There are two things needed in these days; first, for rich men to find out how poor men live; and read more

There are two things needed in these days; first, for rich men to find out how poor men live; and second, for poor men to know how rich men work.

Avarice has ruined more souls than extravagance.

Avarice has ruined more souls than extravagance.

Few women care to be laughed at and men not at all, except for large sums of money.

Few women care to be laughed at and men not at all, except for large sums of money.

The rich adopt novelties and become accustomed to their use. This sets a fashion which others imitate. Once the richer read more

The rich adopt novelties and become accustomed to their use. This sets a fashion which others imitate. Once the richer classes have adopted a certain way of living, producers have an incentive to improve the methods of manufacture so that soon it is possible for the poorer classes to follow suit. Thus luxury furthers progress. Innovation "is the whim of an elite before it becomes a need of the public. The luxury today is the necessity of tomorrow." Luxury is the roadmaker of progress: it develops latent needs and makes people discontented. In so far as they think consistently, moralists who condemn luxury must recommend the comparatively desireless existence of the wild life roaming in the woods as the ultimate ideal of civilized life.

The City's reluctance to take a stand on an issue like the British Gas pay row makes a mockery of read more

The City's reluctance to take a stand on an issue like the British Gas pay row makes a mockery of corporate governance and shareholders' ability to influence annual general meetings. Institutions should be obliged to make public how they vote at such events. They should be obliged to provide customers with a record of how they vote on every kind of issue.

The boss must first distinguish between action information and status information. He must discipline himself not to act on problems read more

The boss must first distinguish between action information and status information. He must discipline himself not to act on problems his managers can solve, and never to act on problems when he is explicitly reviewing status. I once knew a boss who invariably picked up the phone to give orders before the end of the first paragraph in a status report. That response is guaranteed to squelch full disclosure.

A compromise is the art of dividing a cake in such a way that everyone believes that he has got read more

A compromise is the art of dividing a cake in such a way that everyone believes that he has got the biggest piece.

There is no expedient to which a man will not resort to avoid the real labor of thinking.

There is no expedient to which a man will not resort to avoid the real labor of thinking.

An economist is an expert who will know tomorrow why the things he predicted yesterday didn't happen today.

An economist is an expert who will know tomorrow why the things he predicted yesterday didn't happen today.