--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Central planning, judicial activism, and…" description: "\"Central planning, judicial activism, and the nanny state all presume vastly more knowledge than any elite have ever possessed.\" — Thomas Sowell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d20/thomas-sowell-247_activism_central-planning-judicial-activism-and-t_1493289.jpg" --- # Central planning, judicial activism, and the nanny state… ![“Central planning, judicial activism, and the nanny state all presume vastly more knowledge than any elite have ever possessed.” quote by Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d20/thomas-sowell-247_activism_central-planning-judicial-activism-and-t_1493289.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d20/thomas-sowell-247_activism_central-planning-judicial-activism-and-t_1493289.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d20/thomas-sowell-247_activism_central-planning-judicial-activism-and-t_1493289.jpg) > “Central planning, judicial activism, and the nanny state all presume vastly more knowledge than any elite have ever possessed.” [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. Assuming elites know more than individuals leads to overreaching policies that ignore limited knowledge. **In simple terms:** Elites can't know everything, so top-down control fails. Key Takeaway Limit central authority. Themes politics economics government knowledge policy Mood skeptical critical serious Type analytical political When to use this quote - tax reform - education policy - regulatory reform - public debate Key Concepts public choice information asymmetry government failure Questions to Reflect On - Who decides what knowledge is sufficient? - How can societies balance expertise with individual freedom? A Different Perspective Assumes all elites act uniformly, ignoring diverse expertise. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Activism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/activism/) [Central planning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/central-planning/) [Elites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elites/) [Judicial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judicial/) [Judicial activism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judicial-activism/) [Nannies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nannies/) [Planning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planning/) ## Related quotes > [If you start from a belief that the most knowledgeable person on earth does not have even one percent of the total knowledge on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/if-you-start-from-a-belief-that-the-most-knowledgeable-person-on/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Fundamentalist religion is the most pervasive vision of central planning, though many fundamentalists may oppose human central planning as a usurpation or "playing God.This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/fundamentalist-religion-is-the-most-pervasive-vision-of-central/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Government central planning means over-riding other people's plans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/government-central-planning-means-over-riding-other-people-s-plans/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Unlike national legal systems, there are precious few avenues to address judicial activism at the WTO. You pretty much have to gain consensus to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lighthizer/unlike-national-legal-systems-there-are-precious-few-avenues-to/) [Robert Lighthizer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lighthizer/) > [It is true that there have been excesses of judicial activism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prashant-bhushan/it-is-true-that-there-have-been-excesses-of-judicial-activism/) [Prashant Bhushan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prashant-bhushan/) > [If Americans loved judicial activism, liberals wouldn't be lying about what it is. Judicial activism means making up constitutional rights in order to strike…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/if-americans-loved-judicial-activism-liberals-wouldn-t-be-lying-about/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [Out of control judicial activism threatens traditional marriage in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-istook/out-of-control-judicial-activism-threatens-traditional-marriage-in/) [Ernest Istook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-istook/) > [Judicial activism must be lessened, and the judiciary should do its work and let politicians work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bilawal-bhutto-zardari/judicial-activism-must-be-lessened-and-the-judiciary-should-do-its/) [Bilawal Bhutto Zardari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bilawal-bhutto-zardari/) > [Liberals attempt through judicial activism what they cannot win at the ballot box.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/liberals-attempt-through-judicial-activism-what-they-cannot-win-at/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Invalidating laws has absolutely nothing to do with judicial activism. 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But it would be fair to say that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kinsley/it-wouldn-t-be-fair-to-say-that-conservatives-cherish-property-the/) [Michael Kinsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kinsley/) > [Our Parliamentary system has simply failed to meet the challenge of judicial activism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stockwell-day/our-parliamentary-system-has-simply-failed-to-meet-the-challenge-of/) [Stockwell Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stockwell-day/) > [We have a problem with judicial activism in this country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-bongino/we-have-a-problem-with-judicial-activism-in-this-country/) [Dan Bongino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-bongino/) > [The Supreme Court's most conservative Justices have presented themselves as great respecters of precedent and opponents of 'judicial activism' - of judges using the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-cohen/the-supreme-court-s-most-conservative-justices-have-presented/) [Adam Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-cohen/) ## 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. 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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 Activism quotes > [“God has a way of picking a “nobody” and turning their world upside down, in order to create a “somebody” that will remove the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/god-has-a-way-of-picking-a-nobody-and-turning-their-world-upside-down/) [Shannon L. 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And maybe we can point to one or two historical times when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-gottlieb/poetry-is-a-lousy-form-of-activism-it-doesn-t-really-change-much-and/) [Daphne Gottlieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-gottlieb/) > [There's a lot of activism that doesn't deal with empowerment, and you have to empower yourself in order to be relevant to any type…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-kweli/there-s-a-lot-of-activism-that-doesn-t-deal-with-empowerment-and-you/) [Talib Kweli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talib-kweli/) > [“Until you find a cause you can die for, you are not worthy to live.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ifeanyi-enoch-onuoha/until-you-find-a-cause-you-can-die-for-you-are-not-worthy-to-live/) [Ifeanyi Enoch Onuoha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ifeanyi-enoch-onuoha/) > [Ya'll know what you need to do? 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