With Malice Towards Some

As I was researching my presidential quotes post, I found myself quite surprised at the genuine paucity of sensible presidential quotes on the economy. There are a handful.

There are lots of quotes about justice, liberty, strength, and so on. But not much about the economy. Quite a few quotes show a marked hostility towards business without presenting an alternative. That alone may go some distance in explaining the predicament in which we find ourselves.

If you know of any sound, sensible quotes on the economy from presidents living or dead, I’d appreciate it if you’d leave them in the comments.

4 comments… add one
  • PD Shaw Link

    A. Lincoln:

    “I don’t believe in a law to prevent a man from getting rich; it would do more harm than good.”

  • Drew Link

    I don’t suppose this one has to do with the economy per se, but with an attitude by actors within an economy that make it work:

    “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; un- rewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination are omnipotent. The slogan press on has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” – Calvin Coolidge

    And one that would be filed under “snarky.”

    The government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it. – Ronald Reagan

    Obama, Reid and Pelosi appear to be advocates of the latter quote.

  • PD Shaw Link

    As might be speculated, I have some books on Lincoln quotes. I perused them this a.m. and found them wanting. My A.L. quote might be wanting, but I thought it was sort of something Dave has said recently on the subject of income inequality.

    I can find Lincoln quotes on the importance of labor, that strike me as slaps at slavery. I can find quotes on the problems of government’s dependence on patronage. I can find quotes that support the Horatio Aljer view of the self-made man. But in terms of what we would call economic policy for government today? I don’t think so.

    I suspect you have to look solely to the twentieth century, if not post-Depression.

  • PD Shaw Link

    BTW/ I’ve always liked the Dirksen quote about “A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talking about real money.” But the Dirksen people can’t authenticate it.

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