--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I came to a stark realization: chronic…" description: "\"I came to a stark realization: chronic surpluses could be almost as destabilizing as chronic deficits.\" — Alan Greenspan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d90/alan-greenspan-1834_deficit_i-came-to-a-stark-realization-chronic-su_1208027.png" --- # I came to a stark realization: chronic surpluses could be… ![“I came to a stark realization: chronic surpluses could be almost as destabilizing as chronic deficits.” quote by Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d90/alan-greenspan-1834_deficit_i-came-to-a-stark-realization-chronic-su_1208027.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d90/alan-greenspan-1834_deficit_i-came-to-a-stark-realization-chronic-su_1208027.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d90/alan-greenspan-1834_deficit_i-came-to-a-stark-realization-chronic-su_1208027.png) > “I came to a stark realization: chronic surpluses could be almost as destabilizing as chronic deficits.” [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Both persistent surpluses and deficits can destabilize economies; balance is crucial. **In simple terms:** Excessive surplus can be as harmful as deficit. Key Takeaway Seek fiscal equilibrium. Themes economics balance policy stability Mood analytical cautious Type economic policy When to use this quote - government budgeting - corporate finance - personal savings Key Concepts macroeconomics fiscal theory Questions to Reflect On - What causes chronic surpluses? - How to adjust policy without harming growth? A Different Perspective Surpluses may hide structural problems. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Realization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realization/) [Taxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taxes/) ## Related quotes > [Chronic deficits drastically reduce government's ability to make those infrastructure investments that business needs to grow and create jobs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/chronic-deficits-drastically-reduce-government-s-ability-to-make/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What works for Germany can't work for the rest of Europe: No country can run a chronic surplus without others running deficits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/what-works-for-germany-can-t-work-for-the-rest-of-europe-no-country/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [We developed during the 1990s a series of budget process rules that helped us bring to heel these deficits, diminishing every year and moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-spratt/we-developed-during-the-1990s-a-series-of-budget-process-rules-that/) [John Spratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-spratt/) > [At any moment there is certainly not balanced trade between the various areas of the habitable globe that happens to be under seperate national…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-robinson/at-any-moment-there-is-certainly-not-balanced-trade-between-the/) [Joan Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-robinson/) > [You can't blame the administration and the Republicans for taking us back to deficits, for spending the Social Security surplus and assaulting the environment.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/you-can-t-blame-the-administration-and-the-republicans-for-taking-us/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [At the outset of the creation of the euro in 1999, it was expected that the southern eurozone economies would behave like those in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/at-the-outset-of-the-creation-of-the-euro-in-1999-it-was-expected/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [I stated that I'm a libertarian Republican, which means I believe in a series of issues, such as smaller government, constraint on budget deficits,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/i-stated-that-i-m-a-libertarian-republican-which-means-i-believe-in-a/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [The tea party movement and its passion arose in response to trillion dollar deficits as far as the eye can see and out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-fleischer/the-tea-party-movement-and-its-passion-arose-in-response-to-trillion/) [Ari Fleischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-fleischer/) > [When we run these big trade deficits and send our jobs offshore, we hold our wages down and our income down. 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True, most of the benefits took years to unfold-rail freight rates, for example hardly budged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/it-s-hard-to-overemphasize-how-important-ford-s-deregulation-was-true/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) [Explore all 204 Alan Greenspan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) ## More Deficit quotes > [At times of recession, running a budget deficit is highly desirable. Once the economy begins to recover, you have to balance the budget. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/at-times-of-recession-running-a-budget-deficit-is-highly-desirable/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [There is a nationwide shortage of drugs for Attention Deficit Disorder. The FDA says they're not sure how it happened. 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It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/i-cannot-conceive-of-a-politically-feasible-solution-to-this-problem/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [The deficit crisis is real and must be addressed. But it cannot be solved on the backs of the weak and vulnerable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-deficit-crisis-is-real-and-must-be-addressed-but-it-cannot-be/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [You know, dramas are much more expensive to do than say a comedy, so any kind of deficit like that is picked up on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-guilfoyle/you-know-dramas-are-much-more-expensive-to-do-than-say-a-comedy-so/) [Paul Guilfoyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-guilfoyle/) > [The major cause for American Negroes intellectual and social deficits is hereditary and racially genetic in origin and thus not remedial to a major…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shockley/the-major-cause-for-american-negroes-intellectual-and-social-deficits/) [William Shockley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shockley/) > [Back in those days, in the fifties and sixties, countries had balance of payment's deficits or surpluses, those were reflected much more than today…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-c-solomon/back-in-those-days-in-the-fifties-and-sixties-countries-had-balance/) [Robert C. 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