quotations about capitalism
If it were necessary to give the briefest possible definition of imperialism we should have to say that imperialism is the monopoly stage of capitalislm.
VLADIMIR LENIN
Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism
The genius of capitalsim consists precisely in its lack of morality. Unless he is rich enough to hire his own choir, a capitalist is a fellow who, by definition, can ill afford to believe in anything other than the doctrine of the bottom line. Deprive a capitalist of his God-given right to lie and cheat and steal, and the poor sap stands a better than even chance of becoming one of the abominable wards of the state from whose grimy fingers the Reagan Administration hopes to snatch the ark of democracy.
LEWIS H. LAPHAM
"Moral Dandyism,", Harper's, Jul. 1985
The far right seeks to retain the material progress of American capitalism while removing some of its crucial causes and consequences--as though a bridge could be made to change part of its function by blowing up part of its supports and part of its exit.
RONALD SEGAL
America's Receeding Future
The word capitalism was coined by none other than Karl Marx, who hoped that it would help in his crusade to denigrate the system of private property and free enterprise and to promote socialism. Marx insinuated that the only beneficiaries of capitalism were the capitalists. Of course, nearly every one of Marx's assumptions (government would wither away under communism, capitalism would make workers poorer, etc.) turned out to be wrong, including this one. Free-market capitalism, based on private property and peaceful exchange, is the source of civilization and human progress. Human beings have a natural propensity to "truck, barter, and exchange," as Adam Smith said more than two centuries ago, and free-market capitalism is by far the best-known means by which this can be accomplished.
THOMAS J. DILORENZO
How Capitalism Saved America
The most efficient way of rendering the poor harmless is to teach them to want to imitate the rich.
CARLOS RUIZ ZAFON
The Shadow of the Wind
For Americans enjoying both peace and prosperity, it has been all too easy to ignore the turmoil elsewhere. How can capitalism be in trouble when the Dow Jones Industrial average is climbing higher than Sir Edmund Hillary? Americans look at other nations and see progress, even if it is slow and uneven. Can't you eat a Big Mac in Moscow, rent a video from Blockbuster in Shanghai, and reach the Internet in Caracas?
HERNANDO DE SOTO
The Mystery of Capital
The most distinguished advocate and the most distinguished critic of modern captialism were in agreement on one essential point: the job makes the person. Adam Smith and Karl Marx both recognized the extent to which people's attitudes and behaviors take shape out of the experiences they have in their work.
ROSABETH MOSS KANTER
Men and Women of the Corporation
Because the free market system is so weak politically, the forms of capitalism that are experienced in many countries are very far from the ideal. They are a corrupted version, in which powerful interests prevent competition from playing its natural, healthy role.
RAGHURAM G. RAJAN
Saving Capitalism from the Capitalists
With the neutron bomb, which destroys life but not property, capitalism has found the weapon of its dreams.
EDWARD ABBEY
A Voice Crying in the Wilderness (Vox Clamantis in Deserto)