If we assume the best in people, we can radically redesign our democracy and welfare states.
Rutger BregmanRead
Government isn't there just to administer life support to failing markets. Without the government, many of those markets would not even exist.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The government plays a crucial role in supporting and sustaining markets, rather than merely preserving failing ones.
Rutger Bregman emphasizes the vital role that government plays in creating and maintaining markets. He argues that markets do not operate in a vacuum; without government intervention and support, many markets would not have the infrastructure or environment necessary to function. Hence, the role of government goes beyond merely propping up failing markets; it is essential for the creation and continued existence of thriving economic systems.
Themes
GovernmentMarketsEconomySupportIntervention
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about economic policy, one might quote Bregman to emphasize the importance of government in market stability.
More from Rutger Bregman
All quotes βSince long workdays lead to more errors, shorter workdays could reduce accidents. Overtime is deadly. Tired surgeons have been found to be more prone to slip'ups, and soldiers who get too little shuteye are more prone to miss targets.
Rutger BregmanRead
My hope is that the corona crisis will help bring us into a new age of cooperation and solidarity and a realization that we're in this together.
Rutger BregmanRead
This is what a crisis does: It makes you question the status quo. That doesn't mean that after a crisis we move into some kind of utopia. But it is an opportunity for political change.
Rutger BregmanRead
While it won't solve all the world's ills - and ideas such as a rent cap and more social housing are necessary in places where housing is scarce - a basic income would work like venture capital for the people.
Rutger BregmanRead
Believing in the good of humanity is a revolutionary act - it means that we don't need all those managers and CEO's, kings and generals. That we can trust people to govern themselves and make their own decisions.
Rutger BregmanRead
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I never would have agreed to the formulation of the Central Intelligence Agency back in forty-seven, if I had known it would become the American Gestapo.
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