The principal mechanism for convergence at the international as well as the domestic level is the diffusion of knowledge.

What was the good of industrial development, what was the good of all the technological innovations, toil, and population movements if, after half a century of industrial growth, the condition of the masses was still just as miserable as before, and all lawmakers could do was prohibit factory labor by children under the age of eight?

Democracy will never be supplanted by a republic of experts—and that is a very good thing.

No hypocrisy is too great when economic and financial elites are obliged to defend their interest.

It's not Utopian to believe that we can create a global registry of financial assets so we know who owns what in different countries.

I loved American universities. In many ways, they are better organized - certainly than French universities.

The democratic ideal has always been related to a moderate level of inequality. I think one big reason why electoral democracy flourished in 19th century America better than 19th century Europe is because you had more equal distribution of wealth in America.