Too large a proportion of recent "mathematical" economics are mere concoctions, as imprecise as the initial assumptions they rest on, which allow the author to lose sight of the complexities and interdependencies of the real world in a maze of pretentious and unhelpful symbols.

John Maynard Keynes

When somebody persuades me I am wrong, I change my mind.

John Maynard Keynes

mind

This siren, this goat-footed bard, this half human visitor to our age the hag-ridden and enchanted woods of Celtic antiquity. One catches in his company that flavour of final purposelessness, inner responsibility, existence outside or away from our Saxon good and evil, mixed with cunning, remorselessness, love of power.

John Maynard Keynes

responsibility age evil

The disruptive powers of excessive national fecundity may have played a greater part in bursting the bonds of convention than either the power of ideas or the errors of autocracy.

John Maynard Keynes

errors ties ideas

I am trying to re-shape and improve my central position.

John Maynard Keynes

position shapes trying

Galton's eccentric, sceptical, observing, flashing, cavalry-leader type of mind led him eventually to become the founder of the most important, significant and, I would add, genuine branch of sociology which exists, namely eugenics.

John Maynard Keynes

eugenics leader mind

The numeric system was invented to help man to put order in the chaos of the world.

John Maynard Keynes

men order world

Nothing can preserve the integrity of contact between individuals, except a discretionary authority in the state to revise what has become intolerable. The powers of uninterrupted usury are too great. If the accretions of vested interests were to grow without mitigation for many generations, half the population would be no better than slaves to the other half.

John Maynard Keynes

generations half integrity

The glory of the nation you love is a desirable end, — but generally to be obtained at your neighbor's expense.

John Maynard Keynes

neighbor glory love-is

What an extraordinary episode in the economic progress of man that age was which came to an end in August, 1914!

John Maynard Keynes

august men history

Like Odysseus, the President looked wiser when he was seated.

John Maynard Keynes

odysseus wiser president

The Class war will find me on the side of the educated bourgeoisie.

John Maynard Keynes

bourgeoisie class war

Unlike physics, for example, such parts of the bare bones of economic theory as are expressible in mathematical form are extremely easy compared with the economic interpretation of the complex and incompletely known facts of experience, and lead one a very little way towards establishing useful results.

John Maynard Keynes

example littles way

How long will it be necessary to pay City men so entirely out of proportion to what other servants of society commonly receive for performing social services not less useful or difficult?

John Maynard Keynes

cities men long

Men will not always die quietly.

John Maynard Keynes

economics dies men

Gold is a relic from a time when government's were less trustworthy in these matters (currency debasement) than they are now.

John Maynard Keynes

political government philosophy

I expect to see the State, which is in a position to calculate the marginal efficiency of capital-goods on long views and on the basis of the general social advantage, taking an ever greater responsibility for directly organizing investments.

John Maynard Keynes

responsibility views philosophy

Dangerous acts can be done safely in a community which thinks and feels rightly, which would be the way to hell if they were executed by those who think and feel wrongly.

John Maynard Keynes

community would-be thinking

Once we allow ourselves to be disobedient to the test of an accountant's profit, we have begun to change our civilization.

John Maynard Keynes

profit tests civilization

Government machinery has been described as a marvelous labor saving device which enables ten men to do the work of one.

John Maynard Keynes

saving liberty men

I think that Capitalism, wisely managed, can probably be made more efficient for attaining economic ends than any alternative system yet in sight, but that in itself is in many ways extremely objectionable.

John Maynard Keynes

alternatives sight thinking