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

It is my guiding confession that I believe the greatest error in economics is in seeing the economy as a stable, immutable structure.

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

All crises have involved debt that, in one fashion or another, has become dangerously out of scale in relation to the underlying means of payment.

We talk of the enormous virtues of work, but it turns out that that is mostly for the poor. If you're rich enough or if you're a college professor, the virtue lies in leisure and the use you make of your leisure time.

Ralph [ Nader] is an old friend of mine, and he does a useful job in displaying a position.

Meetings are a great trap. Soon you find yourself trying to get agreement and then the people who disagree come to think they have a right to be persuaded. However, they are indispensable when you don't want to do anything.