---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Borrowing isn't inherently bad; it…"
description: "\"Borrowing isn't inherently bad; it depends a lot on what the debt is financing.\" — Stephen Moore"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fd/stephen-moore-5060_bad_borrowing-isn-t-inherently-bad-it-depend_1826275.jpg"
---

#  Borrowing isn't inherently bad; it depends a lot on what…

![“Borrowing isn't inherently bad; it depends a lot on what the debt is financing.” quote by Stephen Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fd/stephen-moore-5060_bad_borrowing-isn-t-inherently-bad-it-depend_1826275.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fd/stephen-moore-5060_bad_borrowing-isn-t-inherently-bad-it-depend_1826275.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fd/stephen-moore-5060_bad_borrowing-isn-t-inherently-bad-it-depend_1826275.jpg)

> “Borrowing isn't inherently bad; it depends a lot on what the debt is financing.”

[Stephen Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-moore/)

## About This Quote

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

Borrowing can be useful or harmful depending on the purpose of the debt.

**In simple terms:** Debt is good or bad based on its use.

Key Takeaway

Evaluate the purpose before borrowing.

Themes

finance ethics decision making

Mood

cautious pragmatic

Type

financial ethical

When to use this quote

- personal finance
- business planning
- policy making

Key Concepts

risk assessment investment social responsibility

Questions to Reflect On

- When is borrowing justified?
- What risks arise from financing harmful projects?

A Different Perspective

It may overlook systemic debt issues.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Borrowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borrowing/) [Customer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/) [Financing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/financing/)

## Related quotes

> [Look for companies that do not have a lot of debt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-schloss/look-for-companies-that-do-not-have-a-lot-of-debt/)

[Walter Schloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-schloss/)

> [When our markets work, people throughout our economy benefit - Americans seeking to buy a car or buy a home, families borrowing to pay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-paulson/when-our-markets-work-people-throughout-our-economy-benefit-americans/)

[Henry Paulson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-paulson/)

> [Deficit financing proper is rather the process whereby a Government spends more money that it withdraws from the economy by taxation, borrowing, running down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-james-cowperthwaite/deficit-financing-proper-is-rather-the-process-whereby-a-government/)

[John James Cowperthwaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-james-cowperthwaite/)

> [The roots of the crisis in East Asia were in private sector decisions. The biggest problems were the misallocation of investment, most notably to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stiglitz/the-roots-of-the-crisis-in-east-asia-were-in-private-sector-decisions/)

[Joseph Stiglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stiglitz/)

> [“There’s a best time for everything – including the acquisition of capital.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrith-vanlon-smith-jr/there-s-a-best-time-for-everything-including-the-acquisition-of/)

[Hendrith Vanlon Smith Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrith-vanlon-smith-jr/)

> [There is a big problem. The problem is the country borrowed too much. We went on a borrowing binge, there was a housing boom.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-osborne/there-is-a-big-problem-the-problem-is-the-country-borrowed-too-much/)

[George Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-osborne/)

> [A debt is just as hard for a Government to pay as it is for an individual. No debt ever comes due at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/a-debt-is-just-as-hard-for-a-government-to-pay-as-it-is-for-an/)

[Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/)

> [There can be no freedom or beauty about a home life that depends on borrowing and debt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/there-can-be-no-freedom-or-beauty-about-a-home-life-that-depends-on/)

[Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/)

> [What I'm concerned about is endless borrowing, which is going to compromise our economy not only today but in the future. Because we know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ryan/what-i-m-concerned-about-is-endless-borrowing-which-is-going-to/)

[Paul Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ryan/)

> [Today, people are having to spend so much of their money, to acquire a house and to get an education that they don't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hudson/today-people-are-having-to-spend-so-much-of-their-money-to-acquire-a/)

[Michael Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hudson/)

> [Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has distorted Treasury markets by borrowing more than $1 trillion in more-expensive shorter-term debt compared with historical norms. Terming out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-bessent/treasury-secretary-janet-yellen-has-distorted-treasury-markets-by/)

[Scott Bessent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-bessent/)

> [Debt is a bottomless sea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/debt-is-a-bottomless-sea/)

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

> [Home life ceases to be free and beautiful as soon as it is founded on borrowing and debt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/home-life-ceases-to-be-free-and-beautiful-as-soon-as-it-is-founded-on/)

[Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/)

> [“Clients steer the ship in the sea of business.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/utibe-samuel-mbom/clients-steer-the-ship-in-the-sea-of-business/)

[Utibe Samuel Mbom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/utibe-samuel-mbom/)

> [A social impact bond is a new way of bringing financing into social and environmental support issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-rodin/a-social-impact-bond-is-a-new-way-of-bringing-financing-into-social/)

[Judith Rodin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-rodin/)

## More by Stephen Moore

> [It turns out the businessman knows more about how the economy really works than the chattering class. What a shock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-moore/it-turns-out-the-businessman-knows-more-about-how-the-economy-really/)

[Stephen Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-moore/)

> [If the goal of the Trump tax cut is to make America look more like tax-cutting North Carolina and less like soak-the-rich Connecticut and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-moore/if-the-goal-of-the-trump-tax-cut-is-to-make-america-look-more-like/)

[Stephen Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-moore/)

> [The countries in the Paris climate accord have broken almost every promise they've made, and the nation (the U.S.) that hasn't signed the treaty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-moore/the-countries-in-the-paris-climate-accord-have-broken-almost-every/)

[Stephen Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-moore/)

> [Many small business owners want to pass their family legacy on to their kids and grandkids, but they are turned over to vulture funds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-moore/many-small-business-owners-want-to-pass-their-family-legacy-on-to/)

[Stephen Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-moore/)

> [One of Trump's reforms is to limit the time that workers can use on the job at taxpayer expense working on union activities. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-moore/one-of-trump-s-reforms-is-to-limit-the-time-that-workers-can-use-on/)

[Stephen Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-moore/)

> [Whenever there is an international crisis - an earthquake, a flood, a war - Americans provide more assistance than the people of any other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-moore/whenever-there-is-an-international-crisis-an-earthquake-a-flood-a-war/)

[Stephen Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-moore/)

> [If the Left really wants to preserve family structure and advance cultural values such as work, why do they oppose reforms to a welfare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-moore/if-the-left-really-wants-to-preserve-family-structure-and-advance/)

[Stephen Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-moore/)

> [The truth is Mr. Trump could simply sit in the Oval Office for four years like a potted plant, and that would be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-moore/the-truth-is-mr-trump-could-simply-sit-in-the-oval-office-for-four/)

[Stephen Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-moore/)

> [One of President Reagan's first and wisest initiatives was to effectively shutdown the anti-trust division of the Justice Department.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-moore/one-of-president-reagan-s-first-and-wisest-initiatives-was-to/)

[Stephen Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-moore/)

> [Stacks of job-killing Executive Orders and regulations from the Obama era need to be repealed or rolled back. At the top of the stack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-moore/stacks-of-job-killing-executive-orders-and-regulations-from-the-obama/)

[Stephen Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-moore/)

> [The single best time to invest is at a young age because the dollar in the market today will likely be worth 10 to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-moore/the-single-best-time-to-invest-is-at-a-young-age-because-the-dollar/)

[Stephen Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-moore/)

> [The big problem for atomic energy is that it can't compete on price with the new age of cheap shale gas and, to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-moore/the-big-problem-for-atomic-energy-is-that-it-can-t-compete-on-price/)

[Stephen Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-moore/)

> [The elimination of deductibility of state and local taxes will also encourage more privatization of municipal services.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-moore/the-elimination-of-deductibility-of-state-and-local-taxes-will-also/)

[Stephen Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-moore/)

> [Donald Trump is producing the kind of shoot-the-moon economic recovery that we last saw under Ronald Reagan in the 1980s. He's copied a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-moore/donald-trump-is-producing-the-kind-of-shoot-the-moon-economic/)

[Stephen Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-moore/)

> [My father built a small business from scratch with years and years of sweat equity and many, many weeks away from home. He employed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-moore/my-father-built-a-small-business-from-scratch-with-years-and-years-of/)

[Stephen Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-moore/)

[Explore all 103 Stephen Moore quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-moore/)

## More Bad quotes

> [If I am going to be phased out by whatever powers, then I want people to know that it is not because I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parvathy/if-i-am-going-to-be-phased-out-by-whatever-powers-then-i-want-people/)

[Parvathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parvathy/)

> [Sometimes I'm in a bad mood, sometimes I'm in a good mood. It's like everyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tricky/sometimes-i-m-in-a-bad-mood-sometimes-i-m-in-a-good-mood-it-s-like/)

[Tricky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tricky/)

> [Unfortunately, we all go through bad phases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sushmita-sen/unfortunately-we-all-go-through-bad-phases/)

[Sushmita Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sushmita-sen/)

> [The Derby experience had not been good for me and the way it finished left a very bad taste in my mouth so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-pearson/the-derby-experience-had-not-been-good-for-me-and-the-way-it-finished/)

[Nigel Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-pearson/)

> [What people tend to forget is the journey that I had getting to Formula One. There were plenty of years where I had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hamilton/what-people-tend-to-forget-is-the-journey-that-i-had-getting-to/)

[Lewis Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hamilton/)

> [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/)

[Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/)

> [I listen to heavy metal thanks to my son. When I argue with him on the kind of music he is listening to, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeenat-aman/i-listen-to-heavy-metal-thanks-to-my-son-when-i-argue-with-him-on-the/)

[Zeenat Aman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeenat-aman/)

> [I've said it before, good people are forced to do bad things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-cloud/i-ve-said-it-before-good-people-are-forced-to-do-bad-things/)

[Angus Cloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-cloud/)

> [“If any woman opens her legs for you, don't feel so lucky to be fed with nonsense, she has been a bitch for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/if-any-woman-opens-her-legs-for-you-don-t-feel-so-lucky-to-be-fed/)

[Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/)

> [One thing I always tell players is that there are three bad things: Nothing good happens after midnight, nothing good happens when you're around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-saban/one-thing-i-always-tell-players-is-that-there-are-three-bad-things/)

[Nick Saban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-saban/)

> [Everybody has bad days, but how you respond to it is a testament to whether you are a winner or a loser.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-gordon/everybody-has-bad-days-but-how-you-respond-to-it-is-a-testament-to/)

[Aaron Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-gordon/)

> [Obviously I'm very grateful 'Bad Guy' is doing so well - it's shocking and surprising and gratifying - but I do think it's important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/finneas/obviously-i-m-very-grateful-bad-guy-is-doing-so-well-it-s-shocking/)

[Finneas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/finneas/)

> [I felt pretty good growing up. I didnt feel a lot of prejudice or racism. But I do remember, if there was going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-henry-hwang/i-felt-pretty-good-growing-up-i-didnt-feel-a-lot-of-prejudice-or/)

[David Henry Hwang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-henry-hwang/)

> [If you read 'Lord of the Rings' and dismiss it as a lie because it has orcs and elves, you're missing the whole point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-tennapel/if-you-read-lord-of-the-rings-and-dismiss-it-as-a-lie-because-it-has/)

[Doug TenNapel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-tennapel/)

> [My conscience is really active. So I feel bad about spending excess amount of money on things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd/my-conscience-is-really-active-so-i-feel-bad-about-spending-excess/)

[Syd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd/)

Browse all 7,973 Bad quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Borrowing isn't inherently bad; it depends a lot on what the debt is financing.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Stephen Moore"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-moore/borrowing-isn-t-inherently-bad-it-depends-a-lot-on-what-the-debt-is/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bad"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-moore/borrowing-isn-t-inherently-bad-it-depends-a-lot-on-what-the-debt-is/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fd/stephen-moore-5060_bad_borrowing-isn-t-inherently-bad-it-depend_1826275.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fd/stephen-moore-5060_bad_borrowing-isn-t-inherently-bad-it-depend_1826275.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fd/stephen-moore-5060_bad_borrowing-isn-t-inherently-bad-it-depend_1826275.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Borrowing isn't inherently bad; it depends a lot on what the debt is financing.” — Stephen Moore",
                "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": "Stephen Moore",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-moore/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Borrowing isn't inherently bad; it depends...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-moore/borrowing-isn-t-inherently-bad-it-depends-a-lot-on-what-the-debt-is/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-moore/borrowing-isn-t-inherently-bad-it-depends-a-lot-on-what-the-debt-is/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```