Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it's just the opposite.

—John Kenneth Galbraith

About John Kenneth Galbraith

Portrait of John Kenneth Galbraith

John Kenneth Galbraith (October 15, 1908 – April 29, 2006), also known as J. K. Galbraith or Ken Galbraith, was a Canadian-American economist, diplomat, public official, and intellectual. His books on economic topics were bestsellers from the 1950s through the 2000s. As an economist, he leaned toward post-Keynesian economics from...

More quotations from John Kenneth Galbraith

The only function of economic forecasting is to make astrology look respectable.

—John Kenneth Galbraith

What is called a high standard of living consists in considerable measure of arrangements for avoiding muscular energy, increasing sensual pleasure, and enhancing caloric intake beyond any conceivable nutritional requirement. Nonetheless, the belief that increased production is a worthy social goal is very nearly absolute.

—John Kenneth Galbraith

Nothing is so admirable in politics as a short memory.

—John Kenneth Galbraith

politics memory forgiveness

I am not quite sure what the advantage is in having a few more dollars to spend if the air is too dirty to breathe, the water is too polluted to drink, the commuters are losing out in the struggle to get in and out of the city, the streets are filthy, the schools are so bad that the young perhaps wisely stay away, and the hoodlums roll citizens for some of the dollars they saved in the tax cut.

—John Kenneth Galbraith

money environmentalism water air city streets schools

Faced with the choice between changing one's mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on the proof.

—John Kenneth Galbraith

choice proof changing your mind

More quotations tagged with “communism”

Communism is like prohibition, it's a good idea but it won't work.

Communism is like one big phone company.

Communism doesn't work because people like to own stuff.

When I gave food to the poor, they called me a saint. When I asked why the poor were hungry, they called me a communist.

—Dom H. Camara

politics poverty food communism

Romania had been under communist rule since 1945, but it was after Ceausescu came to power in 1965 that life really began to deteriorate.… Then, one night in the late 1980s, a group of men dressed as street sweepers draped the statue of Lenin in Bucharest with big truck tires and set them on fire. It was a bold and daring act in a country where, it was said, for every Romanian on the street there were two secret police officers. The next morning traffic was detoured while workers from nearby factories were brought in to clean the statue with razor blades. That day I realized that change was possible.

—Florin Ion Firimita

history power change communism daring Romania

History

11 Jul 2015 Added