--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is no such thing as a free market." description: "\"There is no such thing as a free market.\" — Ha-Joon Chang" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/043/ha-joon-chang-3497_capitalism_there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-free-market_2098689.png" --- # There is no such thing as a free market. ![“There is no such thing as a free market.” quote by Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/043/ha-joon-chang-3497_capitalism_there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-free-market_2098689.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/043/ha-joon-chang-3497_capitalism_there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-free-market_2098689.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/043/ha-joon-chang-3497_capitalism_there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-free-market_2098689.png) > “There is no such thing as a free market.” [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The concept of a completely free market is a myth; all markets involve some regulation or intervention. **In simple terms:** Free markets don’t exist. Key Takeaway Recognize market constraints. Themes economics policy market theory Mood analytical critical Type economic philosophical When to use this quote - government policy - business strategy - public debate Key Concepts regulation intervention economic reality Questions to Reflect On - What role should government play in markets? - How do regulations affect innovation? A Different Perspective Some argue minimal regulation can approximate freedom. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Capitalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capitalism/) [Free](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free/) [Free market](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-market/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Market](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/market/) [Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing/) [Thing Free](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing-free-493233/) ## Related quotes > [“There’s no such thing as a free market. It’s all fixed one way or another.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-foner/there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-free-market-it-s-all-fixed-one-way-or/) [E.M. Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-foner/) > [Every market has some rules and boundaries that restrict freedom of choice. A market looks free only because we so unconditionally accept its underlying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/every-market-has-some-rules-and-boundaries-that-restrict-freedom-of/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [I've read quite a few readers' reviews of my book on Amazon, saying, 'Ah, he criticises the free market, he advocates central planning.' 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Cleary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-p-cleary/) > [The only thing that can free you is the belief that you can be free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/the-only-thing-that-can-free-you-is-the-belief-that-you-can-be-free/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [Only that thing is free which exists by the necessities of its own nature, and is determined in its actions by itself alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baruch-spinoza/only-that-thing-is-free-which-exists-by-the-necessities-of-its-own/) [Baruch Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baruch-spinoza/) > [Love is the only thing free unless you're paying a pimp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hb/love-is-the-only-thing-free-unless-you-re-paying-a-pimp/) [Hb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hb/) ## More by Ha-Joon Chang > [“In no country does the average income give the right picture of how people live but in a country with higher inequality it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/in-no-country-does-the-average-income-give-the-right-picture-of-how/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [Sometimes people with strong ideology, whether left-wing or right-wing, refuse to do something simply because they believe it is wrong, when doing it actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/sometimes-people-with-strong-ideology-whether-left-wing-or-right-wing/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [Every market has some rules and boundaries that restrict freedom of choice. 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I want capitalism to work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/i-m-not-an-anti-capitalist-or-anarchist-i-want-capitalism-to-work/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [“all technical professions have an incentive to make themselves look more complicated than they really are so that they can justify the high fees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/all-technical-professions-have-an-incentive-to-make-themselves-look/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) [Explore all 129 Ha-Joon Chang quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) ## More Capitalism quotes > [Don't let's lose sight of what creates wealth. 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Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [ Neither Italian fascism nor German national "socialism" have anything in common with such a \[Soviet socialistic\] society, primarily because private ownership of factories, plants,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/neither-italian-fascism-nor-german-national-socialism-have-anything/) [Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/) > [Corporations have nothing to do with values, and they know it, and sometimes say it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kierans/corporations-have-nothing-to-do-with-values-and-they-know-it-and/) [Eric Kierans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kierans/) > [Both fact and logic seem to me to support the view that savings invested in privately owned economic tools of production amount to an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-a-harper/both-fact-and-logic-seem-to-me-to-support-the-view-that-savings/) [F. A. Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-a-harper/) > [The free market is ugly and stupid, like going to the mall; the unfree market is just as ugly and just as stupid, except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-free-market-is-ugly-and-stupid-like-going-to-the-mall-the-unfree/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Capitalism, communism ... it's all garbage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mstislav-rostropovich/capitalism-communism-it-s-all-garbage/) [Mstislav Rostropovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mstislav-rostropovich/) > [There are no two countries with the same style of economic mechanism, with the same capitalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatoly-chubais/there-are-no-two-countries-with-the-same-style-of-economic-mechanism/) [Anatoly Chubais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatoly-chubais/) > [It is more than a little ironic that "capital accumulation" once a rather tendentious Marxian view of a supposed capitalist obsession, should have become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kuttner/it-is-more-than-a-little-ironic-that-capital-accumulation-once-a/) [Robert Kuttner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kuttner/) > [Historically, usury was defined as any interest whatever on an unproductive loan.Our whole banking system I have ever abhorred, I continue to abhor, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/historically-usury-was-defined-as-any-interest-whatever-on-an/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [Socialism is humanity's second nature. 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