---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The USSR model was never a serious threat…"
description: "\"“The USSR model was never a serious threat to anyone's bottom line. People blow up over Germany because, for all its left-wing bent, it may be a more p..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05e/thomas-geoghegan-74017_bottom-line_the-ussr-model-was-never-a-serious-threa_960020.jpg"
---

#  The USSR model was never a serious threat to anyone's…

![“The USSR model was never a serious threat to anyone's bottom line. People blow up over Germany because, for all its left-wing bent, it may be a more plausible form of capitalism than ours.” quote by Thomas Geoghegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05e/thomas-geoghegan-74017_bottom-line_the-ussr-model-was-never-a-serious-threa_960020.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05e/thomas-geoghegan-74017_bottom-line_the-ussr-model-was-never-a-serious-threa_960020.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05e/thomas-geoghegan-74017_bottom-line_the-ussr-model-was-never-a-serious-threa_960020.jpg)

> ““The USSR model was never a serious threat to anyone's bottom line. People blow up over Germany because, for all its left-wing bent, it may be a more plausible form of capitalism than ours.””

Thomas Geoghegan

## About This Quote

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

The Soviet economic system posed little direct financial risk to others, while Germany’s mixed economy appears more credible than the current U.S. model despite its leftist tendencies.

**In simple terms:** USSR wasn’t a financial threat; Germany seems a plausible capitalist alternative.

Key Takeaway

Recognize that perceived threats depend on economic credibility.

Themes

economics politics comparative systems global finance

Mood

analytical critical thought‑provoking

Type

observational comparative critical

When to use this quote

- policy analysis
- investment decisions
- academic debate
- public discourse

Key Concepts

capitalist critique ideological perception systemic risk

Questions to Reflect On

- How do perceptions of economic models shape policy?
- What factors make a system seem more credible?

A Different Perspective

The claim overlooks the geopolitical influence and strategic competition beyond pure profit.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bottom line](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bottom-line/) [Capitalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capitalism/) [Ussr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ussr/)

## Related quotes

> [The real problem is the total capitulation of German social democracy to capitalism, reflected and symbolized by actual extreme center coalition governments in Germany,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ali/the-real-problem-is-the-total-capitulation-of-german-social-democracy/)

[Tariq Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ali/)

> [The genius of capitalism consists precisely in its lack of morality. Unless he is rich enough to hire his own choir, a capitalist is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-h-lapham/the-genius-of-capitalism-consists-precisely-in-its-lack-of-morality/)

[Lewis H. Lapham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-h-lapham/)

> [Don't tell me you'll still be in power by then without free elections! Replyting to Nikita Khrushchev's invitation to attend his 90th birthday celebrations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-nixon/don-t-tell-me-you-ll-still-be-in-power-by-then-without-free-elections/)

[Richard Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-nixon/)

> [The day that the Soviets officially crossed the border of Afghanistan, I wrote to President Jimmy Carter: We now have the opportunity of giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zbigniew-brzezinski/the-day-that-the-soviets-officially-crossed-the-border-of-afghanistan/)

[Zbigniew Brzezinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zbigniew-brzezinski/)

> [“He who does not cry out the truth when he knows the truth becomes the accomplice of the liars and falsifiers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-serge/he-who-does-not-cry-out-the-truth-when-he-knows-the-truth-becomes-the/)

[Victor Serge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-serge/)

> [The world would be better off with multiple superpowers. When Communist USSR was a superpower, the world was better off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/the-world-would-be-better-off-with-multiple-superpowers-when/)

[Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/)

> [When the USSR collapsed, I was 11, and unlike many people, I don't miss it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margarita-simonyan/when-the-ussr-collapsed-i-was-11-and-unlike-many-people-i-don-t-miss/)

[Margarita Simonyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margarita-simonyan/)

> [What struck me most was the silence. It was a great silence, unlike any I have encountered on Earth, so vast and deep that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexey-leonov/what-struck-me-most-was-the-silence-it-was-a-great-silence-unlike-any/)

Alexey Leonov

> [The demise of the Soviet Union was the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/the-demise-of-the-soviet-union-was-the-greatest-geopolitical/)

[Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/)

> [ \[Albert\]Camus had denounced the gulag and Stalin's trials. Today we can see that he was right. To say that there were concentration camps in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-camus/albert-camus-had-denounced-the-gulag-and-stalin-s-trials-today-we-can/)

[Catherine Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-camus/)

> [I've always been creative verbally, had a flair, my teachers said - wrote great expository essays in elementary school, scribbled little poems, embraced all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/i-ve-always-been-creative-verbally-had-a-flair-my-teachers-said-wrote/)

[Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/)

> [“So you were dissidents? You believed in finishing the USSR?''No. It's not like that. You just speak several languages at the same time, all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-pomerantsev/so-you-were-dissidents-you-believed-in-finishing-the-ussr-no-it-s-not/)

[Peter Pomerantsev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-pomerantsev/)

> [I cannot see that any rational American. . . could conceivably try to fulfill the major national purposes of the United States through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lichenstein/i-cannot-see-that-any-rational-american-could-conceivably-try-to/)

Charles Lichenstein

> [“Since its origins, socialism has meant the liberation of working people from exploitation. As the Marxist theoretician Anton Pannekoek observed, “this goal is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/since-its-origins-socialism-has-meant-the-liberation-of-working/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [“show them, not in reasoning but in life itself, the joy of general union beyond the barriers set up by life itself”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/show-them-not-in-reasoning-but-in-life-itself-the-joy-of-general/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

## More by Thomas Geoghegan

> [“That's my point: if you own thirty or more books, or you are reading any book at this moment, you may protest all you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-geoghegan/that-s-my-point-if-you-own-thirty-or-more-books-or-you-are-reading/)

Thomas Geoghegan

> [“Yes, Germany is dark, and Berlin is darker. But it is not so clear in Berlin what part of the dark is now faux…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-geoghegan/yes-germany-is-dark-and-berlin-is-darker-but-it-is-not-so-clear-in/)

Thomas Geoghegan

> [“So I began to dream of going back to Berlin. Yes, it had to be Berlin. It's not because it's the German town for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-geoghegan/so-i-began-to-dream-of-going-back-to-berlin-yes-it-had-to-be-berlin/)

Thomas Geoghegan

Explore all 4 Thomas Geoghegan quotes

## More Bottom line quotes

> [Filmmaking, like sex, isn't a polite enterprise. It involves a lot of mess and the bottom line is, if somebody ain't screaming, you're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-woods/filmmaking-like-sex-isn-t-a-polite-enterprise-it-involves-a-lot-of/)

[James Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-woods/)

> [Cheer up. You're not going to be single forever. Bottom line is, you're young. Don't base your future on your past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/cheer-up-you-re-not-going-to-be-single-forever-bottom-line-is-you-re/)

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

> [I plead with my Moonlight fans to give this show a chance if they let me give it a chance. I can’t do Moonlight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-o-loughlin/i-plead-with-my-moonlight-fans-to-give-this-show-a-chance-if-they-let/)

[Alex O'Loughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-o-loughlin/)

> [Well, the bottom line is that I'm extremely pleased with 'The Stupids.' I'm pleased that it's coming out, and it should look good. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-landis/well-the-bottom-line-is-that-i-m-extremely-pleased-with-the-stupids-i/)

[John Landis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-landis/)

> [I would have had a clause in my contract; I would've definitely put some fine print in my contract that said, "If the president…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-budden/i-would-have-had-a-clause-in-my-contract-i-would-ve-definitely-put/)

[Joe Budden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-budden/)

> [The bottom line, in the professional level, no matter where you go, there's going to be competition. That's what it is. At the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-tolzien/the-bottom-line-in-the-professional-level-no-matter-where-you-go/)

[Scott Tolzien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-tolzien/)

> [The political satirist usually votes against their own interests, but the bottom line is that it doesn't really matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizz-winstead/the-political-satirist-usually-votes-against-their-own-interests-but/)

[Lizz Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizz-winstead/)

> [I'm very grateful to be where I'm at and be able to play. That's really the bottom line for me. Survival and being able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/i-m-very-grateful-to-be-where-i-m-at-and-be-able-to-play-that-s/)

[Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/)

> [Bottom line is, work ethic equals dreams, and I am walking proof that that's a fact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diamond-dallas-page/bottom-line-is-work-ethic-equals-dreams-and-i-am-walking-proof-that/)

[Diamond Dallas Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diamond-dallas-page/)

> [One of two things when the guy you're dating isn't really ready to commit. He's an a\*\*hole and he's cheating on you; bottom line…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-catherwood/one-of-two-things-when-the-guy-you-re-dating-isn-t-really-ready-to/)

Michael Catherwood

> [The bottom line on attitude is that a good one helps to increase your possibilities. Pessimists usually get what they expect. So do optimists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/the-bottom-line-on-attitude-is-that-a-good-one-helps-to-increase-your/)

[John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/)

> [If you look at the statistics, I genuinely understand why when we go to a production company or a broadcaster, and they say our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joivan-wade/if-you-look-at-the-statistics-i-genuinely-understand-why-when-we-go/)

[Joivan Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joivan-wade/)

> [With a reality show, the bottom line is, there's no plot; there's no finale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-gosselin/with-a-reality-show-the-bottom-line-is-there-s-no-plot-there-s-no/)

[Kate Gosselin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-gosselin/)

> [Two to 4% of cancers respond to chemotherapy…The bottom line is for a few kinds of cancer chemo is a life extending procedure-Hodgkin's disease,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-w-moss/two-to-4-of-cancers-respond-to-chemotherapy-the-bottom-line-is-for-a/)

[Ralph W. Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-w-moss/)

> [The bottom line is that (a) people are never perfect, but love can be, (b) that is the one and only way that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-bottom-line-is-that-a-people-are-never-perfect-but-love-can-be-b/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

[Browse all 942 Bottom line quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bottom-line/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The USSR model was never a serious threat to anyone's bottom line. People blow up over Germany because, for all its left-wing bent, it may be a more plausible form of capitalism than ours.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Thomas Geoghegan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-geoghegan/the-ussr-model-was-never-a-serious-threat-to-anyone-s-bottom-line/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bottom line"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-geoghegan/the-ussr-model-was-never-a-serious-threat-to-anyone-s-bottom-line/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05e/thomas-geoghegan-74017_bottom-line_the-ussr-model-was-never-a-serious-threa_960020.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05e/thomas-geoghegan-74017_bottom-line_the-ussr-model-was-never-a-serious-threa_960020.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05e/thomas-geoghegan-74017_bottom-line_the-ussr-model-was-never-a-serious-threa_960020.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The USSR model was never a serious threat to anyone's bottom line. People blow up over Germany because, for…” — Thomas Geoghegan",
                "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": "Thomas Geoghegan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-geoghegan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The USSR model was never a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-geoghegan/the-ussr-model-was-never-a-serious-threat-to-anyone-s-bottom-line/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-geoghegan/the-ussr-model-was-never-a-serious-threat-to-anyone-s-bottom-line/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
