Who first popularized the idea of running out of other people's money before Thatcher?

1. Thatcher as the public face of the phrase

Margaret Thatcher is the person most frequently credited with the pithy formulation that socialism runs out of other people’s money; it appears in reference works and popular quotation sites and is repeated in contemporary commentary as her line summing up a critique of state spending ^{[3] [2]}. Fact‑checking and quote collections routinely present the sentence as “characteristic” of Thatcher and attribute to her public statements about the financial failings of socialist governments ^{[1] [4]}.

2. How modern outlets use and amplify the line

Think tanks, opinion pages and political commentators continue to deploy the phrase as a shorthand critique of left‑of‑centre fiscal policy, showing its endurance as a political slogan beyond Thatcher’s time in office ^{[5] [6]}. Conservative and free‑market writers cite the line to frame contemporary budgetary debates, indicating the quote’s role as rhetorical ammunition regardless of its precise provenance ^{[5] [6]}.

3. What the provided sources say about earlier origins — or don’t

The documents supplied here do not trace the line back to a source earlier than Thatcher; Snopes and other reference items discuss the quotation in connection with Thatcher without presenting an antecedent speaker ^{[1] [3]}. Because the packet lacks sources that pre‑date or contest her authorship, available reporting does not mention an earlier popularizer of the exact wording prior to Thatcher ^{[1] [3]}.

4. Variants and paraphrases matter in tracing origins

Quotations like this often evolve from similar pro‑market aphorisms; the materials provided show multiple repetitions and paraphrases attributed to Thatcher across platforms ^{[4] [2]}. However, without more documentary evidence (speeches, publications, or earlier attributions) in these sources, it’s impossible to confirm whether Thatcher coined the exact wording or merely popularized a circulating theme — available sources do not mention a definitive earlier source ^{[1] [3]}.

5. Why attribution can be sticky and politicized

Political aphorisms become attached to high‑profile figures because they encapsulate a worldview — in this case, Thatcher’s criticism of socialism — and are therefore repeatedly quoted by allies and opponents, embedding the phrase in public memory ^{[3] [7]}. The sources show how repetition across reference sites, op‑eds and political actors cements the association with Thatcher even when documentary provenance isn’t fully established ^{[7] [2]}.

6. What further evidence would settle the question

To determine who “first popularized” the exact line requires speech transcripts, dated publications, or contemporaneous reporting that predate Thatcher’s cited uses; the present packet includes no such primary document or earlier attribution ^{[1] [3]}. Researchers should consult archival newspapers, Thatcher’s speeches and writings, and prior political literature for an earlier appearance — current reporting in these sources does not provide that trace ^[1].

7. Practical takeaways for readers

Cite Thatcher if you use the phrase in general political discussion: reference materials and fact‑checking sites widely associate it with her, so doing so matches public attribution ^{[1] [2]}. But note the limits of the available evidence: the documents provided here do not demonstrate an earlier origin or definitive authorship before Thatcher, so a careful writer should acknowledge that the precise genesis is not established in the supplied sources ^{[1] [3]}.