Quotes by John Kenneth Galbraith

Wealth is not without its advantages and the case to the contrary, although it has often been made, has never proved widely persuasive.

More die in the United States of too much food than of too little.

Much literary criticism comes from people for whom extreme specialization is a cover for either grave cerebral inadequacy or terminal laziness, the latter being a much cherished aspect of academic freedom.

Economics is extremely useful as a form of employment for economists.

It would be foolish to suggest that government is a good custodian of aesthetic goals. But, there is no alternative to the state.

All of the great leaders have had one characteristic in common: it was the willingness to confront unequivocally the major anxiety of their people in their time. This, and not much else, is the essence of leadership.

In economics, hope and faith coexist with great scientific pretension and also a deep desire for respectability.

Humor is richly rewarding to the person who employs it. It has some value in gaining and holding attention, but it has no persuasive value at all.

We all agree that pessimism is a mark of superior intellect.

Wealth, in even the most improbable cases, manages to convey the aspect of intelligence.