"We can safely abandon the doctrine of the eighties, namely that the rich were not working because they had too little money, the poor because they had much."

Money

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Thematic Reflection

This quotation examines the core nature of Money as articulated by John Kenneth Galbraith. Within historical and literary traditions, reflections on Money provide actionable mental models, challenging individuals to evaluate personal ethics, self-discipline, and daily actions.

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About John Kenneth Galbraith

John Kenneth Galbraith, also known as J. K. Galbraith or Ken Galbraith, was a Canadian-American economist, diplomat, public official, and intellectual. His books on economic topics were bestsellers from the 1950s through the 2000s. As an economist, he leaned toward post-Keynesian economics from an institutionalist perspective. He served as the deputy director of the powerful Office of Price Administration (OPA) during World War II in charge of stabilizing all prices, wages and rents in the American economy, to combat the threat of inflation and hoarding during a time of shortages and rationing, a task which was successfully accomplished.

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More by John Kenneth Galbraith

"The salary of the chief executive of the large corporation is not a market award for achievement. It is frequently in the nature of a warm personal gesture by the individual to himself."

— John Kenneth Galbraith
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"In any great organization it is far, far safer to be wrong with the majority than to be right alone."

— John Kenneth Galbraith
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"In the United States, though power corrupts, the expectation of power paralyzes."

— John Kenneth Galbraith
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"In economics, the majority is always wrong."

— John Kenneth Galbraith
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More about Money

"We need your help. I need your help. We need money for research. It may not save my life. It may save my children's life. It may save someone you love. And it's very important."

— Jim Valvano
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"A majority, perhaps as many as 75 percent, of abortion clinics are in areas with high minority populations. Abortion apologists will say this is because they want to serve the poor. You don't serve the poor, however, by taking their money to terminate their children."

— Alveda King
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"Why not collect and clean chicken wishbones in the run-up to Christmas, spray them silver and use each to pinch together a white hem-stitch napkin?"

— Pippa Middleton
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