--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Apparently the only people who are…" description: "\"Apparently the only people who are supposed to be responsible are the taxpayers - and they are increasingly made responsible for other people's irrespo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63e/thomas-sowell-247_being-responsible_apparently-the-only-people-who-are-suppo_1049733.jpg" --- # Apparently the only people who are supposed to be… ![“Apparently the only people who are supposed to be responsible are the taxpayers - and they are increasingly made responsible for other people's irresponsibility.” quote by Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63e/thomas-sowell-247_being-responsible_apparently-the-only-people-who-are-suppo_1049733.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63e/thomas-sowell-247_being-responsible_apparently-the-only-people-who-are-suppo_1049733.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63e/thomas-sowell-247_being-responsible_apparently-the-only-people-who-are-suppo_1049733.jpg) > “Apparently the only people who are supposed to be responsible are the taxpayers - and they are increasingly made responsible for other people's irresponsibility.” [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Responsibility is shifted to taxpayers, making them liable for others' failures. **In simple terms:** Taxpayers bear unfair blame for others' mistakes. Key Takeaway Question who truly holds responsibility. Themes taxation responsibility government Mood critical skeptical Type political economic When to use this quote - budget planning - policy debate - tax reform Key Concepts public finance moral hazard Questions to Reflect On - Who should be accountable for public costs? - How can responsibility be fairly allocated? A Different Perspective Taxpayers may lack control over others' actions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Irresponsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irresponsibility/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Taxpayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taxpayers/) ## Related quotes > [People are supposed to be responsible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-sheindlin/people-are-supposed-to-be-responsible/) [Judy Sheindlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-sheindlin/) > [Our crimes, for which we are responsible: as taxpayers, for failing to provide massive reparations, for granting refuge and immunity to the perpetrators, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/our-crimes-for-which-we-are-responsible-as-taxpayers-for-failing-to/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The welfare state shields people from the consequences of their own mistakes, allowing irresponsibility to continue and to flourish among ever wider circles of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-welfare-state-shields-people-from-the-consequences-of-their-own/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [You cannot subsidize irresponsibility and expect people to become more responsible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/you-cannot-subsidize-irresponsibility-and-expect-people-to-become/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [One cannot control the actions of others, but we are responsible for what we do. People say things such as, "I can't do this,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-pfeffer/one-cannot-control-the-actions-of-others-but-we-are-responsible-for/) [Jeffrey Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-pfeffer/) > [Men have always been gentlemen to me - responsible people with healthy attitudes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aretha-franklin/men-have-always-been-gentlemen-to-me-responsible-people-with-healthy/) [Aretha Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aretha-franklin/) > [“The freest people in the world are those who have senses of inner peace about themselves: They simply refuse to be swayed by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-w-dyer/the-freest-people-in-the-world-are-those-who-have-senses-of-inner/) [Wayne W. Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-w-dyer/) > [I'm simply here to say guns should be owned by responsible people, and there should be high tests and a high bar to prove…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-stephens/i-m-simply-here-to-say-guns-should-be-owned-by-responsible-people-and/) [Bret Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-stephens/) > [“Now I had to find the right person. When I was out, I tried to keep an eye out for someone who could be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aziz-ansari/now-i-had-to-find-the-right-person-when-i-was-out-i-tried-to-keep-an/) [Aziz Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aziz-ansari/) > [“I'm not responsible for what other people think, only for what I am.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-hamilton/i-m-not-responsible-for-what-other-people-think-only-for-what-i-am/) [Donald Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-hamilton/) > [“Get this through your head — you are not responsible for other people's happiness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/get-this-through-your-head-you-are-not-responsible-for-other-people-s/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [An idea isn't responsible for the people who believe it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-marquis/an-idea-isn-t-responsible-for-the-people-who-believe-it/) [Don Marquis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-marquis/) > [I'm responsible for what people see and what they hear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lynch/i-m-responsible-for-what-people-see-and-what-they-hear/) [David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/) > [It's like I learned in the military: the officers always ate last. When you're responsible for people, that's how it should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-sestak/it-s-like-i-learned-in-the-military-the-officers-always-ate-last-when/) [Joe Sestak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-sestak/) > [“I'm tired of being responsible for other people's misery. I can't even put up with my own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katja-millay/i-m-tired-of-being-responsible-for-other-people-s-misery-i-can-t-even/) [Katja Millay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katja-millay/) ## More by Thomas Sowell > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [There is no bigger waste of time than doing 90% of what is necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/there-is-no-bigger-waste-of-time-than-doing-90-of-what-is-necessary/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [If you have always believed that everyone should play by the same rules and be judged by the same standards, that would have gotten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/if-you-have-always-believed-that-everyone-should-play-by-the-same/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“In 1962, Democratic President John F. Kennedy, like both Democratic and Republican Presidents and Secretaries of the Treasury in earlier years, pointed out that “it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/in-1962-democratic-president-john-f-kennedy-like-both-democratic-and/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Ideological bigotry has become the norm on even our most prestigious campuses, where students can go for years without reading or hearing anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/ideological-bigotry-has-become-the-norm-on-even-our-most-prestigious/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Bailing out people who made ill-advised mortgages makes no more sense that bailing out people who lost their life savings in Las Vegas casinos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/bailing-out-people-who-made-ill-advised-mortgages-makes-no-more-sense/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“One third of all Scots in the mid-nineteenth century moved from one county to another”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/one-third-of-all-scots-in-the-mid-nineteenth-century-moved-from-one/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [The difference is that we have the hardest and most painful evidence that there was a Holocaust. But, for the global warming scenario that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-difference-is-that-we-have-the-hardest-and-most-painful-evidence/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“Just as price fluctuations allocate scarce resources which have alternative uses, price controls which limit those fluctuations reduce the incentives for individuals to limit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/just-as-price-fluctuations-allocate-scarce-resources-which-have/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [The greatest danger to the liberal vision are facts about the consequences of liberalism itself and the laws, policies, and ways of life that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-greatest-danger-to-the-liberal-vision-are-facts-about-the/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Having spent years ruining the housing markets with their interference, leading to a housing meltdown that has taken the whole economy down with it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/having-spent-years-ruining-the-housing-markets-with-their/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Do all children have some inherent right to live in America if they have done nothing wrong? If not, then why should the children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/do-all-children-have-some-inherent-right-to-live-in-america-if-they/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [What 'eminent domain' laws mean in practice is that politicians have a right to seize your property and turn it over to someone else,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/what-eminent-domain-laws-mean-in-practice-is-that-politicians-have-a/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“those parts of the British Isles without the advantage of coal deposits or ports, industrialization was as handicapped as in other countries.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/those-parts-of-the-british-isles-without-the-advantage-of-coal/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [The whole idea of equal justice under law is completely incompatible with the idea of judges deciding cases according to "empathy".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-whole-idea-of-equal-justice-under-law-is-completely-incompatible/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) [Explore all 823 Thomas Sowell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) ## More Being responsible quotes > [We can only be responsible for what we ourselves do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-peterfreund/we-can-only-be-responsible-for-what-we-ourselves-do/) [Diana Peterfreund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-peterfreund/) > [I tried to just do things like make some money, be responsible, help out other artists who I see have had a similar path.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariel-pink/i-tried-to-just-do-things-like-make-some-money-be-responsible-help/) [Ariel Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-pink/) > [Taxpayers would likely be responsible for treating addicts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-warren-kindt/taxpayers-would-likely-be-responsible-for-treating-addicts/) [John Warren Kindt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-warren-kindt/) > [I don't really think in terms of the future of literature. 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Be responsible for Christ's sake!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-taffer/clean-your-freakin-fryer-be-responsible-for-christ-s-sake/) [Jon Taffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-taffer/) > [When a health policy analyst went to heaven, he asked God the same question: 'Will America ever have a single-payer system?' And God said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-altman/when-a-health-policy-analyst-went-to-heaven-he-asked-god-the-same/) Stuart Altman > [I am involved with so many charitable organizations. Lung Cancer because of my dad, Breast Cancer because as a woman and mother of two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-robbins/i-am-involved-with-so-many-charitable-organizations-lung-cancer/) Lois Robbins > [People want a grounded government. They want a government that's going to be responsible to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-paladino/people-want-a-grounded-government-they-want-a-government-that-s-going/) [Carl Paladino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-paladino/) > [It's much worse to see a woman drunk than a man: I don't know quite why this is true but it just is. Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-much-worse-to-see-a-woman-drunk-than-a-man-i-don-t-know-quite/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [You cannot be responsible for Jim Crow. You can not be responsible for racism. This is much more a problem for the person exercising…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raoul-peck/you-cannot-be-responsible-for-jim-crow-you-can-not-be-responsible-for/) [Raoul Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raoul-peck/) > [Let us be good stewards of the Earth we inherited. All of us have to share the Earth's fragile ecosystems and precious resources, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/let-us-be-good-stewards-of-the-earth-we-inherited-all-of-us-have-to/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [I think that today, more so than ever, corporate responsibility is the best strategic as well as financial path that most businesses can follow.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-hollender/i-think-that-today-more-so-than-ever-corporate-responsibility-is-the/) [Jeffrey Hollender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-hollender/) > [If you recognize that self-driving cars are going to prevent car accidents, AI will be responsible for reducing one of the leading causes of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/if-you-recognize-that-self-driving-cars-are-going-to-prevent-car/) [Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/) Browse all 281 Being responsible quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Apparently the only people who are supposed to be responsible are the taxpayers - and they are increasingly made responsible for other people's irresponsibility.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Sowell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/apparently-the-only-people-who-are-supposed-to-be-responsible-are-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Being responsible" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/apparently-the-only-people-who-are-supposed-to-be-responsible-are-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63e/thomas-sowell-247_being-responsible_apparently-the-only-people-who-are-suppo_1049733.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63e/thomas-sowell-247_being-responsible_apparently-the-only-people-who-are-suppo_1049733.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63e/thomas-sowell-247_being-responsible_apparently-the-only-people-who-are-suppo_1049733.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Apparently the only people who are supposed to be responsible are the taxpayers - and they are increasingly…” — Thomas Sowell", "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 Sowell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Apparently the only people who are...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/apparently-the-only-people-who-are-supposed-to-be-responsible-are-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/apparently-the-only-people-who-are-supposed-to-be-responsible-are-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 } } ] } ```