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Thomas Malthus Quotes

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Thomas Malthus, a British economist and demographer, was born on February 14, 1766, in Surrey, England, and died on December 23, 1834. Malthus is known for his theory of population, which posits that population growth will outstrip food supply, leading to poverty and suffering.

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Famous Thomas Malthus Quotes

“[P]opulation, when unchecked, goes on doubling itself every twenty-five years, or increases in a geometrical ratio. ... [T]he means of subsistence, under circumstances the most favorable to human industry, could not possibly be made to increase faster than in an arithmetical ratio.”

Years Humans Mean Made Science Five Food Goes On Industry Circumstances Increase Twenties Faster Five Years Twenty Five Ratios Subsistence

Author:Thomas Malthus

“Nature herself in times of great poverty or bad climatic conditions, as well as poor harvest, intervenes to restrict the increase of population of certain countries or races; this, to be sure, by a method as wise as it is ruthless.”

Wells Country Certain Poor Race Poverty Wise Conditions Increase Method Population Harvest Ruthless

Author:Thomas Malthus

“The transfer of three shillings and sixpence a day to every labourer would not increase the quantity of meat in the country. There is not at present enough for all to have a decent share. What would then be the consequence?”

Country Enough Three Share Consequence Increase Meat Decent Quantity Transfers Labourers

Book:An Essay on the Principle of Population: Illustrated

Source: An Essay on the Principle of Population: Illustrated

“THERE is scarcely any inquiry more curious, or, from its importance, more worthy of attention, than that which traces the causes which practically check the progress of wealth in different countries, and stop it, or make it proceed very slowly, while the power of production remains comparatively undiminished, or at least would furnish the means of a great and abundant increase of produce and population.”

Mean Different Country Causes Wealth Attention Progress Produce Importance Increase Remains Population Productions Worthy Checks Curious Inquiry Different Countries

Author:Thomas Malthus

“In general it may be said that demand is quite as necessary to the increase of capital as the increase of capital is to demand.”

May Said Demand Increase

Book:An Essay on the Principle of Population and Other Writings

Source: An Essay on the Principle of Population and Other Writings

“When Hume and Adam Smith prophesied that a little increase of national debt beyond the then amount of it, would probably occasion bankruptcy; the main cause of their error was the natural one, of not being able to see the vast increase of productive power to which the nation would subsequently obtain.”

Littles Able Nations Causes Natural Amount Increase Errors Debt Occasions Productive Adam Bankruptcy National Debt Hume

Book:An Essay on the Principle of Population, Or, a View of Its Past and Present Effects on Human Happiness: With an Inquiry Into Our Prospects Respecting the Future Removal Or Mitigation of the Evils which it Occasions

Source: An Essay on the Principle of Population, Or, a View of Its Past and Present Effects on Human Happiness: With an Inquiry Into Our Prospects Respecting the Future Removal Or Mitigation of the Evils which it Occasions

“Population regulates itself by the funds which are to employ it, and therefore always increases or diminishes with the increase or the diminution of capital. Every reduction of capital is therefore necessarily followed by a less effective demand for corn, by a fall in price, and by a diminished cultivation.”

Fall Demand Increase Population Fund Diminish Corn Reduction Cultivation

Author:Thomas Malthus

“The perpetual tendency of the race of man to increase beyond the means of subsistence is one of the general laws of animated nature, which we can have no reason to expect to change.”

Men Mean Reason Law Race Increase Tendencies No Reason Perpetual Animated Subsistence

Book:An Essay on the Principle of Population, as it Affects the Future Imporvement of Society, with Remarks on the Speculations of Mr. Godwin, M. Condorcet, and Other Writers

Source: An Essay on the Principle of Population, as it Affects the Future Imporvement of Society, with Remarks on the Speculations of Mr. Godwin, M. Condorcet, and Other Writers

“The immediate cause of the increase of population is the excess of the births above deaths; and the rate of increase, or the period of doubling, depends upon the proportion which the excess of the births above the deaths bears to the population.”

Causes Depends Bears Birth Periods Increase Rate Population Proportion Excess

Book:ON POPULATION THREE ESSAYS

Source: ON POPULATION THREE ESSAYS

“Subsistence increases only in an arithmetical ratio.”

Increase Ratios Subsistence

Book:An Essay on the Principle of Population and Other Writings

Source: An Essay on the Principle of Population and Other Writings

“Population, when unchecked, goes on doubling itself every 25 years or increases in a geometrical ratio.”

Years Goes On Increase Environmental Population Ratios World Population Population Explosion

Author:Thomas Malthus

“The constant effort towards population, which is found even in the most vicious societies, increases the number of people before the means of subsistence are increased.”