Thomas Sowell: Trending quotes

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Thomas Sowell: 202 quotes48 likes

“The most fundamental fact about the ideas of the political left is that they do not work. Therefore we should not be surprised to find the left concentrated in institutions where ideas do not have to work in order to survive.”

Thomas Sowell

&quot;The Survival of the Left&quot; https://www.forbes.com/forbes/1997/0908/6005128a.html, Forbes (Sep 8, 1997) <br class="br">1980s–1990s

“Those who believe that "basic necessities" should belong to people as a matter of right ignore the implication -- that people are to work only for amenities, frivolities, and ego. Will that mean more work or less work? And if less, where are all those "basic necessities" coming from that the government is supposed to hand out?”

Thomas Sowell

1980s–1990s, Barbarians inside the Gates and Other Controversial Essays (1999)

“What socialism, fascism and other ideologies of the left have in common is an assumption that some very wise people—like themselves—need to take decisions out of the hands of lesser people, like the rest of us, and impose those decisions by government fiat.”

Thomas Sowell

&quot;Socialist or Fascist?&quot; http://jewishworldreview.com/cols/sowell061212.php3#.XEZfbc2E6Mp, Jewish World Review (June 12, 2012) <br class="br">2010s <br class="br">Fascism is a form of far-right, authoritarian ultranationalism characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition, and strong regimentation of society and of the economy which came to prominence in early 20th-century Europe.

“If the battle for civilization comes down to the wimps versus the barbarians, the barbarians are going to win.”

Thomas Sowell

Wimps Versus Barbarians http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2013/05/21/wimps-versus-barbarians-n1601497/page/full, May 21, 2013 <br class="br">2010s

“Before attempting to determine the effect of institutions, it is necessary to consider the inherent circumstances, constraints, and impelling forces at work in the environment within which the institutional mechanisms function.”

Thomas Sowell

Source: 1980s–1990s, Knowledge and Decisions (1980; 1996), Ch. 2 : Decision-Making Processes

“Facts do not "speak for themselves." They speak for or against competing theories. Facts divorced from theory or visions are mere isolated curiosities.”

Thomas Sowell

Source: 1980s–1990s, A Conflict of Visions (1987), Ch. 1 : The Role of Vision

“Ideas are everywhere, but knowledge is rare.”

Thomas Sowell

Source: 1980s–1990s, Knowledge and Decisions (1980; 1996), Ch. 1 : The Role of Knowledge

“What was special about America was not that it had slavery, which existed all over the world, but that Americans were among the very few peoples who began to question the morality of holding human beings in bondage. That was not yet a majority view among Americans in the 18th century, but it was not even a serious minority view.”

Thomas Sowell

&quot;The Scapegoat for Strife in the Black Community&quot; http://www.nationalreview.com/article/420807/slavery-didnt-cause-todays-black-problems-welfare-did (7 July 2015), National Review <br class="br">2010s

“Too many Republicans treat English as a second language, with Beltway lingo being their native tongue.”

Thomas Sowell

Syndicated column https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1817&amp;dat=19961212&amp;id=1zsdAAAAIBAJ&amp;sjid=SKYEAAAAIBAJ&amp;pg=6510,2218257&amp;hl=en, retrieved from The Tuscaloosa News, December 13, 1996. <br class="br">1980s–1990s

“It is unnecessary to attempt any general rule as to where the overall balance lies in comparing the respective costs of knowledge in larger and smaller decision-making units. What is important is to understand that (1) the respective cost advantages of the large and small units differ according to the kind of knowledge involved (general versus specific), that (2) most decisions involve mixtures of the two kinds of knowledge, so that the net advantages of the larger and smaller units vary with the kind of decision, and (3) the effectiveness of hierarchical subordination varies with the extent to which the subordinate unit has knowledge advantages over the higher unit.”

Thomas Sowell

Source: 1980s–1990s, Knowledge and Decisions (1980; 1996), Ch. 1 : The Role of Knowledge

“Time was when people used to brag about how old they were -- and I am old enough to remember it.”

Thomas Sowell

1980s–1990s, Barbarians inside the Gates and Other Controversial Essays (1999)

“One of the grand fallacies of our time is that something beneficial should be subsidized.”

Thomas Sowell

Cutting the Budget
1980s–1990s, Compassion Versus Guilt and Other Essays (1987)

“Knowledge may be enjoyed as a speculative diversion, but it is needed for decision making.”

Thomas Sowell

Source: 1980s–1990s, Knowledge and Decisions (1980; 1996), Ch. 1 : The Role of Knowledge

“Ideas, as the raw material from which knowledge is produced, exist in superabundance, but that makes the production of knowledge more difficult rather than easier.”

Thomas Sowell

Source: 1980s–1990s, Knowledge and Decisions (1980; 1996), Ch. 1 : The Role of Knowledge

“As far as party primaries are concerned, both Republican and Democratic Party primaries are dominated by the most zealous voters, whose views may not reflect the views of most members of their own respective parties, much less the views of those who are going to vote in the November general election.
In recent times, each election year has seen each party's nominee selected - or at least subject to veto - by its most extreme wing and then forced to try to move back to the center before the general election.
This can only undermine the public's confidence in the integrity of the candidates of both parties.”

Thomas Sowell

&quot;Bipartisan Primary Blues&quot; http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ZmJhYWM0ZWIxZGZmYWU5YmVmZWQ3ZTUzYzFmMzQ4ZTM=, National Review (25 March 2008). <br class="br">2000s

“If I could offer one piece of advice to young people thinking about their future, it would be this: Don't preconceive. Find out what the opportunities are.”

Thomas Sowell

1980s–1990s, Barbarians inside the Gates and Other Controversial Essays (1999)

“Both free speech rights and property rights belong legally to individuals, but their real function is social, to benefit vast numbers of people who do not themselves exercise these rights.”

Thomas Sowell

Will Property Rights Return?
1980s–1990s, Is Reality Optional? (1993)

“Many of the dangerous things that drivers do are not likely to save them even 10 seconds. When you bet your life against 10 seconds, that is giving bigger odds than you are ever likely to get in Las Vegas.”

Thomas Sowell

1980s–1990s, Barbarians inside the Gates and Other Controversial Essays (1999)

“Nothing could be more jolting and discordant with the vision of today's intellectuals than the fact that it was businessmen, devout religious leaders and Western imperialists who together destroyed slavery around the world. And if it doesn't fit their vision, it is the same to them as if it never happened.”

Thomas Sowell

Ending Slavery http://www.townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/ts20050208.shtml, 8 February 2005. <br class="br">2000s

“While decisions are constrained by the kinds of organizations and the kinds of knowledge involved, the Impetus for decisions comes from the internal preferences and external incentives facing those who actually make the decisions.”

Thomas Sowell

Source: 1980s–1990s, Knowledge and Decisions (1980; 1996), Ch. 1 : The Role of Knowledge