17 Alex Tabarrok Quotes for You to Enjoy

Alex Tabarrok

Canadian Economist

Born: 1966

Been Capitalism College People Think You

Related authors: Adam Smith Alan Greenspan E. F. Schumacher John Kenneth Galbraith John Maynard Keynes Milton Friedman Paul A. Volcker Thomas Sowell

Education is the key to the future: You've heard it a million times, and it's not wrong. Educated people have higher wages and lower unemployment rates, and better-educated countries grow faster and innovate more than other countries. But going to college is not enough. You also have to study the right subjects. Alex Tabarrok

Education Future You People Key College Faster Other Enough Other Countries Innovate Rates More Higher Wrong Study Countries Also Educated Educated People Wages Heard Subjects Times Unemployment Than Going Lower Grow Right Million Million Times

The first thing you learn when you're blogging is that people are one click away from leaving you. So you've got to get to the point, you can't waste people's time, you've got to give them some value for their limited attention span. Alex Tabarrok

Time You Attention Span People Value First Some Give Point Attention Learn Click First Thing Limited Got Leaving Blogging Get The First Thing Span Them Waste Away Thing

I encourage everyone I know to sign an organ donor card, but if someone doesn't want to sign, that's his or her choice. If someone isn't willing to give an organ, however, why should that person be allowed to receive an organ? Alex Tabarrok

Patents are like fertilizer. Applied wisely and sparingly, they can increase growth. But if you apply too many chemicals, or make patents too strong, then you can leach the land, making growth more difficult. Alex Tabarrok

Writing on the blog, you want to get attention and make strong claims. In academic work, that often doesn't pay, so sometimes it's a little bit difficult going back and forth to navigate these differences. Alex Tabarrok

Work You Writing Strong Sometimes Differences Pay Difficult Back Bit Claims Attention Academic Make Blog Get Going Often Want Little Little Bit Forth Navigate

It used to be that almost all innovation came from the U.S. and a small number of other developed countries. That's no longer the case, and as China and India grow, it's changing even more. Expect a lot more Chinese and Indian Nobel prizes in the future. Alex Tabarrok

Future Innovation Other Changing India Indian Case More Small Developed Developed Countries Nobel Almost Almost All Countries Longer Came Lot Expect Prizes China China And India Chinese Used Even Grow Number

Today it is evident that we have two political parties: the Tax and Spenders and the No-Tax and Spenders. Neither party is fiscally conservative. Is there no room at the inn for an honest conservative? A conservative who makes the case for smaller government on its merits and not just as the fallback option when fiscal bankruptcy threatens? Alex Tabarrok

Today Government Conservative Political Party Evident Neither Threatens Case Smaller Smaller Government Merits Parties Makes Fiscal Fiscally Fiscally Conservative Political Parties Option Just Tax Bankruptcy Room Who Inn Two Honest

Television is much more complex, brain-challenging and involved than it used to be. It's almost impossible to watch a television show from 15 years ago; it's just too boring. I think modern television shows, with their intricate plots, are stimulating our minds. This is one reason IQs have been going up. Alex Tabarrok

Impossible Think Too Our Minds Complex Television Intricate Television Show Television Shows Plots Boring More Almost Involved Stimulating Been Years Years Ago Up Than Modern Going Just Much Used Show Reason Shows Watch

The obsessive focus on a college degree has served neither taxpayers nor students well. Only 35 percent of students starting a four-year degree program will graduate within four years, and less than 60 percent will graduate within six years. Students who haven't graduated within six years probably never will. Alex Tabarrok

Will Focus Degree College Neither College Degree Percent Only Never Students Obsessive Well Within Nor Years Than Graduate Six Graduated Taxpayers Less Who Served Four Four-Year Starting Program

The only way to thrive is to innovate. It's that simple. Alex Tabarrok

Simple Thrive Innovate Way Only

When the FDA forces an old drug off the market, patients have very little say in the matter. Patients have even less of a say when the FDA chooses not to approve a new drug. Instead, we are supposed to rely on the FDA's judgment and be grateful. But can the FDA really make a choice that is appropriate for everyone? Of course not. Alex Tabarrok

Grateful Matter Old Be Grateful Judgment Market Everyone Appropriate Approve Say Rely Instead New Supposed Make Forces Course Off Very Patients Little Really Choice Chooses Less Even

More retirees, longer life expectancy, larger benefits, and fewer workers - these trends have meant substantial increases in the payroll tax. Since the social security program began, the payroll tax has increased more than 500 percent. Alex Tabarrok

Life Benefits Increased Increases Trends Security Life Expectancy Percent More Retirees Longer Since Began Than Expectancy Fewer Substantial Tax Social Workers Meant Payroll Payroll Tax Social Security Larger Program

Capitalists work hard to produce what consumers want. Artists who work too hard to produce what consumers want are often accused of selling out. Thus, even the languages of capitalism and art conflict: a firm that has 'sold out' has succeeded, but an artist that has 'sold out' has failed. Alex Tabarrok

Work Art Capitalism Conflict Work Hard Too Sold Out Consumers Firm Failed Thus Selling Accused Artist Often Artists Want Succeeded Produce Capitalists Languages Hard Who Even

Hollywood wants its heroes to be virtuous, but it defines virtue in a way that excludes any action that is self-interested. If virtue means putting others ahead of self, then it's clear that most people, let alone most capitalists, aren't very virtuous. Alex Tabarrok

Like many works of literature, Hollywood chooses for its villains people who strive for social dominance through the pursuit of wealth, prestige, and power. But the ordinary business of capitalism is much more egalitarian: It's about finding meaning and enjoyment in work and production. Alex Tabarrok

Work Capitalism Business People Wealth Power Prestige Strive Finding About More Through Pursuit Like Dominance Egalitarian Ordinary Literature Social Hollywood Meaning Much Production Chooses Who Many Works Villains Enjoyment

Michael Moore didn't have to worry that anyone would misinterpret the title of his film, 'Capitalism: A Love Story,' because in Hollywood, no one loves capitalism. That's too bad, because Hollywood is one of capitalism's greatest successes. Alex Tabarrok

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