--- title: "4 Economists Quotes By Joan Robinson" description: "4 Economists quotes by Joan Robinson. Plus more from Joan Robinson and more Economists sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a22/joan-robinson-11438_answers_the-purpose-of-studying-economics-is-not_373569.png" --- > [The purpose of studying economics is not to acquire a set of ready-made answers to economic questions, but to learn how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-robinson/the-purpose-of-studying-economics-is-not-to-acquire-a-set-of-ready/) [Joan Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-robinson/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a22/joan-robinson-11438_answers_the-purpose-of-studying-economics-is-not_373569.png) > [It is the business of economists, not to tell us what to do, but show why what we are doing anyway is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-robinson/it-is-the-business-of-economists-not-to-tell-us-what-to-do-but-show/) [Joan Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-robinson/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d31/joan-robinson-11438_accord_it-is-the-business-of-economists-not-to_700172.jpg) > [The point of studying economics is so as not to be fooled by economists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-robinson/the-point-of-studying-economics-is-so-as-not-to-be-fooled-by/) [Joan Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-robinson/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b2/joan-robinson-11438_economics_the-point-of-studying-economics-is-so-as_1147278.png) > [The first essential for economists ... is to ... combat, not foster, the ideology which pretends that values which can be measured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-robinson/the-first-essential-for-economists-is-to-combat-not-foster-the/) [Joan Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-robinson/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65c/joan-robinson-11438_combat_the-first-essential-for-economists-is-to_1287417.png) ## Other authors on Economists - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b020/author-richard-thaler-78929.jpg) Richard Thaler 10 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economists/richard-thaler/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b013/author-john-kenneth-galbraith-51720.jpg) John Kenneth Galbraith 10 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economists/john-kenneth-galbraith/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b023/author-thomas-piketty-90556.jpg) Thomas Piketty 9 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economists/thomas-piketty/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b011/author-hajoon-chang-40025.jpg) Ha-Joon Chang 8 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economists/ha-joon-chang/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b004/author-aretaeus-of-cappadocia-14539.jpg) Adam Davidson 7 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economists/adam-davidson/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b013/author-john-maynard-keynes-51905.jpg) John Maynard Keynes 6 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economists/john-maynard-keynes/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b023/author-tim-harford-90885.jpg) Tim Harford 5 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economists/tim-harford/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b021/author-ronald-coase-81073.jpg) Ronald Coase 5 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economists/ronald-coase/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b019/author-paul-krugman-74013.jpg) Paul Krugman 5 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economists/paul-krugman/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b016/author-ludwig-von-mises-61872.jpg) Ludwig von Mises 5 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economists/ludwig-von-mises/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b015/author-kenneth-e-boulding-56467.jpg) Kenneth E. Boulding 5 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economists/kenneth-e-boulding/) ## More by Joan Robinson > [ The very nature of economics is rooted in nationalism. ... It \[was\] developed ... in the hope of throwing light upon questions of policy.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-robinson/the-very-nature-of-economics-is-rooted-in-nationalism-it-was/) [Joan Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-robinson/) > [Unequal distribution of income is an excessively uneconomic method of getting the necessary saving done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-robinson/unequal-distribution-of-income-is-an-excessively-uneconomic-method-of/) [Joan Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-robinson/) > [we make a great fuss about national conscience, but it consists mainly in insisting upon everyone ascribing our national policy to highly moral motives,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-robinson/we-make-a-great-fuss-about-national-conscience-but-it-consists-mainly/) [Joan Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-robinson/) > [Marx, however imperfectly he worked out the details, set himself the task of discovering the law of motion of capitalism, and if there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-robinson/marx-however-imperfectly-he-worked-out-the-details-set-himself-the/) [Joan Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-robinson/) > [Economic theorists should not make such a production about taking a rabbit out of a hat after having put the rabbit into the hat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-robinson/economic-theorists-should-not-make-such-a-production-about-taking-a/) [Joan Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-robinson/) > [science progresses by trial and error, and when it is forbidden to admit error there can be no progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-robinson/science-progresses-by-trial-and-error-and-when-it-is-forbidden-to/) [Joan Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-robinson/) > [Marxism is the opium of the Marxists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-robinson/marxism-is-the-opium-of-the-marxists/) [Joan Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-robinson/) > [The orthodox doctrines of economics which were dominant in the last quarter of the nineteenth century had a clear message. They supported laisser faire,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-robinson/the-orthodox-doctrines-of-economics-which-were-dominant-in-the-last/) [Joan Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-robinson/) > [It's a terrible thing to be a worker exploited in the capitalist system. The only worse thing is to be a worker unable to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-robinson/it-s-a-terrible-thing-to-be-a-worker-exploited-in-the-capitalist/) [Joan Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-robinson/) > [Not only subjective poverty is never overcome by growth, but absolute poverty is increased by it. ... Absolute misery grows while wealth increases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-robinson/not-only-subjective-poverty-is-never-overcome-by-growth-but-absolute/) [Joan Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-robinson/) > [Reality is never a golden age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-robinson/reality-is-never-a-golden-age/) [Joan Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-robinson/) > [“After the war, when the problem of deficient effective demand seemed to have faded into the background, a fresh question came to the fore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-robinson/after-the-war-when-the-problem-of-deficient-effective-demand-seemed/) [Joan Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-robinson/) > [In all the talk in the Principles (as opposed to the formal analysis) it is not the saving of rentiers but the energy of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-robinson/in-all-the-talk-in-the-principles-as-opposed-to-the-formal-analysis/) [Joan Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-robinson/) > [I do not regard the Keynesian revolution as a great intellectual triumph. On the contrary, it was a tragedy because it came so late.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-robinson/i-do-not-regard-the-keynesian-revolution-as-a-great-intellectual/) [Joan Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-robinson/) > [The purpose of studying economics is not to acquire a set of ready-made answers to economic questions, but to learn how to avoid being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-robinson/the-purpose-of-studying-economics-is-not-to-acquire-a-set-of-ready/) [Joan Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-robinson/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economists/joan-robinson/#itemlist", "name": "4 Economists Quotes By Joan Robinson", "numberOfItems": 4, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The purpose of studying economics is not to acquire a set of ready-made answers to economic questions, but to 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