--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Government bailouts are like potato…" description: "\"Government bailouts are like potato chips: You can't stop with just one.\" — Thomas Sowell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff9/thomas-sowell-247_bailouts_government-bailouts-are-like-potato-chip_2894001.jpg" --- # Government bailouts are like potato chips: You can't stop… ![“Government bailouts are like potato chips: You can't stop with just one.” quote by Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff9/thomas-sowell-247_bailouts_government-bailouts-are-like-potato-chip_2894001.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff9/thomas-sowell-247_bailouts_government-bailouts-are-like-potato-chip_2894001.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff9/thomas-sowell-247_bailouts_government-bailouts-are-like-potato-chip_2894001.jpg) > “Government bailouts are like potato chips: You can't stop with just one.” [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. Government bailouts are addictive, leading to repeated reliance. **In simple terms:** Bailouts are hard to stop. Key Takeaway Limit bailouts to prevent dependency. Themes economics government policy fiscal responsibility Mood critical cautious Type economic policy When to use this quote - budget meetings - legislative hearings - public debates Key Concepts moral hazard public finance policy cycles Questions to Reflect On - When are bailouts justified? - How to balance aid and dependence? A Different Perspective May ignore emergency needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bailouts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bailouts/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) ## Related quotes > [Murder is like potato chips: you can't stop with just one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/murder-is-like-potato-chips-you-can-t-stop-with-just-one/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [It appears that Wall Street is not acting as a force for economic expansion, providing access to capital for companies that make things. Rather,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-cantwell/it-appears-that-wall-street-is-not-acting-as-a-force-for-economic/) [Maria Cantwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-cantwell/) > [Financial institutions are not being bailed out as a favor to them or their stockholders. In fact, stockholders have come out worse off after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/financial-institutions-are-not-being-bailed-out-as-a-favor-to-them-or/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [She lives in Mojave in a Winnebago. His name is Bobby, he looks like a potato.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zappa/she-lives-in-mojave-in-a-winnebago-his-name-is-bobby-he-looks-like-a/) [Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/) > [The man who has nothing to boast of but his illustrious ancestry is like the potato. The best part is underground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-overbury/the-man-who-has-nothing-to-boast-of-but-his-illustrious-ancestry-is/) [Thomas Overbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-overbury/) > [I read a fan bulletin board once, and somebody said I had a face like a potato, so I never went back on there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-lynn-rajskub/i-read-a-fan-bulletin-board-once-and-somebody-said-i-had-a-face-like/) [Mary Lynn Rajskub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-lynn-rajskub/) > [“Dr. Jordan sits across from me. He smells of shaving soap, the English kind, and of ears; and of the leather o his boots.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/dr-jordan-sits-across-from-me-he-smells-of-shaving-soap-the-english/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Can somebody tell me why it is that trips to Home Depot are like potato chips, you can never have just one?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-blaylock/can-somebody-tell-me-why-it-is-that-trips-to-home-depot-are-like/) [Aaron Blaylock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-blaylock/) > [Cats are like potato chips. You can never have just one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/cats-are-like-potato-chips-you-can-never-have-just-one/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Cats are like potato chips. You can't have just one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/cats-are-like-potato-chips-you-can-t-have-just-one/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I quickly realized that more than any other vegetable, the potato evokes strong reactions in people. As the head of communications for the International…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-a-johnson/i-quickly-realized-that-more-than-any-other-vegetable-the-potato/) [Elizabeth A. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-a-johnson/) > [A man who thinks too much about his ancestors is like a potato-the best part of him is underground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-s-f-cooper/a-man-who-thinks-too-much-about-his-ancestors-is-like-a-potato-the/) Henry S. F. Cooper > [“Love is not like a potato--you can't throw it out the window.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/love-is-not-like-a-potato-you-can-t-throw-it-out-the-window/) [Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) > [I hate when new parents ask who the baby looks like. It was born 15 minutes ago, it looks like a potato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-hate-when-new-parents-ask-who-the-baby-looks-like-it-was-born-15/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't care if someone looks like a potato, it's all about personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-care-if-someone-looks-like-a-potato-it-s-all-about-personality/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## 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 Bailouts quotes > [Mother Nature does not do bailouts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/mother-nature-does-not-do-bailouts/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [Repeal the entire Banking Act of 1933, and Austrian School economists will cheer, especially if the current system were replaced by a 100%-reserve competitive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/llewellyn-rockwell/repeal-the-entire-banking-act-of-1933-and-austrian-school-economists/) [Llewellyn Rockwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/llewellyn-rockwell/) > [The Treasury plan is a disgrace: a bailout of reckless bankers, lenders and investors that provides little direct debt relief to borrowers and financially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nouriel-roubini/the-treasury-plan-is-a-disgrace-a-bailout-of-reckless-bankers-lenders/) [Nouriel Roubini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nouriel-roubini/) > [I dont know of one group of people thats more disliked than politicians -- it may be the folks who gave us the Wall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/i-dont-know-of-one-group-of-people-thats-more-disliked-than/) [Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/) > [Financial institutions are not being bailed out as a favor to them or their stockholders. In fact, stockholders have come out worse off after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/financial-institutions-are-not-being-bailed-out-as-a-favor-to-them-or/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [I do know that all of the Michigan delegation worked very hard as related to the revival of the auto industry. There was really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-upton/i-do-know-that-all-of-the-michigan-delegation-worked-very-hard-as/) [Fred Upton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-upton/) > [If General Motors, Ford and Chrysler get the bailout that their chief executives asked for yesterday, you can kiss the American automotive industry goodbye.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/if-general-motors-ford-and-chrysler-get-the-bailout-that-their-chief/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [The government - the ultimate short-term-oriented player - cannot withstand much pain in the economy or the financial markets. Bailouts and rescues are likely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/the-government-the-ultimate-short-term-oriented-player-cannot/) [Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/) > [At some point the Japanese, Chinese and Saudi buyers of US and European Government bonds will see just what miserable value they offer. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-johnson/at-some-point-the-japanese-chinese-and-saudi-buyers-of-us-and/) [Luke Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-johnson/) > [I didn't know you were Catholic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pelosi/i-didn-t-know-you-were-catholic/) [Nancy Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pelosi/) > [Anyone believing the TPP is good for Americans take note: The foreign subsidiaries of U.S.-based corporations could just as easily challenge any U.S. government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reich/anyone-believing-the-tpp-is-good-for-americans-take-note-the-foreign/) [Robert Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reich/) > [We should not be borrowing money from the Chinese to bail out the Greeks. What's coming next? Intergalactic bailouts?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-hensarling/we-should-not-be-borrowing-money-from-the-chinese-to-bail-out-the/) [Jeb Hensarling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-hensarling/) > [Do you realize that the 850 billion dollar bank bailout, that sum of money is greater than the entire 50 year running budget of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/do-you-realize-that-the-850-billion-dollar-bank-bailout-that-sum-of/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Our bailout of Detroit will be remembered as the equivalent of pouring billions of taxpayers' money into the mail-order catalogue business on the eve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/our-bailout-of-detroit-will-be-remembered-as-the-equivalent-of/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [We are living in a time when the very integrity of the Constitution is being threatened daily, from federal bailouts to federal assumption of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-limbaugh/we-are-living-in-a-time-when-the-very-integrity-of-the-constitution/) [David Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-limbaugh/) [Browse all 42 Bailouts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bailouts/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Government bailouts are like potato chips: You can't stop with just one.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Sowell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/government-bailouts-are-like-potato-chips-you-can-t-stop-with-just-one/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bailouts" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/government-bailouts-are-like-potato-chips-you-can-t-stop-with-just-one/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff9/thomas-sowell-247_bailouts_government-bailouts-are-like-potato-chip_2894001.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff9/thomas-sowell-247_bailouts_government-bailouts-are-like-potato-chip_2894001.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff9/thomas-sowell-247_bailouts_government-bailouts-are-like-potato-chip_2894001.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Government bailouts are like potato chips: You can't stop with just one.” — 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": "Government bailouts are like potato chips:...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/government-bailouts-are-like-potato-chips-you-can-t-stop-with-just-one/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/government-bailouts-are-like-potato-chips-you-can-t-stop-with-just-one/#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 } } ] } ```