--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't think that much change comes from…" description: "\"I don't think that much change comes from economists. I think it comes more from political realities. Probably the two giants of the 20th century, who ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4af/adam-davidson-14539_20th-century_i-don-t-think-that-much-change-comes-fro_2794733.jpg" --- # I don't think that much change comes from economists. I… ![“I don't think that much change comes from economists. I think it comes more from political realities. Probably the two giants of the 20th century, who actually did shift government policy in the U.S. and around the world, were John Maynard Keynes and Milton Friedman. I don't see anybody in our…” quote by Adam Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4af/adam-davidson-14539_20th-century_i-don-t-think-that-much-change-comes-fro_2794733.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4af/adam-davidson-14539_20th-century_i-don-t-think-that-much-change-comes-fro_2794733.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4af/adam-davidson-14539_20th-century_i-don-t-think-that-much-change-comes-fro_2794733.jpg) > “I don't think that much change comes from economists. I think it comes more from political realities. Probably the two giants of the 20th century, who actually did shift government policy in the U.S. and around the world, were John Maynard Keynes and Milton Friedman. I don't see anybody in our system who is at that level of influence.” [Adam Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-davidson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Economic ideas alone rarely drive change; political context shapes impact. **In simple terms:** Politics decides how economics affect policy. Key Takeaway Consider political realities when proposing economic reforms. Themes politics economics influence Mood analytical thoughtful Type political educational When to use this quote - government planning - public debates - academic research Key Concepts policy change ideological power Questions to Reflect On - What political factors could amplify an economic idea? - How can economists engage policymakers effectively? A Different Perspective Economic theory can be ignored if political will is lacking. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [20th century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/20th-century/) [Actually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actually/) [Anybody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anybody/) [Around](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/around/) [Around the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/around-the-world/) [Century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/century/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Comes Economists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comes-economists-3405224/) [Did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/did/) [Economists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economists/) [Economists Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economists-think-290036/) [Giants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giants/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [I think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-think/) [Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) [John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/john/) [John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/john-maynard-keynes/) [Level](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/level/) [Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/milton/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/milton-friedman/) [More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/more/) [Much](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/much/) [Our](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our/) [Policy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/policy/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Realities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realities/) [See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/see/) [Shift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shift/) [Shift Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shift-government-3405225/) [System](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/system/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [Were](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/were/) [Who](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“The appeal to the intellectually insecure is also more important than it might seem. 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Quote him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-laffer/you-want-to-prove-that-milton-friedman-is-a-fascist-it-s-easy-quote/) [Arthur Laffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-laffer/) > [In the early 1970s, Milton Friedman argued that corporations should not be socially responsible because they had no mandate to be; they existed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reich/in-the-early-1970s-milton-friedman-argued-that-corporations-should/) [Robert Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reich/) > [While no inference is intended here, it is worth noting, in connection with Milton Friedman's comment that "Kelso just turned Marx upside down," that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-o-kelso/while-no-inference-is-intended-here-it-is-worth-noting-in-connection/) [Louis O. Kelso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-o-kelso/) > [I took the obligatory economics classes in school, but I've long been a fan of the Milton Friedman philosophy and its libertarian bent: One…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-trotter/i-took-the-obligatory-economics-classes-in-school-but-i-ve-long-been/) [Charlie Trotter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-trotter/) > [Milton Friedman had the grace and good sense to recognize that he wanted to talk to the general public. He wasn't going to just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-h-meltzer/milton-friedman-had-the-grace-and-good-sense-to-recognize-that-he/) [Allan H. Meltzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-h-meltzer/) > [When you grow up in the Soviet society under the communists you heard about the one man who is especially dangerous, especially crazy, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mart-laar/when-you-grow-up-in-the-soviet-society-under-the-communists-you-heard/) [Mart Laar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mart-laar/) > [A money-financed tax cut is essentially equivalent to Milton Friedman's famous 'helicopter drop' of money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bernanke/a-money-financed-tax-cut-is-essentially-equivalent-to-milton-friedman/) [Ben Bernanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bernanke/) > [Any country that has Milton Friedman as an adviser has nothing to fear from a few million Arabs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/any-country-that-has-milton-friedman-as-an-adviser-has-nothing-to/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [The myth of the inevitability of economic globalization is based largely on the work of Milton Friedman, and easily the most underreported story of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ivins/the-myth-of-the-inevitability-of-economic-globalization-is-based/) [Molly Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ivins/) > [Milton Friedman’s misfortune is that his economic policies have been tried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/milton-friedman-s-misfortune-is-that-his-economic-policies-have-been/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Take Milton Friedman, he sits at his desk pontificating about such bunk as the monetary system being the answer to our problems. The monetary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-o-kelso/take-milton-friedman-he-sits-at-his-desk-pontificating-about-such/) [Louis O. Kelso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-o-kelso/) > [All great economists are tall. There are two exceptions: John Kenneth Galbraith and Milton Friedman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stigler/all-great-economists-are-tall-there-are-two-exceptions-john-kenneth/) [George Stigler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stigler/) > [ When the economy was going up, \[Milton Friedman and I\] both gave the same advice, and when the economy was going down, we gave… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-samuelson/when-the-economy-was-going-up-milton-friedman-and-i-both-gave-the/) [Paul Samuelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-samuelson/) > [Even as I pursued a doctorate in the history of ideas in my native Denmark, I realized I had neither the encyclopedic training nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-fortier/even-as-i-pursued-a-doctorate-in-the-history-of-ideas-in-my-native/) [Anne Fortier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-fortier/) ## More by Adam Davidson > [The so-called skills gap is really a gap in education, and that affects all of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-davidson/the-so-called-skills-gap-is-really-a-gap-in-education-and-that/) [Adam Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-davidson/) > [The America that I think most Americans would want, most economists on the right or left would want, is one in which a smart,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-davidson/the-america-that-i-think-most-americans-would-want-most-economists-on/) [Adam Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-davidson/) > [The idea of confidence, of the emotions of the population, is an incredibly important one in economics. John Maynard Keynes called it 'animal spirit.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-davidson/the-idea-of-confidence-of-the-emotions-of-the-population-is-an/) [Adam Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-davidson/) > [Like a bottle of wine or a promising college quarterback turning pro, C.E.O.'s are similar to what economists call experience goods: you commit to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-davidson/like-a-bottle-of-wine-or-a-promising-college-quarterback-turning-pro/) [Adam Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-davidson/) > ['Reinventing the Bazaar,' by John McMillan, is a great and fun introduction to the wild variety and importance of markets throughout history and around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-davidson/reinventing-the-bazaar-by-john-mcmillan-is-a-great-and-fun/) [Adam Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-davidson/) > [Most rich countries have reported increases in happiness as they become richer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-davidson/most-rich-countries-have-reported-increases-in-happiness-as-they/) [Adam Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-davidson/) > [I'm not the first to admit that raising a child in Park Slope, Brooklyn, can bear an embarrassing resemblance to the TV show 'Portlandia.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-davidson/i-m-not-the-first-to-admit-that-raising-a-child-in-park-slope/) [Adam Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-davidson/) > [Happiness statistics may be most valuable in smaller, local discussions. Understanding how different sorts of programs affect the well-being of citizens would be enormously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-davidson/happiness-statistics-may-be-most-valuable-in-smaller-local/) [Adam Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-davidson/) > [Economics is all about consumption. People either spend money now or they use financial instruments - like bonds, stocks and savings accounts - so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-davidson/economics-is-all-about-consumption-people-either-spend-money-now-or/) [Adam Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-davidson/) > [It makes me happy to think that this world of art-as-investment is a minuscule fraction of the art world overall. Most people who create,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-davidson/it-makes-me-happy-to-think-that-this-world-of-art-as-investment-is-a/) [Adam Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-davidson/) > [There is such a polarized discussion of economics among people like analysts, columnists, bloggers; often, they end up just saying that views other than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-davidson/there-is-such-a-polarized-discussion-of-economics-among-people-like/) [Adam Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-davidson/) > [In poor countries, the rich and powerful crush the poor and powerless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-davidson/in-poor-countries-the-rich-and-powerful-crush-the-poor-and-powerless/) [Adam Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-davidson/) > [We can fight over what the taxation levels should be, but the tax system should be very, very simple and not distortionary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-davidson/we-can-fight-over-what-the-taxation-levels-should-be-but-the-tax/) [Adam Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-davidson/) > [Much of what we consider the American way of life is rooted in the period of remarkably broad, shared economic growth, from around 1900…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-davidson/much-of-what-we-consider-the-american-way-of-life-is-rooted-in-the/) [Adam Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-davidson/) > [Art is often valuable precisely because it isn't a sensible way to make money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-davidson/art-is-often-valuable-precisely-because-it-isn-t-a-sensible-way-to/) [Adam Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-davidson/) [Explore all 46 Adam Davidson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-davidson/) ## More 20th century quotes > [I think the inhabitants of the past are fighting hard to keep the rents they acquired in the 20th century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bennet/i-think-the-inhabitants-of-the-past-are-fighting-hard-to-keep-the/) [Michael Bennet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bennet/) > [Corporate America is a 20th-century dinosaur, trembling on the edge of extinction, and the only way for you to have a genuinely secure future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/corporate-america-is-a-20th-century-dinosaur-trembling-on-the-edge-of/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [America thrived in the 20th century because we made high school free. We sent a generation to college. We cultivated the most educated workforce…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/america-thrived-in-the-20th-century-because-we-made-high-school-free/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The 20th century has been marked by cynicism, selfishness, greed, and the desire to please, all without changing the status quo. In the 21st…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scar-arias/the-20th-century-has-been-marked-by-cynicism-selfishness-greed-and/) [Óscar Arias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scar-arias/) > [I've studied the lives of the 20th century's great businessmen and concluded self-confidence was instrumental in all their success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-spanos/i-ve-studied-the-lives-of-the-20th-century-s-great-businessmen-and/) [Alex Spanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-spanos/) > [Universal literacy was a 20th-century goal. Before then, reading and writing were skills largely confined to a small, highly educated class of professional people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/universal-literacy-was-a-20th-century-goal-before-then-reading-and/) [Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/) > [The great wars of the 20th Century made it into the worst Century ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-ambrose/the-great-wars-of-the-20th-century-made-it-into-the-worst-century-ever/) [Stephen Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-ambrose/) > [That is very different from how it used to be in the 20th century. Media was very one way. There's a small little industry.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/that-is-very-different-from-how-it-used-to-be-in-the-20th-century/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [If you look back on the history of the 20th century, the 19th century or even to the ancien régime of the 18th, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/if-you-look-back-on-the-history-of-the-20th-century-the-19th-century/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [Up to the 20th century, we can say that this whole period was an Earth epoch, 'Earth' meaning the riches of the earth, simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lech-walesa/up-to-the-20th-century-we-can-say-that-this-whole-period-was-an-earth/) [Lech Walesa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lech-walesa/) > [I think this century more than any other really has seen the phenomenon of people being uprooted in such numbers, such a degree. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/i-think-this-century-more-than-any-other-really-has-seen-the/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [If you look at that incredible burst of fantastic characters that emerged in the late 19th century/early 20th century, you can see so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/if-you-look-at-that-incredible-burst-of-fantastic-characters-that/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) > [Cruel and paradoxical though it undoubtedly is, the record shows that yje most succesful 20th century monarchs have been those who were not actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cannadine/cruel-and-paradoxical-though-it-undoubtedly-is-the-record-shows-that/) [David Cannadine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cannadine/) > [An interesting thing about New Zealand, you know, literature is that it really didn't begin in any real sense until the 20th century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-catton/an-interesting-thing-about-new-zealand-you-know-literature-is-that-it/) [Eleanor Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-catton/) > [The Warmth of Other Suns is a sweeping and yet deeply personal tale of America's hidden 20th century history - the long and difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/the-warmth-of-other-suns-is-a-sweeping-and-yet-deeply-personal-tale/) [Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/) [Browse all 672 20th century quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/20th-century/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't think that much change comes from economists. 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