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Thomas Sowell Quotes
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Thomas Sowell is an American economist and social theorist who is currently a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University.

Sowell was born in North Carolina but grew up in Harlem, New York. He dropped out of Stuyvesant High School and served in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War. He received a bachelor's degree, graduating magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1958 and a master's degree from Columbia University in 1959. In 1968, he earned his doctorate in economics from the University of Chicago.

Sowell has served on the faculties of several universities, including Cornell University and University of California, Los Angeles. He has also worked for think tanks such as the Urban Institute. Since 1980, he has worked at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. He writes from a libertarian conservative perspective, advocating supply-side economics. Sowell has written more than thirty books , and his work has been widely anthologized. He is a National Humanities Medal recipient for innovative scholarship which incorporated history, economics and political science.



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✵ 30. June 1930
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Thomas Sowell: 101   quotes 45   likes

Thomas Sowell Quotes

“Ideas are everywhere, but knowledge is rare.”

Thomas Sowell

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

Idea , 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

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

People , World , Question

“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&dat=19961212&id=1zsdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SKYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6510,2218257&hl=en, retrieved from The Tuscaloosa News, December 13, 1996.
1980s–1990s

“Maturity is not a matter of age. You have matured when you are no longer concerned with showing how clever you are, and give your full attention to getting the job done right. Many never reach that stage, no matter how old they get.”

Thomas Sowell

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

Age

“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

Understanding , Knowledge , Decision

“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)

People , Time

“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)

Time

“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

Knowledge , Decision

“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

Idea , 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

"Bipartisan Primary Blues" http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ZmJhYWM0ZWIxZGZmYWU5YmVmZWQ3ZTUzYzFmMzQ4ZTM=, National Review (25 March 2008).
2000s

Confidence , Time

“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)

People , Thinking , Future

“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)

People , Exercises

“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)

Life

“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.
2000s

World

“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

Knowledge , Decision

“It is hard to imagine a more stupid or more dangerous way of making decisions than by putting those decisions in the hands of people who pay no price for being wrong. Know-it-alls in the school system do not lose one dime or one hour's sleep if their bright ideas turn out to be all wrong, or even disastrous, for the child.”

Thomas Sowell

Wake up, Parents http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/sowell081800.asp, Jewish World Review, 18 August 2000.
2000s

People , Stupidity , School , Way

“The case for the political left looks more plausible on the surface but is harder to keep believing in as you become more experienced.”

Thomas Sowell

Left versus Right
1980s–1990s, Compassion Versus Guilt and Other Essays (1987)

“Racism has never done this country any good, and it needs to be fought against, not put under new management for different groups.”

Thomas Sowell

"Out of Context" http://jewishworldreview.com/cols/sowell060209.php3, Jewish World Review, 2 June 2009.
2000s

Country

“The key feature of Communist propaganda has been the depiction of people who are more productive as mere exploiters of others.”

Thomas Sowell

Twentieth Century Limited
1980s–1990s, Compassion Versus Guilt and Other Essays (1987)

People

“In a world where young blacks, especially, are bombarded with claims that they are being unfairly targeted by police, and where a general attitude of belligerence is being promoted literally in word and song, it is hard not to wonder whether some people's responses to policemen do not have something to do with the policemen's responses to them. Neither the police nor people in any other occupation always do what is right but automatic belligerence is not the answer.”

Thomas Sowell

"Driving While Black" http://jewishworldreview.com/cols/sowell103107.php3 (31 October 2007), Jewish World Review.
2000s

People , World

“Understanding the limitations of human beings is the beginning of wisdom.”

Thomas Sowell

Police Shootings
1980s–1990s, Compassion Versus Guilt and Other Essays (1987)

Wisdom , Understanding

“Before the Iraq war I was quite disturbed by some of the neoconservatives, who were saying things like, "What is the point of being a superpower if you can't do such-and-such, take on these responsibilities?" The point of being a superpower is that people will leave you alone.”

Thomas Sowell

"Live" with Thomas Sowell https://www.aei.org/publication/live-thomas-sowell/, The American Enterprise, September 2004.
2000s

War , People

“Letters from teachers continue to confirm the incompetence which they deny. A teacher in Montana says that my criticisms of teachers are "nieve." No, that wasn't a typographical error. He spelled it that way twice.”

Thomas Sowell

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

Way , Error , Teachers

“To find anything comparable to crowds' euphoric reactions to Obama, you would have to go back to old newsreels of German crowds in the 1930s, with their adulation of their fuehrer, Adolf Hitler. With hindsight, we can look back on those people with pity, knowing now how many of them would be led to their deaths by the man they idolized.”

Thomas Sowell

Idols of Crowds http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2008/09/16/idols_of_crowds/page/full, Sep 16, 2008.
2000s

Death , People

“When I see the worsening degeneracy in our politicians, our media, our educators, and our intelligentsia, I can’t help wondering if the day may yet come when the only thing that can save this country is a military coup.”

Thomas Sowell

Don’t Get Weak http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=YmU0NGQ0ZTQzZTU4Zjk4MjdjZWMzYTM4Nzk2MzQ0MGI, National Review, May 1, 2007.
2000s

Education , Help , Country

“Both history and contemporary data show that countries prosper more when there are stable and dependable rules, under which people can make investments without having to fear unpredictable new government interventions before these investments can pay off.”

Thomas Sowell

Economic 'Plan'?" September 11, 2012 http://lewrockwell.com/sowell/sowell110.html="An.
2010s

People , Fear , History , Dependency

“One of the most ridiculous defenses of foreign aid is that it is a very small part of our national income. If the average American set fire to a five-dollar bill, it would be an even smaller percentage of his annual income. But everyone would consider him foolish for doing it.”

Thomas Sowell

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

Parting

“Most problems do not get solved. They get superseded by other concerns.”

Thomas Sowell

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

Problem

“People who think that they are being "exploited" should ask themselves whether they would be missed if they left, or whether people would say: "Good riddance?"”

Thomas Sowell

Random thoughts http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/sowell042902.asp, Jewish World Review, April 29, 2002
2000s

People , Thinking

“What the welfare system and other kinds of governmental programs are doing is paying people to fail. In so far as they fail, they receive the money; in so far as they succeed, even to a moderate extent, the money is taken away.”

Thomas Sowell

During a discussion in Milton Friedman's "Free to Choose" television series in 1980.
1980s–1990s

Money , People

“Right after liberal Democrats, the most dangerous politicians are country club Republicans.”

Thomas Sowell

Random Thoughts http://townhall.com/columnists/ThomasSowell/2008/08/26/random_thoughts?page=full&comments=true, 26 August 2008.
2000s

Country

“History shows that degeneracy can be turned around because it has been done in the past. But the real question today is: Will we turn it around-or is what we are doing likely to make matters worse?”

Thomas Sowell

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

History , Question , Past

“Neither in nature nor among human beings are either equal or randomly distributed outcomes automatic. On the contrary, grossly unequal distributions of outcomes are common, both in nature and among people, in circumstances where neither genes nor discrimination are involved… The idea that it would be a level playing field, if it were not for either genes or discrimination, is a preconception in defiance of both logic and facts.”

Thomas Sowell

Source: Discriminations and Disparities (2018), p. 17.

Idea , People , Nature

“It is amazing how many people think that they can answer an argument by attributing bad motives to those who disagree with them. Using this kind of reasoning, you can believe or not believe anything about anything, without having to bother to deal with facts or logic.”

Thomas Sowell

Random Thoughts https://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2004/12/06/random-thoughts-n996213, Townhall, December 2004.
2000s

Motivation , Bad luck , Thinking , People

“To the economically illiterate, if some company makes a million dollars in profit, this means that their products cost a million dollars more than they would have cost without profits. It never occurs to such people that these products might cost several million dollars more to produce if they were produced by enterprises operating without the incentives to be efficient created by the prospect of profits.”

Thomas Sowell

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2003-12-26-0312241220-story.html, South Florida Sun Sentinel, December 26, 2003
2000s

Making love , People

“The greatness of a free-market economy is that it does not depend upon the wisdom of those who happen to be on top at the moment.”

Thomas Sowell

“Rise and fall of a business,” Monterey Herald, December 30, 2000
2000s

Wisdom , Dependency