[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fbsvCnmpdl6nGeS1bBjCVq5ATgdBta_DMVQk8hj4F89o":3,"$fK9d82d8m7j65Zp608bK_Doh3PtlR-shrp8Pn76blMFM":19},{"author":4,"tags":11},{"author_id":5,"author_name":6,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"bio":9,"short_bio":9,"slug":10,"image_url":9},56588,"Mark Steyn","M",215,null,"mark-steyn",[12,16],{"tag_id":13,"tag_name":14,"tag_count":15},56,"thinking",5,{"tag_id":17,"tag_name":18,"tag_count":15},4954,"government",{"quotes":20,"pagination":85},[21,30,36,42,48,55,61,67,73,79],{"id":22,"quote_text":23,"author_id":5,"source_id":24,"has_image":25,"author":26,"source":27,"quote_tag":28,"commentary":29},3259758,"Gerald Ford used to say when trying to ingratiate himself with conservative audiences, “A government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take away everything you have.” And that’s true. But there’s an intermediate stage: a government big enough to give you everything you want isn’t big enough to get you to give any of it back.",6,false,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\nMark Steyn, a Canadian journalist and author, likely wrote or spoke these words in the context of his conservative commentary on government overreach. The quote's tone suggests a critique of progressive policies and the dangers of an overextended state. Steyn's work often explores the tension between individual liberty and government intervention.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nThe quote reveals a profound paradox: a government that provides everything its citizens want is not only capable of taking away their freedoms but also fails to secure the most important aspect of human nature – the willingness to contribute and give back. This insight highlights the unintended consequence of excessive government provision: it can create a culture of dependency and entitlement, where individuals are less inclined to participate in the social contract and contribute to the common good.\n\n**How to Use This**\nTo apply this mindset today, professionals and creatives should recognize that the value of freedom and autonomy often lies in the willingness to take calculated risks and contribute to the greater good, rather than relying solely on government provision. By fostering a culture of self-sufficiency and community involvement, individuals can ensure that their rights and freedoms are not only preserved but also strengthened through collective effort.",{"id":31,"quote_text":32,"author_id":5,"source_id":24,"has_image":25,"author":33,"source":34,"quote_tag":35,"commentary":9},3259757,"If any “white supremacist” were really a “supremacist”, he wouldn’t be living in his mom’s basement.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":37,"quote_text":38,"author_id":5,"source_id":24,"has_image":25,"author":39,"source":40,"quote_tag":41,"commentary":9},3259754,"We have been shirking too long, and that’s unworthy of a great civilization. To see off the new Dark Ages will be tough and demanding. The alternative will be worse.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":43,"quote_text":44,"author_id":5,"source_id":24,"has_image":25,"author":45,"source":46,"quote_tag":47,"commentary":9},3259753,"It is easier,” said Frederick Douglass, “to build strong children than to repair broken men.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":49,"quote_text":50,"author_id":5,"source_id":24,"has_image":25,"author":51,"source":52,"quote_tag":53,"commentary":54},3259749,"The United States has the most powerful government, with the longest reach, of any nation in history. It is also the Brokest Nation in History. Resolving that contradiction is unlikely to be pretty.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\nMark Steyn, a Canadian author and journalist, likely wrote this quote in the context of his book \"America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It\" (2006), where he critiques the United States' increasing national debt and the paradox of its economic and military power. At that time, Steyn was observing the growing financial and security burdens of the US, particularly in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and the Iraq War. Steyn's writing often explores the tensions between American exceptionalism and the country's vulnerabilities.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nThe quote reveals a profound paradox: the United States, with its unparalleled military and economic might, is simultaneously struggling with unprecedented financial burdens. This contradiction highlights the tension between the country's global responsibilities and its own fiscal sustainability. The \"contradiction\" Steyn mentions is not just a numerical problem but a philosophical one, challenging the very notion of American exceptionalism.\n\n**How to Use This**\nTo apply this mindset today, consider the trade-offs between short-term gains and long-term sustainability in your own professional or creative endeavors. Recognize that even the most powerful and successful individuals or organizations are not immune to the consequences of unsustainable decisions, and be willing to confront the paradoxes and trade-offs that arise from your own ambitions.",{"id":56,"quote_text":57,"author_id":5,"source_id":24,"has_image":25,"author":58,"source":59,"quote_tag":60,"commentary":9},3259746,"America is now a land that rewards failure – at the personal, corporate, and state level.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":62,"quote_text":63,"author_id":5,"source_id":24,"has_image":25,"author":64,"source":65,"quote_tag":66,"commentary":9},3259742,"Nixon’s avowedly ‘square’ White House was, in fact, less cheesy than Clinton’s Lite FM programming and more confident than the Kennedys’ culturally craven collect-the-set approach.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":68,"quote_text":69,"author_id":5,"source_id":24,"has_image":25,"author":70,"source":71,"quote_tag":72,"commentary":9},3259738,"Demographically and psychologically, Europeans have chosen to commit societal suicide, and their principal heir and beneficiary will be Islam.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":74,"quote_text":75,"author_id":5,"source_id":24,"has_image":25,"author":76,"source":77,"quote_tag":78,"commentary":9},3259735,"Once a fellow’s enjoying the fruits of government health care and all the rest, he couldn’t give a hoot about the general societal interest; he’s got his, and if it’s going to bankrupt the state of a generation hence, well, as long as they can keep the checks coming till he’s dead, it’s fine by him.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":80,"quote_text":81,"author_id":5,"source_id":24,"has_image":25,"author":82,"source":83,"quote_tag":84,"commentary":9},3259732,"Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize is an exquisite act of condescension from Norwegians, a dog biscuit and a pat on the head to the American hyperpower for agreeing to spay itself into a hyperpoodle.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"currentPage":86,"totalPages":87,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":88},1,22,10]