It's important to realize that innovation and growth in itself are not sufficient to moderate inequality of wealth.

At the heart of every major political upheaval lies a fiscal revolution.

Contrary to a tenacious myth, France is not owned by California pension funds or the Bank of China, any more than the United States belongs to Japanese and German investors. The fear of getting into such a predicament is so strong today that fantasy often outstrips reality. The reality is that inequality with respect to capital is a far greater domestic issue than it is an international one.

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?

I am not political. It is not my job. But I would be happy if politicians could read my work and draw some conclusions from it.

Our modern democratic ideal is based on the hope that inequalities will be based on merit more than inheritance or luck.

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