Assault Quote by William Graham Sumner
“It would be hard to find a single instance of a direct assault by positive effort upon poverty, vice, and misery which has not either failed or, if it has not failed directly and entirely, has not entailed other evils greater than the one which it removed.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: Social Progress and Unintended Consequences, 1905
Attempts to eradicate poverty or vice often create new problems, showing that well‑meaning reforms can have harmful side effects.
In simple terms: Reforms can cause new evils while solving old ones.
Key Takeaway
Assess potential unintended outcomes before acting.
Themes
social policy
reform
ethics
Mood
critical
analytical
Type
essay
philosophical
When to use this quote
- public health initiatives
- crime reduction programs
- welfare policy
- urban planning
Key Concepts
complex systems
moral hazard
Questions to Reflect On
- What safeguards can prevent harmful side effects?
- How can we measure true impact of reforms?
A Different Perspective
Good intentions don’t guarantee positive results.
![“The yearning after equality [in economic outcome] is the offspring of envy and covetousness, and there is no possible plan for satisfying that yearning which can do aught else than rob A to give to B; consequently all such plans nourish some of the meanest vices of human nature, waste capital, and…” quote by William Graham Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/9b4/william-graham-sumner-5011_can-do_the-yearning-after-equality-in-economic_454035.jpg)
