--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The market is a mechanism for sorting the…" description: "\"The market is a mechanism for sorting the efficient from the inefficient, it is not a substitute for responsibility.\" — Charles Handy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e17/charles-handy-14423_efficient_the-market-is-a-mechanism-for-sorting-th_2566044.png" --- # The market is a mechanism for sorting the efficient from… ![“The market is a mechanism for sorting the efficient from the inefficient, it is not a substitute for responsibility.” quote by Charles Handy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e17/charles-handy-14423_efficient_the-market-is-a-mechanism-for-sorting-th_2566044.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e17/charles-handy-14423_efficient_the-market-is-a-mechanism-for-sorting-th_2566044.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e17/charles-handy-14423_efficient_the-market-is-a-mechanism-for-sorting-th_2566044.png) > “The market is a mechanism for sorting the efficient from the inefficient, it is not a substitute for responsibility.” [Charles Handy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-handy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Markets rank participants by efficiency but do not replace personal accountability. **In simple terms:** Markets sort efficiency, not responsibility. Key Takeaway Remember responsibility alongside market decisions. Themes economics responsibility efficiency Mood analytical critical Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - business strategy - investment decisions - policy making - personal finance Key Concepts Market mechanisms Moral accountability Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance market signals with personal ethics? - What responsibilities persist despite market outcomes? A Different Perspective Markets cannot enforce ethical behavior without personal commitment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Efficient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/efficient/) [Efficient Inefficient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/efficient-inefficient-1649302/) [Inefficient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inefficient/) [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [Market](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/market/) [Market Mechanism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/market-mechanism-1649301/) [Mechanism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mechanism/) [Productivity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/productivity/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Sorting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorting/) [Substitutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/substitutes/) ## Related quotes > [Market fundamentalists recognize that the role of the state in the economy is always disruptive, inefficient, and generally has negative connotations. 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She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-haven-t-been-sorting-through-each-and-every-aspect-of-this-here-s/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Any fool can bomb a train, but just try sorting out the mess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/any-fool-can-bomb-a-train-but-just-try-sorting-out-the-mess/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [In terms of talking about what our politics has become, it now seems as if Barack Obama is starting to stand outside of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-borger/in-terms-of-talking-about-what-our-politics-has-become-it-now-seems/) [Gloria Borger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-borger/) > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) ## More by Charles Handy > [The sobering thought is that individuals and societies are not, in the end, remembered for how they made their money, but for how they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-handy/the-sobering-thought-is-that-individuals-and-societies-are-not-in-the/) [Charles Handy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-handy/) > [Passion is born of vague hopes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-handy/passion-is-born-of-vague-hopes/) [Charles Handy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-handy/) > [To learn anything other than the stuff you find in books, you need to be able to experiment, to make mistakes, to accept feedback,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-handy/to-learn-anything-other-than-the-stuff-you-find-in-books-you-need-to/) [Charles Handy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-handy/) > [Life can only be understood backwards but you have to live it forward. 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There are always obstacles and competitors. There is never an open road, except the wide road that leads to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kirubi/business-is-always-a-struggle-there-are-always-obstacles-and/) [Chris Kirubi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kirubi/) > [The governments are seen to be less effective than they used to be. The private sector is perceived as being so much more efficient,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-robinson/the-governments-are-seen-to-be-less-effective-than-they-used-to-be/) [Mary Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-robinson/) > [I think there's confusion around what the point of social networks is. 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You're experiencing an adrenaline rush that gives you extra energy. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/ever-notice-how-your-senses-are-heightened-when-you-are-in/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) [Browse all 847 Efficient quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/efficient/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The market is a mechanism for sorting the efficient from the inefficient, it is not a substitute for responsibility.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Charles Handy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-handy/the-market-is-a-mechanism-for-sorting-the-efficient-from-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Efficient" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-handy/the-market-is-a-mechanism-for-sorting-the-efficient-from-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e17/charles-handy-14423_efficient_the-market-is-a-mechanism-for-sorting-th_2566044.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e17/charles-handy-14423_efficient_the-market-is-a-mechanism-for-sorting-th_2566044.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e17/charles-handy-14423_efficient_the-market-is-a-mechanism-for-sorting-th_2566044.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The market is a mechanism for sorting the efficient from the inefficient, it is not a substitute for…” — Charles Handy", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "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": "Charles Handy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-handy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The market is a mechanism for...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-handy/the-market-is-a-mechanism-for-sorting-the-efficient-from-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-handy/the-market-is-a-mechanism-for-sorting-the-efficient-from-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@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 } } ] } ```