---
title: "1 1980s Quotes By Thomas J. Sargent"
description: "1 1980s quotes by Thomas J. Sargent. Plus more from Thomas J. Sargent and more 1980s sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/621/thomas-j-sargent-42595_blow_in-the-1980s-there-were-occasions-when-i_2104231.jpg"
---

> [In the 1980s, there were occasions when it made sense to say, 'it is too difficult to maximize the likelihood function, and besides if we do, it will blow our model out of the water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-j-sargent/in-the-1980s-there-were-occasions-when-it-made-sense-to-say-it-is-too/)

[Thomas J. Sargent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-j-sargent/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/621/thomas-j-sargent-42595_blow_in-the-1980s-there-were-occasions-when-i_2104231.jpg)

## More by Thomas J. Sargent

> [I wasn't the brightest kid, not by a long shot. I was interested in football, in girls, in getting my work done with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-j-sargent/i-wasn-t-the-brightest-kid-not-by-a-long-shot-i-was-interested-in/)

[Thomas J. Sargent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-j-sargent/)

> [The first and most optimistic response was complete rational expectations econometrics. A rational expectations equilibrium is a likelihood function. Maximize it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-j-sargent/the-first-and-most-optimistic-response-was-complete-rational/)

[Thomas J. Sargent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-j-sargent/)

> [I'm happy to say I am a Harrison-Kreps-Keynesian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-j-sargent/i-m-happy-to-say-i-am-a-harrison-kreps-keynesian/)

[Thomas J. Sargent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-j-sargent/)

> [There was a danger that skeptics and opponents would misread those likelihood ratio tests as rejections of an entire class of models, which of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-j-sargent/there-was-a-danger-that-skeptics-and-opponents-would-misread-those/)

[Thomas J. Sargent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-j-sargent/)

> [In the 1980s, there were occasions when it made sense to say, 'it is too difficult to maximize the likelihood function, and besides if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-j-sargent/in-the-1980s-there-were-occasions-when-it-made-sense-to-say-it-is-too/)

[Thomas J. Sargent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-j-sargent/)

> [What I really don't like is oversimplification.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-j-sargent/what-i-really-don-t-like-is-oversimplification/)

[Thomas J. Sargent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-j-sargent/)

> [Lucas attended a conference on rational expectations at the University of Minnesota in the spring of 1973. The day after the conference, I received…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-j-sargent/lucas-attended-a-conference-on-rational-expectations-at-the/)

[Thomas J. Sargent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-j-sargent/)

> [I think you've got to watch out for anybody in high school who says he wants to become an economist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-j-sargent/i-think-you-ve-got-to-watch-out-for-anybody-in-high-school-who-says/)

[Thomas J. Sargent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-j-sargent/)

> [Keynes was a very good economist. He was brilliant. He had wonderful insights. His work has inspired me many times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-j-sargent/keynes-was-a-very-good-economist-he-was-brilliant-he-had-wonderful/)

[Thomas J. Sargent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-j-sargent/)

> [When I was a graduate student, estimating and interpreting distributed lags topped the agenda of macroeconomists and other applied economists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-j-sargent/when-i-was-a-graduate-student-estimating-and-interpreting-distributed/)

[Thomas J. Sargent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-j-sargent/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "ItemList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zz-1980s/thomas-j-sargent/#itemlist",
            "name": "1 1980s Quotes By Thomas J. Sargent",
            "numberOfItems": 1,
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "In the 1980s, there were occasions when it made sense to say, 'it is too difficult to maximize the likelihood function, and besides if we do, it will blow our model out of the water.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Thomas J. Sargent"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-j-sargent/in-the-1980s-there-were-occasions-when-it-made-sense-to-say-it-is-too/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/621/thomas-j-sargent-42595_blow_in-the-1980s-there-were-occasions-when-i_2104231.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/621/thomas-j-sargent-42595_blow_in-the-1980s-there-were-occasions-when-i_2104231.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/621/thomas-j-sargent-42595_blow_in-the-1980s-there-were-occasions-when-i_2104231.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“In the 1980s, there were occasions when it made sense to say, 'it is too difficult to maximize the…” — Thomas J. Sargent",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "CollectionPage",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zz-1980s/thomas-j-sargent/#webpage",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zz-1980s/thomas-j-sargent/",
            "name": "1980s Quotes by Thomas J. Sargent",
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "mainEntity": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zz-1980s/thomas-j-sargent/#itemlist"
            },
            "primaryImageOfPage": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/621/thomas-j-sargent-42595_blow_in-the-1980s-there-were-occasions-when-i_2104231.jpg"
            },
            "description": "1 1980s quotes by Thomas J. Sargent. Plus more from Thomas J. Sargent and more 1980s sayings from other authors.",
            "breadcrumb": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zz-1980s/thomas-j-sargent/#breadcrumb"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zz-1980s/thomas-j-sargent/#breadcrumb",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Topics",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/categories/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Zz 1980s",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zz-1980s/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 5,
                    "name": "Thomas J. Sargent",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zz-1980s/thomas-j-sargent/"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```