of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutger-bregman/i-think-one-of-the-most-important-facts-of-basic-income-would-be-that/) [Rutger Bregman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutger-bregman/) > [The great thing about money is that people can use it to buy things they need instead of things self-appointed experts think they need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutger-bregman/the-great-thing-about-money-is-that-people-can-use-it-to-buy-things/) [Rutger Bregman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutger-bregman/) > [“The idea that the GDP still serves as an accurate gauge of social welfare is one of the most widespread myths of our times.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutger-bregman/the-idea-that-the-gdp-still-serves-as-an-accurate-gauge-of-social/) [Rutger Bregman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutger-bregman/) > [Most of Mark Zuckerberg's income is just rent collected off the millions of picture and video posts that we give away daily for free.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutger-bregman/most-of-mark-zuckerberg-s-income-is-just-rent-collected-off-the/) [Rutger Bregman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutger-bregman/) > [“To calculate the GDP, numerous data points have to be linked together and hundreds of wholly subjective choices made regarding what to count and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutger-bregman/to-calculate-the-gdp-numerous-data-points-have-to-be-linked-together/) [Rutger Bregman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutger-bregman/) > [“Countless studies have shown that people who work less are more satisfied with their lives.37 In a recent poll conducted among working women, German…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutger-bregman/countless-studies-have-shown-that-people-who-work-less-are-more/) [Rutger Bregman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutger-bregman/) > [“Precisely when we should be shouldering the historic task of investing this rich, safe, and healthy existence with meaning, we’ve buried utopia instead. 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This is just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutger-bregman/the-bottom-line-is-that-wealth-can-be-concentrated-somewhere-but-that/) [Rutger Bregman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutger-bregman/) > [“Recently, the International Monetary Fund published a report which revealed that too much inequality even inhibits economic growth.22 Perhaps the most fascinating finding, however,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutger-bregman/recently-the-international-monetary-fund-published-a-report-which/) [Rutger Bregman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutger-bregman/) > [“Not coincidentally, the countries with the shortest workweeks also have the largest number of volunteers and the most social capital.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutger-bregman/not-coincidentally-the-countries-with-the-shortest-workweeks-also/) [Rutger Bregman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutger-bregman/) > [It matters so much that from a very early age we encounter different kinds of different people, because that's what real life should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutger-bregman/it-matters-so-much-that-from-a-very-early-age-we-encounter-different/) [Rutger Bregman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutger-bregman/) [Explore all 164 Rutger Bregman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutger-bregman/) ## More Best quotes > [Failures happen. 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