---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If it be taught that all who are born…"
description: "\"If it be taught that all who are born have a right to support on the land, whatever be their number, and that there is no occasion to exercise any prud..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44c/thomas-malthus-7621_affair_if-it-be-taught-that-all-who-are-born-ha_982890.png"
---

#  If it be taught that all who are born have a right to…

![“If it be taught that all who are born have a right to support on the land, whatever be their number, and that there is no occasion to exercise any prudence in the affair of marriage so as to check this number, the temptations, according to all the known principles of human nature, will inevitably…” quote by Thomas Malthus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44c/thomas-malthus-7621_affair_if-it-be-taught-that-all-who-are-born-ha_982890.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44c/thomas-malthus-7621_affair_if-it-be-taught-that-all-who-are-born-ha_982890.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44c/thomas-malthus-7621_affair_if-it-be-taught-that-all-who-are-born-ha_982890.png)

> “If it be taught that all who are born have a right to support on the land, whatever be their number, and that there is no occasion to exercise any prudence in the affair of marriage so as to check this number, the temptations, according to all the known principles of human nature, will inevitably be yielded to, and more and more will gradually become dependent on parish assistance.”

[Thomas Malthus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-malthus/)

## About This Quote

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

Malthus argues that unchecked population growth outpaces resources, leading to reliance on charity unless marriage is limited.

**In simple terms:** Population growth can outstrip resources, causing dependence on aid.

Key Takeaway

Control family size to prevent poverty.

Themes

population resource scarcity charity marriage economics

Mood

concerned analytical

Type

sociopolitical economic

When to use this quote

- government policy
- family planning
- social services
- community support

Key Concepts

Malthusian theory demographic transition social welfare

Questions to Reflect On

- How can modern technology alter resource limits?
- What ethical issues arise in limiting family size?

A Different Perspective

Assumes all societies have similar resource constraints and cultural norms.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Affair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affair/) [Assistance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assistance/) [Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born/) [Checks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/checks/) [Dependent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dependent/) [Dependent Parish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dependent-parish-1963832/) [Exercise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exercise/) [Human nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-nature/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Known](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/known/) [Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/land/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Number Temptations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/number-temptations-1963833/) [Numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numbers/) [Occasions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/occasions/) [Parish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parish/) [Parish Assistance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parish-assistance-1963834/) [Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles/) [Prudence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prudence/) [Support](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/support/) [Taught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taught/) [Temptation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/temptation/) [Temptations According](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/temptations-according-1963835/)

## Related quotes

> [I feel no doubt whatever that the parish laws of England have contributed to raise the price of provisions and to lower the real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-malthus/i-feel-no-doubt-whatever-that-the-parish-laws-of-england-have/)

[Thomas Malthus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-malthus/)

> [The love of independence is a sentiment that surely none would wish to see erased from the breast of man, though the parish law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-malthus/the-love-of-independence-is-a-sentiment-that-surely-none-would-wish/)

[Thomas Malthus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-malthus/)

> [I just wanted to be an ordinary parish priest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-scorsese/i-just-wanted-to-be-an-ordinary-parish-priest/)

[Martin Scorsese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-scorsese/)

> [The pastor of a parish will typically have no education in the chant or in music, and he will hire the first music director…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-morris/the-pastor-of-a-parish-will-typically-have-no-education-in-the-chant/)

[Richard Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-morris/)

> [“He was stunning,incredible,unlike anything she had ever seen before.Around her,the crowd noise dissipated to a dull hum,but she barely noticed.Her gaze was slowly traveling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-wright/he-was-stunning-incredible-unlike-anything-she-had-ever-seen-before/)

[Laura Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-wright/)

> [There is not a single crowned head in Europe whose talents or merit would entitle him to be elected a vestryman by the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/there-is-not-a-single-crowned-head-in-europe-whose-talents-or-merit/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [I applied for funding to embark on an overseas field trip in Iceland, and spent six weeks there happily holed up in the national…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-kent/i-applied-for-funding-to-embark-on-an-overseas-field-trip-in-iceland/)

[Hannah Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-kent/)

> [I think in particular of our need to speak to the hearts of young people, who, despite their constant exposure to messages contrary to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/i-think-in-particular-of-our-need-to-speak-to-the-hearts-of-young/)

[Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/)

> [I don't miss the ministry, because I'm completely engaged in it. In terms of parish ministry, I miss the intimacy with a group of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-brown-taylor/i-don-t-miss-the-ministry-because-i-m-completely-engaged-in-it-in/)

[Barbara Brown Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-brown-taylor/)

> [The unique and indivisible existence of the Lord glorious in heaven, is not multiplied, but is rendered present by the sacrament in the many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-paul-vi/the-unique-and-indivisible-existence-of-the-lord-glorious-in-heaven/)

[Pope Paul VI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-paul-vi/)

> [Every art is a church without communicants, presided over by a parish of the respectable. An artist is born kneeling; he fights to stand.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hortense-calisher/every-art-is-a-church-without-communicants-presided-over-by-a-parish/)

[Hortense Calisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hortense-calisher/)

> [Once in my childhood I had been eager to learn Irish; I thought to get leave to take lessons from an old Scripture-reader who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gregory/once-in-my-childhood-i-had-been-eager-to-learn-irish-i-thought-to-get/)

[Lady Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gregory/)

> [All the stories of the Bible that I know came to me first from my grandfather's lips... He would see stories in everything. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/all-the-stories-of-the-bible-that-i-know-came-to-me-first-from-my/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [My life is a tsunami of inspirations. Number one is that I really do just love my BBQ. I mean it's the sustenance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/my-life-is-a-tsunami-of-inspirations-number-one-is-that-i-really-do/)

[Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/)

> [If the preaching of our ministers and the practice of our parishioners do not have the same effect on people that Jesus had, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/if-the-preaching-of-our-ministers-and-the-practice-of-our/)

[Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/)

## More by Thomas Malthus

> [On the whole it may be observed, that the specific use of a body of unproductive consumers, is to give encouragement to wealth by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-malthus/on-the-whole-it-may-be-observed-that-the-specific-use-of-a-body-of/)

[Thomas Malthus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-malthus/)

> [The germs of existence contained in this spot of earth, with ample food, and ample room to expand in, would fill millions of worlds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-malthus/the-germs-of-existence-contained-in-this-spot-of-earth-with-ample/)

[Thomas Malthus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-malthus/)

> [The proposition of Mr. Ricardo, which states that a rise in the price of labour lowers the price of a large class of commodities,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-malthus/the-proposition-of-mr-ricardo-which-states-that-a-rise-in-the-price/)

[Thomas Malthus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-malthus/)

> [Thirty or forty proprietors, with incomes answering to between one thousand and five thousand a year, would create a much more effectual demand for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-malthus/thirty-or-forty-proprietors-with-incomes-answering-to-between-one/)

[Thomas Malthus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-malthus/)

> [Every endeavor should be used to weaken and destroy all those institutions relating to corporations, apprenticeships, &amp;c, which cause the labours of agriculture to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-malthus/every-endeavor-should-be-used-to-weaken-and-destroy-all-those/)

[Thomas Malthus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-malthus/)

> [A great emigration necessarily implies unhappiness of some kind or other in the country that is deserted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-malthus/a-great-emigration-necessarily-implies-unhappiness-of-some-kind-or/)

[Thomas Malthus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-malthus/)

> [If I saw a glass of wine repeatedly presented to a man, and he took no notice of it, I should be apt to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-malthus/if-i-saw-a-glass-of-wine-repeatedly-presented-to-a-man-and-he-took-no/)

[Thomas Malthus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-malthus/)

> [The power of population is indefinitely greater than the power in the earth to produce subsistence for man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-malthus/the-power-of-population-is-indefinitely-greater-than-the-power-in-the/)

[Thomas Malthus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-malthus/)

> [ \[P\]opulation, when unchecked, goes on doubling itself every twenty-five years, or increases in a geometrical ratio. ... \[T\]he means of subsistence, under circumstances the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-malthus/p-opulation-when-unchecked-goes-on-doubling-itself-every-twenty-five/)

[Thomas Malthus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-malthus/)

> [It is not the most pleasant employment to spend eight hours a day in a counting house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-malthus/it-is-not-the-most-pleasant-employment-to-spend-eight-hours-a-day-in/)

[Thomas Malthus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-malthus/)

> [A writer may tell me that he thinks man will ultimately become an ostrich. I cannot properly contradict him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-malthus/a-writer-may-tell-me-that-he-thinks-man-will-ultimately-become-an/)

[Thomas Malthus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-malthus/)

> [The doctrine of population has been conspicuously absent, not because I doubt in the least its truth and vast importance, but because it forms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-malthus/the-doctrine-of-population-has-been-conspicuously-absent-not-because/)

[Thomas Malthus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-malthus/)

> [In a state therefore of great equality and virtue, where pure and simple manners prevailed, the increase of the human species would evidently be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-malthus/in-a-state-therefore-of-great-equality-and-virtue-where-pure-and/)

[Thomas Malthus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-malthus/)

> [The greatest talents have been frequently misapplied and have produced evil proportionate to the extent of their powers. Both reason and revelation seem to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-malthus/the-greatest-talents-have-been-frequently-misapplied-and-have/)

[Thomas Malthus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-malthus/)

> [Hard as it may appear in individual cases, dependent poverty ought to be held disgraceful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-malthus/hard-as-it-may-appear-in-individual-cases-dependent-poverty-ought-to/)

[Thomas Malthus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-malthus/)

[Explore all 89 Thomas Malthus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-malthus/)

## More Affair quotes

> [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/)

[Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/)

> [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/)

[Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/)

> [Our guiding principle was that design is neither an intellectual nor a material affair, but simply an integral part of the stuff of life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-gropius/our-guiding-principle-was-that-design-is-neither-an-intellectual-nor/)

[Walter Gropius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-gropius/)

> [I wonder if it's possible to have a love affair that lasts forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/i-wonder-if-it-s-possible-to-have-a-love-affair-that-lasts-forever/)

[Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/)

> [For a young man to start his career with a love affair with an older woman was quite de rigueur ... Of course, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/for-a-young-man-to-start-his-career-with-a-love-affair-with-an-older/)

[Vita Sackville-West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vita-sackville-west/)

> [As long as the state permits itself to interfere in the affairs of literature, literature has the right to interfere with the affairs of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/as-long-as-the-state-permits-itself-to-interfere-in-the-affairs-of/)

[Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/)

> [Love is mainly an affair of short spasms. If these spasms disappoint us, love dies. It is very seldom that it weathers the experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/love-is-mainly-an-affair-of-short-spasms-if-these-spasms-disappoint/)

[Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/)

> [The Fundamental Principle that governs - or ought to govern -human affairs if we wish to avoid misunderstandings, conflicts, or pointless utopias, is negotiation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/the-fundamental-principle-that-governs-or-ought-to-govern-human/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [My hope does not rest in the affairs of this world. It rests in Christ who is coming again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/my-hope-does-not-rest-in-the-affairs-of-this-world-it-rests-in-christ/)

[Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/)

> [In 1953, the United States played a significant role in orchestrating the overthrow of Iran's popular prime minister, Mohammed Mossadegh. The Eisenhower administration believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/in-1953-the-united-states-played-a-significant-role-in-orchestrating/)

[Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/)

> [Not everyone likes the stable, gradual rise of our country. There are some who are using the democratic ideology to interfere in our internal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/not-everyone-likes-the-stable-gradual-rise-of-our-country-there-are/)

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

> [The archives recall not one single incriminating incident, not one drunken escapade, not one reported affair, not one spat with a team-mate or reporter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-atherton/the-archives-recall-not-one-single-incriminating-incident-not-one/)

[Michael Atherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-atherton/)

> [“I ripped the sketch from the wall. "Liar." Edward looked more ravaged than usual. "That is a terrible word, coming from you." "Yup." "And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-jensen/i-ripped-the-sketch-from-the-wall-liar-edward-looked-more-ravaged/)

[Melissa Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-jensen/)

> [For some people, a one-night stand doesn't make any difference in a seven-year love affair. I don't believe the degree of betrayal is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/for-some-people-a-one-night-stand-doesn-t-make-any-difference-in-a/)

[Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/)

> [And what is literature, Rabo," he said, "but an insider's newsletter about affairs relating to molecules, of no importance to anything in the universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-what-is-literature-rabo-he-said-but-an-insider-s-newsletter-about/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

[Browse all 2,218 Affair quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affair/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "If it be taught that all who are born have a right to support on the land, whatever be their number, and that there is no occasion to exercise any prudence in the affair of marriage so as to check this number, the temptations, according to all the known principles of human nature, will inevitably be yielded to, and more and more will gradually become dependent on parish assistance.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Thomas Malthus"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-malthus/if-it-be-taught-that-all-who-are-born-have-a-right-to-support-on-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Affair"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-malthus/if-it-be-taught-that-all-who-are-born-have-a-right-to-support-on-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44c/thomas-malthus-7621_affair_if-it-be-taught-that-all-who-are-born-ha_982890.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44c/thomas-malthus-7621_affair_if-it-be-taught-that-all-who-are-born-ha_982890.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44c/thomas-malthus-7621_affair_if-it-be-taught-that-all-who-are-born-ha_982890.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If it be taught that all who are born have a right to support on the land, whatever be their number, and…” — Thomas Malthus",
                "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 Malthus",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-malthus/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If it be taught that all...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-malthus/if-it-be-taught-that-all-who-are-born-have-a-right-to-support-on-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-malthus/if-it-be-taught-that-all-who-are-born-have-a-right-to-support-on-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
