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Capitalism Quotes

Browse 2965 quotes about Capitalism.

Capitalism Quotes

“Capitalism might be defined, if we wish to be scientific, as a form of economic organization motivated by the pursuit of profit within a price structure.”

Ifs Might Form Wish Economic Capitalism Organization Structure Profit Pursuit Defined Motivated

Book:The evolution of civilizations: an introduction to historical analysis

Source: The evolution of civilizations: an introduction to historical analysis

“Like many works of literature, Hollywood chooses for its villains people who strive for social dominance through the pursuit of wealth, prestige, and power. But the ordinary business of capitalism is much more egalitarian: It's about finding meaning and enjoyment in work and production.”

People Literature Social Wealth Findings Ordinary Capitalism Hollywood Strive Productions Pursuit Enjoyment Villain Dominance Prestige Egalitarianism Pursuit Of Wealth

Author:Alex Tabarrok

“All industries are brought under the control of such people [film producers] by Capitalism. If the capitalists let themselves be seduced from their pursuit of profits to the enchantments of art, they would be bankrupt before they knew where they were. You cannot combine the pursuit of money with the pursuit of art.”

People Ifs Art Would Be Film Industry Capitalism Profit Pursuit Producers Movie Capitalist Enchantment Pursuit Of Money

Author:George Bernard Shaw

“The genius of capitalism lies in its ability to make self-interest serve the wider interest. The potential of a big financial return for innovation unleashes a broad set of talented people in pursuit of many different discoveries. This system, driven by self-interest, is responsible for the incredible innovations that have improved so many lives.”

People Different Self Bigs Lying Interest Ability Business Return Genius Discovery Capitalism Innovation Responsible Incredibles Financial Driven Pursuit Broads Self Interest

Author:Bill Gates

“A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government, and this is necessary to close the circle of our felicities.”

Book:Jefferson on Freedom: Wisdom, Advice, and Hints on Freedom, Democracy, and the American Way

Source: Jefferson on Freedom: Wisdom, Advice, and Hints on Freedom, Democracy, and the American Way

“The Western societies which espouse free market capitalism survive by the pursuit of greed and, in their own way, like Communism, throw into leadership men and women (mostly men) who know how to gain, exert and manipulate power.”

Knows Men Way Leadership Business Know How Men And Women Capitalism Gains Economics Western Greed Pursuit Communism Free Market Manipulate Western Society Free Market Capitalism

Author:Davis McCaughey

“A rentier is an investor whose relationship to a company or enterprise is strictly limited to the ownership of financial wealth (such as stocks or bonds) and the receipt of income on that wealth (such as dividends or interest). The financial system performs dismally at its advertised task, that of efficiently directing society's savings towards their optimal investment pursuits. The system is stupefyingly expensive, gives terrible signals for the allocation of capital, and has surprisingly little to do with real investment.”

“The impulse to acquisition, pursuit of gain, of money, of the greatest possible amount of money, has in itself nothing to do with capitalism. This impulse exists and has existed among waiters, physicians, coachmen, artists, prostitutes, dishonest officials, soldiers, nobles, crusaders, gamblers, and beggars.”

Artist Amount Capitalism Gains Soldier Pursuit Impulse Officials Physicians Beggar Acquisition Waiter

Author:Max Weber

“Capitalism may even be identical with the restraint, or at least a rational tempering, of this irrational impulse. But capitalism is identical with the restraint, or at least a rational tempering, of this irrational impulse. But capitalism is identical with the pursuit of profit, and forever renewed profit, by means of continuous, rational, capitalistic enterprise.”

May Mean Forever Capitalism Profit Pursuit Rational Impulse Enterprise Irrational Restraint Identical

Book:The Protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism

Source: The Protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism

“Capitalism is the only system that can make freedom, individuality, and the pursuit of values possible in practice. When I say 'capitalism,' I mean a pure, uncontrolled, unregulated laissez-faire capitalism - with a separation of economics, in the same way and for the same reasons as a separation of state and church.”

Way Mean States Reason Values Church Liberty Practice Pure Capitalism Economics Individuality Separation Pursuit Laissez Faire Laissez Faire Capitalism

Author:Ayn Rand

“Wherever capitalism appears, in pursuit of its mission of exploitation, there will Socialism, fertilized by misery, watered by tears, and vitalized by agitation be also found, unfurling its class-struggle banner and proclaiming its mission of emancipation.”

Found Class Struggle Tears Capitalism Misery Missions Pursuit Socialism Exploitation Emancipation Banner Class Struggle Agitation Proclaiming

Author:Eugene V. Debs

“Market forces have no intrinsically moral direction, which is why, before he wrote The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith wrote The Theory of Moral Sentiments. Ethics should precede economics. But it doesn't have to. . . . We know this because we've seen the results of capitalism without conscience: the pollution of the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat; the endangerment of workers; and the sale of dangerous products - from cars to toys to drugs. All in pursuit of ever-greater profits.”

“The Romanticists predominantly, were enemies of capitalism, which they regarded as a prosaic, materialistic, “petty bourgeois” system — never realizing that it was the only system that could make freedom, individuality and the pursuit of values possible in practice.”

Values Practice Capitalism Individuality Pursuit Laissez Faire Capitalism

Author:Ayn Rand