--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is fascinating to watch politicians…" description: "\"It is fascinating to watch politicians come up with 'solutions' to problems that are a direct result of their previous solutions. In many cases, the mo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1db/thomas-sowell-247_cases_it-is-fascinating-to-watch-politicians-c_2875821.jpg" --- # It is fascinating to watch politicians come up with… ![“It is fascinating to watch politicians come up with 'solutions' to problems that are a direct result of their previous solutions. In many cases, the most efficient thing to do would be to repeal their previous solution and stop being so gung-ho for creating new solutions in the future. But…” quote by Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1db/thomas-sowell-247_cases_it-is-fascinating-to-watch-politicians-c_2875821.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1db/thomas-sowell-247_cases_it-is-fascinating-to-watch-politicians-c_2875821.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1db/thomas-sowell-247_cases_it-is-fascinating-to-watch-politicians-c_2875821.jpg) > “It is fascinating to watch politicians come up with 'solutions' to problems that are a direct result of their previous solutions. In many cases, the most efficient thing to do would be to repeal their previous solution and stop being so gung-ho for creating new solutions in the future. But, politically, that is the last thing they will do.” [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. Politicians often create solutions that generate new problems, yet they resist undoing their own policies due to political inertia. **In simple terms:** Solutions can create more problems. Key Takeaway Evaluate policies for long‑term effects before implementation. Themes politics policy unintended consequences Mood critical analytical Type political economic When to use this quote - legislative drafting - policy review - public debate Key Concepts economics public administration Questions to Reflect On - What mechanisms can prevent policy feedback loops? - How can accountability be increased? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex policy cycles. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cases/) [Come Solutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/come-solutions-647261/) [Come up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/come-up/) [Creating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creating/) [Direct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/direct/) [Efficient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/efficient/) [Fascinating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fascinating/) [Lasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasts/) [New Solutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-solutions-2335218/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Politician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politician/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Previous Solution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/previous-solution-3958114/) [Previous Solutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/previous-solutions-3958113/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Problem solving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem-solving/) [Repeal Previous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/repeal-previous-3958115/) [Results](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/results/) [Solution to a problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solution-to-a-problem/) [Solutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solutions/) [Things to do](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-to-do/) [Watches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watches/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) ## Related quotes > [“Every problem is the result of a previous solution.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-discher/every-problem-is-the-result-of-a-previous-solution/) [Stephen Discher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-discher/) > [The time for us to begin innovating and looking for new solutions is now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-novogratz/the-time-for-us-to-begin-innovating-and-looking-for-new-solutions-is/) [Jacqueline Novogratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-novogratz/) > [New solutions win by virtue of adoption, and they don't get adopted if they're bad solutions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/new-solutions-win-by-virtue-of-adoption-and-they-don-t-get-adopted-if/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [“Old formulas don’t give new solutions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/old-formulas-don-t-give-new-solutions/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [Most people are more comfortable with old problems than with new solutions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/most-people-are-more-comfortable-with-old-problems-than-with-new/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As we approach each of the great social challenges of our time we must acknowledge that old thinking will not provide the new solutions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mainwaring/as-we-approach-each-of-the-great-social-challenges-of-our-time-we/) [Simon Mainwaring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mainwaring/) > [And people talk about the stimulus package and the jobs that it was supposed to create, it certainly didn't have the intended effects that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristi-noem/and-people-talk-about-the-stimulus-package-and-the-jobs-that-it-was/) [Kristi Noem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristi-noem/) > [Where you have 20 people who all share roughly the same educational and life experiences, they're going to come up with the same solutions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-webb/where-you-have-20-people-who-all-share-roughly-the-same-educational/) [Robert Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-webb/) > [I think it's a fallacy that only people in elected office can come up with solutions that solve our problems. I just think maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-carson/i-think-it-s-a-fallacy-that-only-people-in-elected-office-can-come-up/) [Benjamin Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-carson/) > [It's part of my Special Forces training. You're taught to come up with a solutions, not look for excuses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmal-purja/it-s-part-of-my-special-forces-training-you-re-taught-to-come-up-with/) [Nirmal Purja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmal-purja/) > [As time goes by, people get to know you better. They pose problems for you, and you have to come up with solutions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pep-guardiola/as-time-goes-by-people-get-to-know-you-better-they-pose-problems-for/) [Pep Guardiola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pep-guardiola/) > [All of our movies are lower budget, and that makes them more interesting, too: we have to come up with solutions other than throwing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-blum/all-of-our-movies-are-lower-budget-and-that-makes-them-more/) [Jason Blum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-blum/) > [Our goal is not to ignore the problems of life, but to put ourselves in better mental and emotional states where we can not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/our-goal-is-not-to-ignore-the-problems-of-life-but-to-put-ourselves/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [“Put two and two together! Come up with solutions that will fill the bill of the burning desires at the center-stage.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anyaele-sam-chiyson/put-two-and-two-together-come-up-with-solutions-that-will-fill-the/) [Anyaele Sam Chiyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anyaele-sam-chiyson/) > [The way we do our architecture is to show that we can come up with our own solutions. We don't just take orders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/the-way-we-do-our-architecture-is-to-show-that-we-can-come-up-with/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) ## 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 Cases quotes > [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [I'd always have grease in at least two places, in case the umpires would ask me to wipe one off. I never wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaylord-perry/i-d-always-have-grease-in-at-least-two-places-in-case-the-umpires/) [Gaylord Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaylord-perry/) > [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/) > [You gonna take the case?" It's not a case. It's a missing person. Sort of." You're gonna have a devil of a time finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/you-gonna-take-the-case-it-s-not-a-case-it-s-a-missing-person-sort-of/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) > [I think we've all had enough of Coltrane saxophonists. There's a case of someone ruining a generation of saxophonists, as Louis Armstrong may have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bley/i-think-we-ve-all-had-enough-of-coltrane-saxophonists-there-s-a-case/) [Paul Bley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bley/) > [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [The world around us is an increasingly hostile and sinful place. Occasionally that splashes onto us, and perhaps, in the case of a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-world-around-us-is-an-increasingly-hostile-and-sinful-place/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [If you followed the media you'd think that everybody in Africa was starving to death, and that's not the case; so it's important to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/if-you-followed-the-media-you-d-think-that-everybody-in-africa-was/) [Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/) > [ \[As in the case of\] alcohol prohibition, illegality has driven organized crime, sent countless people to jail, and killed many thousands. Repression does not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-branson/as-in-the-case-of-alcohol-prohibition-illegality-has-driven-organized/) [Sam Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-branson/) > [He emphasised basic truths: you are not dying yet, you have to live your life until you are. Underpinning them was the belief that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/he-emphasised-basic-truths-you-are-not-dying-yet-you-have-to-live/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [Athletes at all ages are bigger and stronger than ever before. And they are being encouraged - sometimes even incentivized, as we recently learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-jain/athletes-at-all-ages-are-bigger-and-stronger-than-ever-before-and/) [Naveen Jain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-jain/) > [Each Act of Parliament intended to address harassment and discrimination has faced objections on the basis of 'you'll never be able to prove...' and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-field/each-act-of-parliament-intended-to-address-harassment-and/) [Tim Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-field/) > [The Cheney team had, for example, technological supremacy over the National Security Council staff. That is to say, they could read their e-mails. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wilkerson/the-cheney-team-had-for-example-technological-supremacy-over-the/) [Lawrence Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wilkerson/) > [If you want good behavior, don't pay on a commission basis. Our judges aren't paid so much a case. We keep them pretty well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/if-you-want-good-behavior-don-t-pay-on-a-commission-basis-our-judges/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) [Browse all 6,420 Cases quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cases/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is fascinating to watch politicians come up with 'solutions' to problems that are a direct result of their previous solutions. 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