2214 quotes by economists for you to enjoy

I'm in favor of legalizing drugs. According to my values system, if people want to kill themselves, they have every right to do so. Most of the harm that comes from drugs is because they are illegal. Milton Friedman

People Values Every Favor System Most Because According Want Themselves Illegal Right Harm

Time is our ultimate scarcity. Isaac Newton can give us more electricity, but he can't give us more than 24 hours of the day of time. And so we're constantly having to sacrifice alternate activities to get the one that pleases us most. Paul Samuelson

As every successful parent learns, one way to encourage good behavior, from room-cleaning to tooth-brushing, is to make it fun. Not surprisingly, the same principle applies to adults. Adults like to have fun, too. Richard Thaler

Good Have Fun Behavior Every Too Way One-Way Parent Adult Like Make Principle Learns Surprisingly Encourage Same Successful Good Behavior Fun

Traditional economics is based on imaginary creatures sometimes referred to as 'Homo economicus.' I call them Econs for short. Econs are amazingly smart and are free of emotion, distraction or self-control problems. Think Mr. Spock from 'Star Trek.' Richard Thaler

Sometimes Smart Problems Free Economics Think Trek Distraction Emotion Spock Self-Control Call Traditional Amazingly Referred Short Them Star Star Trek Creatures Based Homo Imaginary

The only way back toward a democracy and economy that work for the majority is for most of us to get politically active once again, becoming organized and mobilized. Robert Reich

Work Democracy Active Back Once Way Only Toward Economy Most Majority Becoming Get Politically Again Us Organized

Memorable occasions should be brief, and so should be the expressions of appreciation. Simon Kuznets

Appreciation Memorable Occasions Should Brief Expressions

It may be those who do most, dream most. Stephen Leacock

Those Dream Most May Who

Advertising: the science of arresting the human intelligence long enough to get money from it. Stephen Leacock

Science Intelligence Money Long Enough Advertising Arresting Get Human Human Intelligence

He flung himself from the room, flung himself upon his horse and rode madly off in all directions. Stephen Leacock

Flung Madly Directions Horse He Himself His Off Rode Room

One way to have broader access to wealth is to reduce the tax on the large group and increase the tax on the very top so concentration of wealth doesn't get to extreme levels. Thomas Piketty

Wealth Group Increase Extreme Top Way Broader One-Way Concentration Access Reduce Very Get Tax Large Large Group Levels

I suspect that even most conservatives would prefer to live in the kind of world conjured up in the liberals' imagination rather than in the kind of world we are in fact stuck with. Thomas Sowell

World Live Imagination Conservatives Liberals Kind Would Rather Fact Stuck Most Up Than Suspect In Fact Prefer Even

Those parts of history that would undermine the vision of the Left - which prevails in our education system from elementary school to postgraduate study - are not likely to get much attention. Thomas Sowell

The basis on which good repute in any highly organized industrial community ultimately rests is pecuniary strength; and the means of showing pecuniary strength, and so of gaining or retaining a good name, are leisure and a conspicuous consumption of goods. Thorstein Veblen

Labor wants pride and joy in doing good work, a sense of making or doing something beautiful or useful - to be treated with dignity and respect as brother and sister. Thorstein Veblen

Every seaman is not only a navigator, but a merchant and also a soldier. William Petty

Every Soldier Only Merchant Also Seaman Navigator

The true measure of a career is to be able to be content, even proud, that you succeeded through your own endeavors without leaving a trail of casualties in your wake. Alan Greenspan

You Own Able Through Casualties True Content True Measure Without Proud Leaving Wake Trail Endeavors Succeeded Your Measure Even Career

The very nature of finance is that it cannot be profitable unless it is significantly leveraged... and as long as there is debt, there can be failure and contagion. Alan Greenspan

Finance Nature Failure Long Unless Contagion Debt Very Cannot Profitable

Whatever you tax, you get less of. Alan Greenspan

You Whatever Get Tax Less

The only way you get economic progress, real standards of living moving higher, is to have the savings of the society continuously invested in the cutting-edge technologies. And those technologies which are obsolescent get dropped out. Alan Greenspan

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

Capital is that part of wealth which is devoted to obtaining further wealth. Alfred Marshall

Finance Wealth Further Part Obtaining Devoted Which Capital

The increase in inequality in income is a longtime trend, but the pressure on middle- and low-income workers is going up rapidly. Especially if they live in an area where there are high housing and gas prices, like California. Alice Rivlin

Quotes by Economists