--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Much of the self-righteous nonsense that…" description: "\"Much of the self-righteous nonsense that abounds on so many subjects cannot stand up to three questions: (1) Compared to what? (2) At what cost? and (3..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/681/thomas-sowell-247_cost_much-of-the-self-righteous-nonsense-that_824535.jpg" --- # Much of the self-righteous nonsense that abounds on so… ![“Much of the self-righteous nonsense that abounds on so many subjects cannot stand up to three questions: (1) Compared to what? (2) At what cost? and (3) What are the hard facts?.” quote by Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/681/thomas-sowell-247_cost_much-of-the-self-righteous-nonsense-that_824535.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/681/thomas-sowell-247_cost_much-of-the-self-righteous-nonsense-that_824535.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/681/thomas-sowell-247_cost_much-of-the-self-righteous-nonsense-that_824535.jpg) > “Much of the self-righteous nonsense that abounds on so many subjects cannot stand up to three questions: (1) Compared to what? (2) At what cost? and (3) What are the hard facts?.” [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. Critical thinking requires comparing claims, assessing costs, and verifying facts. **In simple terms:** Question claims, costs, and evidence. Key Takeaway Apply rigorous three‑question test. Themes critical thinking skepticism analysis Mood analytical skeptical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - policy debate - investment decision - media consumption Key Concepts comparative evaluation cost‑benefit analysis Questions to Reflect On - What assumptions underlie your belief? - How do you verify the hard facts? A Different Perspective Complex issues may lack clear answers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cost/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Hard Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-facts-502848/) [Nonsense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nonsense/) [Nonsense Abounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nonsense-abounds-502847/) [Righteous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/righteous/) [Righteous Nonsense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/righteous-nonsense-502846/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self righteous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-righteous/) [Subjects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subjects/) [Three](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three/) ## Related quotes > [To those who feel that their values are THE values, the less controlled systems necessarily present a spectacle of "chaos," simply because such systems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/to-those-who-feel-that-their-values-are-the-values-the-less/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [I wish that some way could be found to add up all the staggering costs imposed on millions of ordinary people, just so a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/i-wish-that-some-way-could-be-found-to-add-up-all-the-staggering/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [A good rule for discussion is to use hard facts and a soft voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-sarnoff/a-good-rule-for-discussion-is-to-use-hard-facts-and-a-soft-voice/) [Dorothy Sarnoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-sarnoff/) > [But the hard facts were that fifty years of non-violence had brought the African people nothing but more and more repressive legislation, and fewer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/but-the-hard-facts-were-that-fifty-years-of-non-violence-had-brought/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [Comedy's the ultimate pill that helps the really hard truths and hard facts go down, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvonne-orji/comedy-s-the-ultimate-pill-that-helps-the-really-hard-truths-and-hard/) [Yvonne Orji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvonne-orji/) > [There may be some substitute for hard facts, but if there is, I have no idea what it can be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-paul-getty/there-may-be-some-substitute-for-hard-facts-but-if-there-is-i-have-no/) [J. Paul Getty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-paul-getty/) > [My long struggles as a soldier of the Chinese Revolution have forced me to realize the necessity of facing hard facts. There will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiang-kai-shek/my-long-struggles-as-a-soldier-of-the-chinese-revolution-have-forced/) [Chiang Kai-shek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiang-kai-shek/) > [The challenge is whether China as a rising country, the United States as the superpower, can develop a cooperative relationship in this period before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/the-challenge-is-whether-china-as-a-rising-country-the-united-states/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [Those who know their unworthiness seize grace as a hungry man seizes bread: the self-righteous resent grace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-alcorn/those-who-know-their-unworthiness-seize-grace-as-a-hungry-man-seizes/) [Randy Alcorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-alcorn/) > [I do believe that America's deepest political sickness is that it is a self-righteous nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/i-do-believe-that-america-s-deepest-political-sickness-is-that-it-is/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [Self-righteous victims invite extra nails.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/self-righteous-victims-invite-extra-nails/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [The world, and the great and free United States in particular, is full of narrow-minded, ignorant, moronic, bigoted, cowardly, self-righteous, anemic, pig-headed, stupid, puritanical,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-atherton/the-world-and-the-great-and-free-united-states-in-particular-is-full/) [Gertrude Atherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-atherton/) > [We are all naturally self-righteous. It is the family disease of all the children of Adam.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-ryle/we-are-all-naturally-self-righteous-it-is-the-family-disease-of-all/) [J. C. Ryle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-ryle/) > [We are never more self-righteous than when giving up what we should have shunned all along.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mignon-mclaughlin/we-are-never-more-self-righteous-than-when-giving-up-what-we-should/) [Mignon McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mignon-mclaughlin/) > [I shall pray God to send charity into this hideous world, and sympathy for the weak, and love for the unhappy and unfortunate. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wyndham/i-shall-pray-god-to-send-charity-into-this-hideous-world-and-sympathy/) [John Wyndham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wyndham/) ## 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 Cost quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I would borrow money all day long, if the cost of borrowing is less than the expected return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/i-would-borrow-money-all-day-long-if-the-cost-of-borrowing-is-less/) [Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/) > [I do not want to live at the cost of the life even of a snake. I should let him bite me to death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-to-live-at-the-cost-of-the-life-even-of-a-snake-i/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/) [Jessica Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-yu/) > [ \[Photography is \] likewise even French impressionists. So the Sculls bought pop. It was politics, and they moved with it. And I think that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-winogrand/photography-is-likewise-even-french-impressionists-so-the-sculls/) [Garry Winogrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-winogrand/) > [What has drug addiction done for me? It's cost me my career, my fortune and basically my sex life when I found out I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbin-crosby/what-has-drug-addiction-done-for-me-it-s-cost-me-my-career-my-fortune/) [Robbin Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robbin-crosby/) > [I agreed a long time ago, I would not live at any cost. If I am moved or forced away from what I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-agreed-a-long-time-ago-i-would-not-live-at-any-cost-if-i-am-moved/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I believe that government is too large, costs too much, spends too much, and has too much regulatory power in our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-walberg/i-believe-that-government-is-too-large-costs-too-much-spends-too-much/) [Tim Walberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-walberg/) > [One reason for the tremendous increase in health-care costs in the U.S. is managerial neglect of the "hotel services" by the people who dominate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/one-reason-for-the-tremendous-increase-in-health-care-costs-in-the-u/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [They brought on someone who cost more than our stadium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-rodgers/they-brought-on-someone-who-cost-more-than-our-stadium/) [Brendan Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendan-rodgers/) > [When the government pays, health care's lack of affordability becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. In health care, as in other things, government is the high-cost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-kling/when-the-government-pays-health-care-s-lack-of-affordability-becomes/) [Arnold Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-kling/) > [“In your goals to go the extra mile, prepare to pay an extra cost. Excellence is to be exceptional, surpassing, more competent and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/in-your-goals-to-go-the-extra-mile-prepare-to-pay-an-extra-cost/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [First impressions are often the truest, as we find (not infrequently) to our cost, when we have been wheedled out of them by plausible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/first-impressions-are-often-the-truest-as-we-find-not-infrequently-to/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [The term 'cost shifting,' as I use it, refers to those items in a university's budget that used to be reimbursed by the federal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-term-cost-shifting-as-i-use-it-refers-to-those-items-in-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Beauty's a doubtful good, a glass, a flower, Lost, faded, broken, dead within an hour; And beauty, blemish'd once, for ever's lost, In spite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/beauty-s-a-doubtful-good-a-glass-a-flower-lost-faded-broken-dead/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) [Browse all 3,987 Cost quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cost/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Much of the self-righteous nonsense that abounds on so many subjects cannot stand up to three questions: (1) Compared to what? 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