Publishers, naturally, loathe used books and have developed strategies to depress the secondhand market. They bring out new, even more expensive editions of popular textbooks every three to four years, in a classic cycle of planned obsolescence. James Surowiecki More Quotes by James Surowiecki More Quotes From James Surowiecki Under the right circumstances, groups are remarkably smart - smarter even sometimes than the smartest people in them. James Surowiecki groupssmartpeople Wall Street has come a long way from the insider-dominated world that was blown apart by the Great Depression. James Surowiecki walllongworld What the investment community does like is short-term measures designed to boost share prices. James Surowiecki investmentcommunitydoe The essence of procrastination lies in not doing what you think you should be doing, a mental contortion that surely accounts for the great psychic toll the habit takes on people. This is the perplexing thing about procrastination: although it seems to involve avoiding unpleasant tasks, indulging in it generally doesn't make people happy. James Surowiecki procrastinationlyingthinking Academics, who work for long periods in a self-directed fashion, may be especially prone to putting things off: surveys suggest that the vast majority of college students procrastinate, and articles in the literature of procrastination often allude to the author's own problems with finishing the piece. James Surowiecki fashionprocrastinationcollege Politically speaking, it's always easier to shell out money for a disaster that has already happened, with clearly identifiable victims, than to invest money in protecting against something that may or may not happen in the future. James Surowiecki shellsvictimmay Popular as Keynesian fiscal policy may be, many economists are skeptical that it works. They argue that fine-tuning the economy is a virtually impossible task, and that fiscal-stimulus programs are usually too small, and arrive too late, to make a difference. James Surowiecki making-a-differencedifferencestasks The Internet has become a remarkable fount of economic and social innovation largely because it's been an archetypal level playing field, on which even sites with little or no money behind them - blogs, say, or Wikipedia - can become influential. James Surowiecki innovationfieldslittles The world's central banks and the International Monetary Fund still have vaults full of bullion, even though currencies are no longer backed by gold. Governments hold on to it as a kind of magic symbol, a way of reassuring people that their money is real. James Surowiecki governmentrealpeople A consumer-finance agency is a good thing, but it would do well to teach consumers a simple lesson: if you don't understand the deal you're making, don't make it. James Surowiecki agencylessonssimple On Wall Street, fraudulent schemes tend to thrive during economic booms, and to blow up when times turn tough. James Surowiecki toughwallblow Of course, presidents are always blamed or rewarded for the state of the economy. James Surowiecki economystatespresident Of course, plenty of people don't think that guaranteeing affordable health insurance is a core responsibility of government. James Surowiecki governmentresponsibilitythinking The desire for reinvention seems to arise most often when companies hear the siren call of synergy and start to expand beyond their core businesses. James Surowiecki sirensarisedesire Technology is supposed to make our lives easier, allowing us to do things more quickly and efficiently. But too often it seems to make things harder, leaving us with fifty-button remote controls, digital cameras with hundreds of mysterious features and book-length manuals, and cars with dashboard systems worthy of the space shuttle. James Surowiecki technologyspacebook Corporate welfare isn't necessarily a bad thing. James Surowiecki corporatewelfarebad-things Pop music thrives on repetition. You know a song's a hit when you've heard it so often that you'll be happy never to hear it again. James Surowiecki repetitionpopssong The U.S. is excellent at importing cheap products from the rest of the world. Let's try importing some human capital instead. James Surowiecki excellenttryingworld A long-term crisis, after a certain point, no longer seems like a crisis. It seems like the way things are. James Surowiecki certainlongway Art collecting has traditionally been the domain of wealthy individuals in search of rewards beyond the purely financial. James Surowiecki rewardsfinancialart
