Charles Wheelan

“Several studies of thousands of British civil servants (the Whitehall studies) have found that workers who have little control over their jobs—meaning…

— Charles Wheelan

“We’ve built a society that values civil liberties even at the expense of social order.”

— Charles Wheelan

“Is the journey still worthwhile if the mountain turns out to be enshrouded in fog at the top?”

— Charles Wheelan

“Here is one of the most important things to remember when doing research that involves regression analysis: Try not to kill anyone.…

— Charles Wheelan

“During the twentieth century, communist governments killed some 100 million of their own people in peacetime, either by repression or by famine.”

— Charles Wheelan

“Most economists would concede that, in theory, government has the tools to smooth the business cycle. The problem is that fiscal policy…

— Charles Wheelan

“In a basic agricultural society, it's easy enough to swap five chickens for a new dress or to pay a schoolteacher with…

— Charles Wheelan

Being great involves luck, and unique circumstances, and a lot of other forces beyond your control. You can’t just make it happen…

— Charles Wheelan

“But it’s not perfect. The GPA does not reflect the difficulty of the courses that different students may have taken.”

— Charles Wheelan

Economics is like gravity: Ignore it and you will be in for some rude surprises.

— Charles Wheelan

“Recognize that your own motivation, ambition, and talents will determine your success more than the college name on your diploma.”8”

— Charles Wheelan

“When I applied to graduate school many years ago, I wrote an essay expressing my puzzlement at how a country that could…

— Charles Wheelan

“(Remember, human capital embodies not only classroom training but also perseverance, honesty, creativity—virtues that lend themselves to finding work.) Some”

— Charles Wheelan

Change is inevitable; but progress depends on what we do with that change.

— Charles Wheelan

“According to the American Lung Association, the average smoker dies seven years earlier than the average nonsmoker, which means that smokers pay…

— Charles Wheelan

“I have always had an uncomfortable relationship with math. I don’t like numbers for the sake of numbers. I am not impressed…

— Charles Wheelan

“At a time when we can split the atom, land on the moon, and decode the human genome, why do 2 billion…

— Charles Wheelan

“Descriptive statistics exist to simplify, which always implies some loss of nuance or detail.”

— Charles Wheelan

“A study in the American Journal of Public Health estimated that every $1 increase in the price of gasoline is associated with…

— Charles Wheelan

“The [Value at Risk model] was like a faulty speedometer, which is arguably worse than no speedometer at all. If you place…

— Charles Wheelan

“Maybe it's a stretch to blame a broader social pathology on hyper-competitive soccer parents. Still, there is not a huge downside to…

— Charles Wheelan

A market economy is to economics what democracy is to government: a decent, if flawed, choice among many bad alternatives.

— Charles Wheelan

Read obituaries. They are just like biographies, only shorter. They remind us that interesting, successful people rarely lead orderly, linear lives.

— Charles Wheelan

“Less obviously, concern for the environment is a luxury good. Wealthy Americans are willing to spend more money to protect the environment…

— Charles Wheelan

“Obituaries are just like biographies, only shorter. They remind us that interesting, successful people rarely lead orderly, linear lives. I defy you…

— Charles Wheelan