When government accepts responsibility for people, then people no longer take responsibility for themselves.

The remark expresses a classic small-government argument: expanding the state’s role in providing for citizens can weaken personal initiative and self-reliance. Pataki frames responsibility as a zero-sum transfer—when institutions assume duties once borne by individuals, individuals may feel less compelled to plan, work, save, or solve problems independently. The quote also implies a moral dimension: responsibility is not only practical but character-forming, and dependency can erode civic virtue. In policy terms, it is often invoked to criticize broad welfare entitlements or paternalistic regulation, favoring approaches that preserve individual agency (e.g., work requirements, local/community solutions, or market-based reforms).