--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The fact throughout history is that…" description: "\"The fact throughout history is that whenever government dominates the economic affairs of its citizenry, a free society is eroded, then destroyed, and ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90e/william-e-simon-18151_absolutes_the-fact-throughout-history-is-that-when_3136090.jpg" --- # The fact throughout history is that whenever government… ![“The fact throughout history is that whenever government dominates the economic affairs of its citizenry, a free society is eroded, then destroyed, and a minority government ensues. Personal liberty without economic liberty is an absolute contradiction; the one cannot exist without the other.” quote by William E. Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90e/william-e-simon-18151_absolutes_the-fact-throughout-history-is-that-when_3136090.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90e/william-e-simon-18151_absolutes_the-fact-throughout-history-is-that-when_3136090.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90e/william-e-simon-18151_absolutes_the-fact-throughout-history-is-that-when_3136090.jpg) > “The fact throughout history is that whenever government dominates the economic affairs of its citizenry, a free society is eroded, then destroyed, and a minority government ensues. Personal liberty without economic liberty is an absolute contradiction; the one cannot exist without the other.” [William E. Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-e-simon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When the state controls the economy, individual freedoms erode, leading to authoritarian rule and loss of personal liberty. **In simple terms:** Government control harms freedom. Key Takeaway Guard economic freedom to protect liberty. Themes politics economics freedom authoritarianism Mood cautious analytical Type political philosophical When to use this quote - policy debates - business regulation - civil activism - education curricula - media commentary Key Concepts Libertarianism state power civil rights Questions to Reflect On - How does economic control affect personal freedoms? - What safeguards can prevent authoritarian drift? A Different Perspective Economic liberty is also dependent on social and political structures, not just market freedom. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absolutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absolutes/) [Affair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affair/) [Citizenry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizenry/) [Contradiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contradiction/) [Destroyed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destroyed/) [Economic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economic/) [Economic Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economic-liberty-1125359/) [Economics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economics/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Free society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-society/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Government Dominates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government-dominates-5442131/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Libertarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/libertarian/) [Libertarianism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/libertarianism/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [Liberty Economic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty-economic-5566791/) [Minorities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minorities/) [Minority government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minority-government/) [Personal liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-liberty/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) ## Related quotes > [Personal liberty without economic liberty is an absolute contradiction; the one cannot exist without the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-e-simon/personal-liberty-without-economic-liberty-is-an-absolute/) [William E. Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-e-simon/) > [We will shortly become like Germany, France, the United Kingdom, or Sweden - a socialist democracy in which the government dominates the economy, determines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-morris/we-will-shortly-become-like-germany-france-the-united-kingdom-or/) [Dick Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-morris/) > [Individual rights are not subject to a public vote; a majority has no right to vote away the rights of a minority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/individual-rights-are-not-subject-to-a-public-vote-a-majority-has-no-2/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [The last thing the Province needs is a minority government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazel-mccallion/the-last-thing-the-province-needs-is-a-minority-government/) [Hazel McCallion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hazel-mccallion/) > [Even before winning its majority, Harper's Republican-styl e Conservative party - well to the right Canada's traditional Progressive Conservative Party - managed to win…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-mcquaig/even-before-winning-its-majority-harper-s-republican-styl-e/) [Linda McQuaig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-mcquaig/) > [“Your language is a minority government where backbenchers rise suddenly, threaten to cross the floor, and what comes from your mouth is a difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-dickinson/your-language-is-a-minority-government-where-backbenchers-rise/) [Adam Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-dickinson/) > [If the pendulum swings, it may swing to a combination of Conservatives and Liberal Democrats and, thus, to a period of minority government or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-cable/if-the-pendulum-swings-it-may-swing-to-a-combination-of-conservatives/) [Vince Cable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-cable/) > [“Laura tingle: "So it's not jut that we see Gillard as a backstabber who brought down an elected prime minister, it is that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-tingle/laura-tingle-so-it-s-not-jut-that-we-see-gillard-as-a-backstabber-who/) [Laura Tingle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-tingle/) > [One of the really positive things about minority government is that there is the necessity to broker policy positions. 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But Labour viewed what was happening as some kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-sturgeon/the-snp-became-a-minority-government-in-2007-then-a-majority-one-in/) [Nicola Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-sturgeon/) > [Though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will, to be rightful, must be reasonable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/though-the-will-of-the-majority-is-in-all-cases-to-prevail-that-will/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [A minority government can't govern without support from other parties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-sturgeon/a-minority-government-can-t-govern-without-support-from-other-parties/) [Nicola Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-sturgeon/) > [“The root of all evil, the liberal insists, was precisely this interference with the freedom of employment, trade and currencies practiced by the various…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-polanyi/the-root-of-all-evil-the-liberal-insists-was-precisely-this/) [Karl Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-polanyi/) > [The excellence of metallic money in free circulation consists in the fact that it renders impossible the abuse of the power of the government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faustino-ballve/the-excellence-of-metallic-money-in-free-circulation-consists-in-the/) [Faustino Ballve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faustino-ballve/) ## More by William E. Simon > [Everybody in this society that has been lurching toward socialism and collectivism for 40 years has their hand out. And the propensity of Congress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-e-simon/everybody-in-this-society-that-has-been-lurching-toward-socialism-and/) [William E. Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-e-simon/) > [By the mid-1950s, the young bond traders on the Street were becoming more and more of a fraternity. We organized informal luncheons every Thursday…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-e-simon/by-the-mid-1950s-the-young-bond-traders-on-the-street-were-becoming/) [William E. Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-e-simon/) > [Productivity and the growth of productivity must be the first economic consideration at all times, not the last. That is the source of technological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-e-simon/productivity-and-the-growth-of-productivity-must-be-the-first/) [William E. Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-e-simon/) > [Infinitely more important than sharing one's material wealth is sharing the wealth of ourselves-our time and energy, our passion and commitment, and, above all,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-e-simon/infinitely-more-important-than-sharing-one-s-material-wealth-is/) [William E. Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-e-simon/) > [Work appealed to me; school did not. I was a disinterested, bored student.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-e-simon/work-appealed-to-me-school-did-not-i-was-a-disinterested-bored-student/) [William E. Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-e-simon/) > [Trading demands total concentration and the ability to do several things at once while instantly recalling trading prices from the day, or week, before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-e-simon/trading-demands-total-concentration-and-the-ability-to-do-several/) [William E. Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-e-simon/) > [If you really want to help the poor, help the rich. They're the ones who will invest, build more factories, create more jobs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-e-simon/if-you-really-want-to-help-the-poor-help-the-rich-they-re-the-ones/) [William E. Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-e-simon/) > [At Union Securities, I threw myself into my work with the discipline and commitment that I had always demonstrated in employment and only rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-e-simon/at-union-securities-i-threw-myself-into-my-work-with-the-discipline/) [William E. Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-e-simon/) > [While Pop lived his life in comfort, he was always generous to the less fortunate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-e-simon/while-pop-lived-his-life-in-comfort-he-was-always-generous-to-the/) [William E. 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