---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Up until the Depression, recession had a…"
description: "\"Up until the Depression, recession had a moral character: it was supposed to purge the body economic of the greed and excess that attends a business ex..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34c/james-buchan-9717_body_up-until-the-depression-recession-had-a_1216836.png"
---

#  Up until the Depression, recession had a moral character…

![“Up until the Depression, recession had a moral character: it was supposed to purge the body economic of the greed and excess that attends a business expansion.” quote by James Buchan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34c/james-buchan-9717_body_up-until-the-depression-recession-had-a_1216836.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34c/james-buchan-9717_body_up-until-the-depression-recession-had-a_1216836.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34c/james-buchan-9717_body_up-until-the-depression-recession-had-a_1216836.png)

> “Up until the Depression, recession had a moral character: it was supposed to purge the body economic of the greed and excess that attends a business expansion.”

[James Buchan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-buchan/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Depression was viewed as a moral cleanse, removing greed and excess from the economy.

**In simple terms:** Depression seen as moral purge.

Key Takeaway

Recognize moral narratives in economic crises.

Themes

economics morality history

Mood

reflective critical

Type

analytical historical

When to use this quote

- Policy analysis
- financial journalism
- academic study

Key Concepts

Moral economy purge excess

Questions to Reflect On

- How does framing recession as moral affect policy?
- Can moral judgments hinder objective analysis?

A Different Perspective

Such narratives can oversimplify complex causes and blame victims.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Depression Recession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depression-recession-3711724/) [Economic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economic/) [Economic Greed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economic-greed-3711723/) [Excess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excess/) [Expansion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expansion/) [Greed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greed/) [Greed Excess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greed-excess-3711725/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Moral character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral-character/) [Recession Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recession-moral-3711722/)

## Related quotes

> [They always say that the entertainment and restaurant industries are the only businesses that don't sink during a depression or a recession. I've done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cornell/they-always-say-that-the-entertainment-and-restaurant-industries-are/)

[Chris Cornell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cornell/)

> [If our leaders are to enjoy the trappings of their position in the hierarchy, then we expect them to offer us protection. The problem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sinek/if-our-leaders-are-to-enjoy-the-trappings-of-their-position-in-the/)

[Simon Sinek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sinek/)

> [We lost our way and allowed greed and excess to become the twin pillars of too much of the financial culture. We became a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/we-lost-our-way-and-allowed-greed-and-excess-to-become-the-twin/)

[Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/)

> [We're so obsessed with, 'Is Michael Cohen going to jail or not? Is Rod Rosenstein going to be fired? What did Trump tweet today?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pfeiffer/we-re-so-obsessed-with-is-michael-cohen-going-to-jail-or-not-is-rod/)

[Daniel Pfeiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pfeiffer/)

> [Humor is not an unconditional virtue; its moral character depends on its object. To laugh at the contemptible, is a virtue; to laugh at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/humor-is-not-an-unconditional-virtue-its-moral-character-depends-on/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [“Government is nothing more than the combined force of society or the united power of the multitude for the peace, order, safety, good, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/government-is-nothing-more-than-the-combined-force-of-society-or-the/)

[David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/)

> [For my own part, I wish the bald eagle had not been chosen the representative of our country. He is a bird of bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/for-my-own-part-i-wish-the-bald-eagle-had-not-been-chosen-the/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [ “Not only is \[a mother\] entrusted with the guardianship of the intellect and character of the world's statesmen and philosophers, but her gentle presence,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-e-sargent/not-only-is-a-mother-entrusted-with-the-guardianship-of-the-intellect/)

[C.E. Sargent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-e-sargent/)

> [It is fairly easy to grasp abstract moral principles; it can be very difficult to apply them to a given situation, particularly when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/it-is-fairly-easy-to-grasp-abstract-moral-principles-it-can-be-very/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [The fact is that in my prep school, I went to a boarding school, 39 young men graduated from that prep school. Five years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/the-fact-is-that-in-my-prep-school-i-went-to-a-boarding-school-39/)

[Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/)

> [“First, the Bible says that an elder must be of irreproachable moral character and capable in the use of Scripture because he is “God’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-strauch/first-the-bible-says-that-an-elder-must-be-of-irreproachable-moral/)

[Alexander Strauch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-strauch/)

> [Depth and strength of a human character are defined by its moral reserves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/depth-and-strength-of-a-human-character-are-defined-by-its-moral/)

[Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/)

> [Remember this, and remember this well: when someone is telling the TRUTH and exposing information that is meant to be hidden from the masses,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/remember-this-and-remember-this-well-when-someone-is-telling-the/)

[Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/)

> [People reveal themselves completely only when they are thrown out of the customary conditions of their life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/people-reveal-themselves-completely-only-when-they-are-thrown-out-of/)

[Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/)

> [“Daughter! Get you an honest Man for a Husband, and keep him honest. No matter whether he is rich, provided he be independent. Regard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/daughter-get-you-an-honest-man-for-a-husband-and-keep-him-honest-no/)

[John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/)

## More by James Buchan

> [The prevailing ideology of the modern west - which is political economy - is in the doghouse. Having failed to notice atmospheric pollution, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buchan/the-prevailing-ideology-of-the-modern-west-which-is-political-economy/)

[James Buchan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-buchan/)

> [For 50 years, nuclear power stations have produced three products which only a lunatic could want: bomb-explosive plutonium, lethal radioactive waste and electricity so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buchan/for-50-years-nuclear-power-stations-have-produced-three-products/)

[James Buchan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-buchan/)

> [Europe and North America, we are told, are less dependent on energy-intensive heavy industry than in the 1960s and 1970s. It seems we squeeze…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buchan/europe-and-north-america-we-are-told-are-less-dependent-on-energy/)

[James Buchan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-buchan/)

> [Economists, like royal children, are not punished for their errors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buchan/economists-like-royal-children-are-not-punished-for-their-errors/)

[James Buchan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-buchan/)

> [In falling markets, there is nothing that has not happened before. The bear or pessimist sees only the past, which imprisons the wretched financial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buchan/in-falling-markets-there-is-nothing-that-has-not-happened-before-the/)

[James Buchan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-buchan/)

> [The world dominion of western thought, forms of organisation, technology and military force is not God-given, nor eternal, nor greatly appreciated by the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buchan/the-world-dominion-of-western-thought-forms-of-organisation/)

[James Buchan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-buchan/)

> [Whatever else it was, Adolf Hitler's short-lived regime was also a colossal industrial process by which the wealth and productive power of much of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buchan/whatever-else-it-was-adolf-hitler-s-short-lived-regime-was-also-a/)

[James Buchan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-buchan/)

> [Ever since the destruction of Baghdad by the Mongols in 1258, the Muslim world has been in slow decline relative to the west. With…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buchan/ever-since-the-destruction-of-baghdad-by-the-mongols-in-1258-the/)

[James Buchan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-buchan/)

> [“My wages came to me not to satisfy any need-- mine were anyway private, affectionate, atrocious-- but to make my needs universal: to incorporate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buchan/my-wages-came-to-me-not-to-satisfy-any-need-mine-were-anyway-private/)

[James Buchan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-buchan/)

> [For all their current prestige, Osama bin Laden and the suicide bombers are still regarded in all but the most desperate districts of Gaza…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buchan/for-all-their-current-prestige-osama-bin-laden-and-the-suicide/)

[James Buchan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-buchan/)

> [Almost all novels are improved by cutting from the top. On their first pages, authors parade those favourite effects which disgust the impartial reader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buchan/almost-all-novels-are-improved-by-cutting-from-the-top-on-their-first/)

[James Buchan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-buchan/)

> [Profits in business always depend on the rate of interest: the higher the interest, the higher the rate of profit required.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buchan/profits-in-business-always-depend-on-the-rate-of-interest-the-higher/)

[James Buchan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-buchan/)

> [Cause and effect, the riddle of all history, is a particular devil in financial history; and never more so than today, where entire classes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buchan/cause-and-effect-the-riddle-of-all-history-is-a-particular-devil-in/)

[James Buchan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-buchan/)

> [Rarely in modern times has there been such a revolution in commercial sentiment as occurred in 2008, or such a display in government and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buchan/rarely-in-modern-times-has-there-been-such-a-revolution-in-commercial/)

[James Buchan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-buchan/)

> [Osama bin Laden, the Saudi-born revolutionary who is believed by most Arab and Iranian observers to be the inspiration of the attacks in New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buchan/osama-bin-laden-the-saudi-born-revolutionary-who-is-believed-by-most/)

[James Buchan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-buchan/)

[Explore all 70 James Buchan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-buchan/)

## More Body quotes

> [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/)

[Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/)

> [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/)

[Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/)

> [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/)

[Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/)

> [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/)

[Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/)

> [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/)

[Jennifer Siebel Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-siebel-newsom/)

> [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/)

[Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/)

[Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/)

> [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/)

[Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/)

> [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/)

[Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/)

> [If japa is maintained, no useless talk during work will be possible. The mind will always remain peaceful. Modern day diseases are mostly psychosomatic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/if-japa-is-maintained-no-useless-talk-during-work-will-be-possible/)

[Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/)

> [It is the incongruous thing in my entire life, this isolation.. ... My work requires it - but I myself have no need or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/it-is-the-incongruous-thing-in-my-entire-life-this-isolation-my-work/)

[Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/)

> [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

[Browse all 20,814 Body quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Up until the Depression, recession had a moral character: it was supposed to purge the body economic of the greed and excess that attends a business expansion.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "James Buchan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buchan/up-until-the-depression-recession-had-a-moral-character-it-was/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Body"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buchan/up-until-the-depression-recession-had-a-moral-character-it-was/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34c/james-buchan-9717_body_up-until-the-depression-recession-had-a_1216836.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34c/james-buchan-9717_body_up-until-the-depression-recession-had-a_1216836.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34c/james-buchan-9717_body_up-until-the-depression-recession-had-a_1216836.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Up until the Depression, recession had a moral character: it was supposed to purge the body economic of the…” — James Buchan",
                "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": "James Buchan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-buchan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Up until the Depression, recession had...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buchan/up-until-the-depression-recession-had-a-moral-character-it-was/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buchan/up-until-the-depression-recession-had-a-moral-character-it-was/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
