A person buying ordinary products in a supermarket is in touch with his deepest emotions. John Kenneth Galbraith More Quotes by John Kenneth Galbraith More Quotes From John Kenneth Galbraith Those who yearn for the end of capitalism should pray for government by men who believe that all positive action is inimical to what they call thoughtfully the fundamental principles of free enterprise. John Kenneth Galbraith principles men believe Economists, on the whole, think well of what they do themselves and much less well of what their professional colleagues do. John Kenneth Galbraith economist scholarship thinking Authorship of any sort is a fantastic indulgence of the ego. John Kenneth Galbraith fantastic ego writing While it will be desirable to achieve planned results, it will be even more important to avoid unplanned disasters. John Kenneth Galbraith disaster achieve important Oligopoly is an imperfect monopoly. Like the despotism of the Dual Monarchy, it is saved only by its incompetence. John Kenneth Galbraith oligopoly incompetence imperfect In recent times no problem has been more puzzling to thoughtful people than why, in a troubled world, we make such poor use of our affluence. John Kenneth Galbraith thoughtful use people Of all the weapons in the Federal Reserve arsenal, words were the the most unpredictable in their consequences. John Kenneth Galbraith unpredictable federal-reserve weapons All, the intelligent and stupid, diligent and idle, have been swept along on a current of increased output that, in the usual case, owed nothing whatever to their efforts. John Kenneth Galbraith effort intelligent stupid It takes a certain brashness to attack the accepted economic legendsbut noneat all toperpetuatethem. So theyare perpetuated. John Kenneth Galbraith economic accepted certain Because of his compassion Owen was always in trouble with his partners. They would have much preferred a tough, down-to-earth manager who would get a days work out of the little bastards. John Kenneth Galbraith work-out compassion earth Why is anything intrinsically so valueless so obviously desirable? John Kenneth Galbraith valueless desirable In dealing with Mr. Nixon, it is not easy to be unfair. He invites and justifies all available criticism. John Kenneth Galbraith unfair criticism easy With the American failure came world failure. John Kenneth Galbraith world Economics is not an exact science. John Kenneth Galbraith exact-sciences economics There was something superficial in attributing anything so awful as the Great Depression to anything so insubstantial as speculation in common stocks. John Kenneth Galbraith great-depression awful common When people put their ballots in the boxes, they are, by that act, inoculated against the feeling that the government is not theirs. They then accept, in some measure, that its errors are their errors, its aberrations their aberrations, that any revolt will be against them. It's a remarkably shrewd and rather conservative arrangement when one thinks of it. John Kenneth Galbraith democracies-have errors thinking If there must be madness, something may be said for having it on a heroic scale John Kenneth Galbraith heroic madness may The accepted ideas of any period are singularly those that serve the dominant economic interest...What economists believe and teach, whether in the United States or in the Soviet Union, is rarely hostile to the institutions - the private business enterprise, the Communist Party - that reflect the dominant economic power. Not to notice this takes effort, although many succeed. John Kenneth Galbraith party believe ideas In numerous years following the war, the Federal Government ran a heavy surplus. It could not (however) pay off its debt, retire its securities, because to do so meant there would be no bonds to back the national bank notes. To pay off the debt was to destroy the money supply. John Kenneth Galbraith government money war Nothing so weakens government as persistent inflation. John Kenneth Galbraith inflation economics government