Quotessence
Home / Quotes / Quote by William Graham Sumner

Quote by William Graham Sumner

Work

Selected Essays of William Graham Sumner

This book compiles a selection of essays written by William Graham Sumner, a prominent 19th-century American social scientist and political economist. The essays delve into a range of subjects, including social Darwinism, political economy, and the role of government in society. more

Author

William Graham Sumner
William Graham Sumner

William Graham Sumner was an influential American political scientist born on October 30, 1840, and died on April 12, 1910. He was a leading figure in social Darwinism and had a profound impact on American political thought from the late 19th to the early 20th century. more

You May Also Like

“Most people are oblivious to F.A. Hayek's insight that the critical information needed to run an economy - or even 15 percent of one - doesn't exist in any one place where it is accessible to central planners. Instead, it is scattered piecemeal among millions of people. All those people put together are far wiser and better informed than Congress could ever be. Only markets - private property, free exchange and the price system - can put this knowledge at the disposal of entrepreneurs and consumers, ensuring the system will serve the people and not just the political class.”

“Politicians and bureaucrats clearly have no idea how complicated markets are. Every day people make countless tradeoffs, in all areas of life, based on subjective value judgements and personal information as they delicately balance their interests, needs and wants. Who is in a better position than they to tailor those choices to best serve their purposes? Yet the politicians believe they can plan the medical market the way you plan a birthday party.”

“At a time when Democratic leaders are pushing rationed care in a world of limited resources, Americans might wonder where the call for shared sacrifice is from illegal immigrant patients like those in Los Angeles getting free liver and kidney transplants at UCLA Medical Center. 'I'm just mad,' illegal alien Jose Lopez told the Los Angeles Times last year after receiving two taxpayer-subsidized liver transplants while impatiently awaiting approval for state health insurance.”