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

Over the span of man's history, although a phenomenal amount of education, persuasion, indoctrination and incantation have been devoted to the effort, ordinary people have never been quite persuaded that toil is as agreeable as its alternatives. Thus to take increased well-being partly in the form of more goods and partly in the form of more leisure is unquestionably rational.

Things that come from the private sector are in abundant supply; things that depend on the public sector are widely a problem. We're a world, as I said in The Affluent Society, of filthy streets and clean houses, poor schools and expensive television.

There's a certain part of the contented majority who love anybody who is worth a billion dollars.

In economics it is a far, far wiser thing to be right than to be consistent

Unemployment is rarely considered desirable except by those who have not experienced it.

In public administration good sense would seem to require that public expectation be kept at the lowest possible level in order to minimize eventual disappointment.