--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The great allure of government programs…" description: "\"The great allure of government programs in general for many people is that these programs allow decisions to be made without having to worry about the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b1/thomas-sowell-247_allure_the-great-allure-of-government-programs_2419774.jpg" --- # The great allure of government programs in general for… ![“The great allure of government programs in general for many people is that these programs allow decisions to be made without having to worry about the constraints of prices, which confront people at every turn in a free market.” quote by Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b1/thomas-sowell-247_allure_the-great-allure-of-government-programs_2419774.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b1/thomas-sowell-247_allure_the-great-allure-of-government-programs_2419774.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b1/thomas-sowell-247_allure_the-great-allure-of-government-programs_2419774.jpg) > “The great allure of government programs in general for many people is that these programs allow decisions to be made without having to worry about the constraints of prices, which confront people at every turn in a free market.” [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 programs let people avoid price signals, removing market discipline and personal responsibility. **In simple terms:** Programs bypass market constraints. Key Takeaway Consider market costs of subsidies. Themes economics government market responsibility Mood critical analytical Type policy economic When to use this quote - policy design - public budgeting - social welfare programs - taxation Key Concepts price signals resource allocation incentives Questions to Reflect On - How do subsidies affect consumer behavior? - What are alternatives to price‑free decisions? A Different Perspective May ignore long‑term inefficiencies and dependency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Allure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/allure/) [Constraints](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constraints/) [Constraints Prices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constraints-prices-6120460/) [Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) [Free market](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-market/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Government programs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government-programs/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Programs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-programs-6120461/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Program](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/program/) [Programs Allow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programs-allow-6120458/) [Turns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turns/) [Worry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worry/) ## Related quotes > [ \[A\]ffirmative action in the United States has made blacks. . .who have largely lifted themselves out of poverty, look like people who owe their… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/a-ffirmative-action-in-the-united-states-has-made-blacks-who-have/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [One of the problems with trying to help underdogs, especially with government programs, is that they and everyone else start to think of them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/one-of-the-problems-with-trying-to-help-underdogs-especially-with/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [The most basic inherent constraint is that neither time nor wisdom are free goods available in unlimited quantity. This means that in social processes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-most-basic-inherent-constraint-is-that-neither-time-nor-wisdom/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Adolescence is a relatively recent thing in human history -- a period of years between the constraints of childhood and the responsibilities of adulthood.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/adolescence-is-a-relatively-recent-thing-in-human-history-a-period-of/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Given that some social processes must convey inherent constraints, the choice is among various mixtures of persuasion, force, and cultural inducement. The less of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/given-that-some-social-processes-must-convey-inherent-constraints-the/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [The demands of unbounded individualism need to be weighed in the light of inherent social constraints which can only change their form but cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-demands-of-unbounded-individualism-need-to-be-weighed-in-the/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [If the truth is boring, civilization is irksome. The constraints inherent in civilized living are frustrating in innumerable ways. Yet those with the vision…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/if-the-truth-is-boring-civilization-is-irksome-the-constraints/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [We need to make sure our government programs encourage work, not dependence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/we-need-to-make-sure-our-government-programs-encourage-work-not/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [Conservatives and liberals are kindred spirits as far as government spending is concerned. First, let's make sure we understand what government spending is. Since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-e-williams/conservatives-and-liberals-are-kindred-spirits-as-far-as-government/) [Walter E. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-e-williams/) > [There are two distinct classes of men - those who pay taxes and those who receive and live upon taxes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/there-are-two-distinct-classes-of-men-those-who-pay-taxes-and-those/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [So what is government?... Very simply, it is an agency of coercion. Of course, there are other agencies of coercion - such as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-browne/so-what-is-government-very-simply-it-is-an-agency-of-coercion-of/) [Harry Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-browne/) > [Americans must either choose big government and be willing to pay for and submit to it, or they must move toward smaller, less intrusive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-demille/americans-must-either-choose-big-government-and-be-willing-to-pay-for/) [Oliver DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-demille/) > [No one got rich on a government program. Do not choose to be a common man. You can be uncommon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-ramsey/no-one-got-rich-on-a-government-program-do-not-choose-to-be-a-common/) [Dave Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-ramsey/) > [People are tired of wasteful government programs and welfare chiselers, and they are angry about the constant spiral of taxes and government regulations, arrogant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/people-are-tired-of-wasteful-government-programs-and-welfare/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [In the nature of things, those who have no property and see their neighbors possess much more than they think them to need, cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-webster/in-the-nature-of-things-those-who-have-no-property-and-see-their/) [Daniel Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-webster/) ## 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 Allure quotes > [Amusement that is excessive and followed only for its own sake, allures and deceives us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/amusement-that-is-excessive-and-followed-only-for-its-own-sake/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [What keeps India safe really is the heroism of millions of poor Indians who every day reject the allure of terrorism. What keeps India…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aravind-adiga/what-keeps-india-safe-really-is-the-heroism-of-millions-of-poor/) [Aravind Adiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aravind-adiga/) > [There are powdered salts, chunked salts, salts shaped in different ways with various additives to work perfectly with processed foods. All of them are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moss/there-are-powdered-salts-chunked-salts-salts-shaped-in-different-ways/) [Michael Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moss/) > [C. S. Lewis observed that almost all crimes of Christian history have come about when religion is confused with politics. Politics, which always runs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/c-s-lewis-observed-that-almost-all-crimes-of-christian-history-have/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [There's nothing more powerful than a woman who knows how to contain her power and not let it leak, standing firmly within it in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/there-s-nothing-more-powerful-than-a-woman-who-knows-how-to-contain/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [“A woman who is in touch with her sensuality subliminally empowers her man to prosper, flourish and truly live a happy life. She does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lebo-grand/a-woman-who-is-in-touch-with-her-sensuality-subliminally-empowers-her/) [Lebo Grand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lebo-grand/) > [“I press my face against her sweet-smelling hair. “You’ll always be my allure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-lane/i-press-my-face-against-her-sweet-smelling-hair-you-ll-always-be-my/) [Nina Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-lane/) > [The U.S has acquired reservoirs of goodwill around the globe over many years. But it is clear - from polling data and ample anecdotal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-h-hamilton/the-u-s-has-acquired-reservoirs-of-goodwill-around-the-globe-over/) [Lee H. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-h-hamilton/) > [The daemonic-divine object may appear to the mind an object of horror and dread, but at the same time it is no less something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-otto/the-daemonic-divine-object-may-appear-to-the-mind-an-object-of-horror/) [Rudolf Otto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-otto/) > [For most of us, when our 'dreams' - I use the word with reservations - came true, and marriage and motherhood became a reality,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariella-frostrup/for-most-of-us-when-our-dreams-i-use-the-word-with-reservations-came/) [Mariella Frostrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariella-frostrup/) > [I don't like women who follow fashion in the sense of becoming victims of it. I like women who have elegance, who have allure,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giorgio-armani/i-don-t-like-women-who-follow-fashion-in-the-sense-of-becoming/) [Giorgio Armani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giorgio-armani/) > [But the severe rules of discipline which the prudence of the bishops had instituted were relaxed by the same prudence in favour of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/but-the-severe-rules-of-discipline-which-the-prudence-of-the-bishops/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [Although she was ashamed to admit it now, the darkness in him had been the largest part of his allure. It was such an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/although-she-was-ashamed-to-admit-it-now-the-darkness-in-him-had-been/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [By firm immutable immortal laws Impress'd on Nature by the GREAT FIRST CAUSE, Say, MUSE! how rose from elemental strife Organic forms, and kindled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erasmus-darwin/by-firm-immutable-immortal-laws-impress-d-on-nature-by-the-great/) [Erasmus Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erasmus-darwin/) > [Someone who does not run toward the allure of love walks a road where nothing lives. But this dove here senses the love hawk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/someone-who-does-not-run-toward-the-allure-of-love-walks-a-road-where/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 135 Allure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/allure/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The great allure of government programs in general for many people is that these programs allow decisions to be made without having to worry about the constraints of prices, which confront people at every turn in a free market.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Sowell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-great-allure-of-government-programs-in-general-for-many-people-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Allure" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-great-allure-of-government-programs-in-general-for-many-people-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b1/thomas-sowell-247_allure_the-great-allure-of-government-programs_2419774.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b1/thomas-sowell-247_allure_the-great-allure-of-government-programs_2419774.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b1/thomas-sowell-247_allure_the-great-allure-of-government-programs_2419774.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The great allure of government programs in general for many people is that these programs allow decisions to…” — 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": "The great allure of government programs...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-great-allure-of-government-programs-in-general-for-many-people-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-great-allure-of-government-programs-in-general-for-many-people-is/#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 } } ] } ```