John Maynard Keynes
Most influential economist of the 20th century
Most quoted
"The master-economist must possess a rare combination of gifts. He must be mathematician, historian, statesman, philosopher—in some degree. He must understand symbols and speak in words. He must contemplate the particular in terms of the general, and touch the abstract and the concrete in the same flight of thought. He must study the present in the light of the past for the purposes of the future. No part of man's nature or his institutions must lie entirely outside his regard. He must be purposeful and disinterested in a simultaneous mood; as aloof and incorruptible as an artist, yet sometimes as near the earth as a politician."
— from Alfred Marshall, 1842-1924
"The master-economist must possess a rare combination of gifts. He must be mathematician, historian, statesman, philosopher—in some degree. He must understand symbols and speak in words. He must contemplate the particular in terms of the general, and touch abstract and concrete in the same flight of thought. He must study the present in the light of the past for the purposes of the future. No part of man's nature or his institutions must lie entirely outside his regard. He must be purposeful and disinterested in a simultaneous mood; as aloof and incorruptible as an artist, yet sometimes as near the earth as a politician."
— from Alfred Marshall, 1842-1924, 1933
"The master-economist must possess a rare combination of gifts. He must be a mathematician, historian, statesman, philosopher—in some degree. He must understand symbols and speak in words. He must contemplate the particular in terms of the general, and touch abstract and concrete in the same flight of thought. He must study the present in the light of the past for the purposes of the future. No part of man's nature or his institutions must lie entirely outside his regard. He must be purposeful and disinterested in a single mood; as aloof and incorruptible as an artist, yet sometimes as near the earth as a politician."
— from Alfred Marshall, 1842-1924, 1924
All quotes by John Maynard Keynes (300)
I am not a moralist, but I believe in morality.
I am not a religious man, but I believe in God.
The social objects of skilled investment should be to defeat the dark forces of time and ignorance which envelop our future.
I have always been interested in the future, because that is where I am going to spend the rest of my life.
I am not a pessimist, but I am not an optimist either. I am a realist.
The State will have to exercise a guiding influence on the propensity to consume partly through its scheme of taxation, partly by fixing the rate of interest, and partly, perhaps, in other ways.
I believe that the future of humanity depends on our ability to cooperate.
The problem of unemployment is not a problem of individual idleness, but a problem of insufficient effective demand.
I am not a revolutionary, but I believe in change.
The object of our study is to discover what determines the volume of employment, not to deduce how much employment there ought to be.
I have always been fascinated by the human mind.
The outstanding fault of the economic society in which we live is its failure to provide for full employment.
I am not a perfect man, but I try to be a good one.
The theory of economics does not furnish a body of settled conclusions immediately applicable to policy. It is a method rather than a doctrine, an apparatus of the mind, a technique of thinking, which helps its possessor to draw correct conclusions.
I believe that art is essential to human flourishing.
The State will have to take an ever greater responsibility for directly organising investment.
I am not a nationalist, but I love my country.
I have always been a bit of a rebel.
The true object of a civilised society is to secure for its members the highest possible standard of living, consistently with the maintenance of their freedom and self-respect.
I believe that education is the key to a better future.
Contemporaries of John Maynard Keynes
Other Economicss born within 50 years of John Maynard Keynes (1883–1946).