Quotessence
Home / Books / Ill Fares the Land

Ill Fares the Land

Book by Tony Judt · 12 quotes · Ifs, Wealth, Answers

Filter quotes by topic

AllIfsWealthAnswersCitizensIdeasKnowsPoliticalShouldSocial DemocracyTodayWorld2008 Financial Crisis20th CenturyAbandonActiveAmendsAmountAsksAverageBenefits

Ill Fares the Land Quotes

“Contrast 1968, when the CEO of General Motors took home, in pay and benefits, about sixty-six times the amount paid to a typical GM worker. Today the CEO of Wal-Mart earns nine hundred times the wages of his average employee. Indeed, the wealth of the Wal-Mart founder's family in 2005 was estimated at about the same ($90 billion) as that of the bottom 40% of the US population: 120 million people.”

PeopleHomeTodayWealthPayMillionsAmountSixBenefitsHundredPaidWorkersBottomAveragePopulationBillionsNineEmployeeContrastSixtyFoundersTypicalCeoWagesMotorGeneral Motors
Book:Ill Fares the Land
Create image

“Something is profoundly wrong with the way we live today. For thirty years we have made a virtue out of the pursuit of material self-interest: indeed, this very pursuit now constitutes whatever remains of our sense of collective purpose. We know what things cost but have no idea what they are worth. We no longer ask of a judicial ruling or a legislative act: Is it good? Is it fair? Is it just? Is it right? Will it help bring about a better society or a better world? Those used to be the political questions, even if they invited no easy answers. We must learn once again to pose them. The materialistic and selfish quality of contemporary life is not inherent in the human condition. Much of what appears "natural" today dates from the 1980s: the obsession with wealth creation, the cult of privatization and the private sector, the growing disparities of rich and poor. And above all, the rhetoric that accompanies these: uncritical admiration for unfettered markets, disdain for the public sector, the delusion of endless growth. We cannot go on living like this. The little crash of 2008 was a reminder that unregulated capitalism is its own worst enemy: sooner or later it must fall prey to its own excesses and turn again to the state for rescue. But if we do no more than pick up the pieces and carry on as before, we can look forward to greater upheavals in years to come.”

SocietyGreedMaterialismPrivatizationSocial Democracy2008 Financial CrisisTony Judt
Book:Ill Fares the Land
Create image