--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When Americans think of college these…" description: "\"When Americans think of college these days, the first word that often comes to mind is 'debt.' And from 'debt' it's just a short hop to other unpleasan..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aee/james-surowiecki-2196_bribery_when-americans-think-of-college-these-da_1402296.png" --- # When Americans think of college these days, the first word… ![“When Americans think of college these days, the first word that often comes to mind is 'debt.' And from 'debt' it's just a short hop to other unpleasant words, like 'payola,' 'kickback,' and 'bribery.'” quote by James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aee/james-surowiecki-2196_bribery_when-americans-think-of-college-these-da_1402296.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aee/james-surowiecki-2196_bribery_when-americans-think-of-college-these-da_1402296.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aee/james-surowiecki-2196_bribery_when-americans-think-of-college-these-da_1402296.png) > “When Americans think of college these days, the first word that often comes to mind is 'debt.' And from 'debt' it's just a short hop to other unpleasant words, like 'payola,' 'kickback,' and 'bribery.'” [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. College is increasingly seen as a financial burden, linking education to corruption and exploitation in public perception. **In simple terms:** College feels like debt and corruption. Key Takeaway Recognize and address systemic costs. Themes education economics corruption public perception Mood cynical critical Type social commentary political When to use this quote - student loans - policy reform - financial literacy - activism - media critique Key Concepts financial burden systemic inequality trust erosion Questions to Reflect On - How does debt shape your view of education? - What reforms could reduce financial strain? A Different Perspective The quote may overgeneralize and ignore positive aspects of higher education. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bribery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bribery/) [College](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college/) [College days](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college-days/) [Corruption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corruption/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [“Ths visions of the mind have a debt to reality that it is hard to get the mind to pay when it is under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/ths-visions-of-the-mind-have-a-debt-to-reality-that-it-is-hard-to-get/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [Pain and sorrow and misery have a right to our assistance: compassion puts us in mind of the debt, and that we owe it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-butler/pain-and-sorrow-and-misery-have-a-right-to-our-assistance-compassion/) [Joseph Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-butler/) > [Be assured that it gives much more pain to the mind to be in debt, than to do without any article whatever which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/be-assured-that-it-gives-much-more-pain-to-the-mind-to-be-in-debt/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Until the nineteen-seventies, Western countries paid little attention to corruption overseas, and bribery was seen as an unpleasant but necessary part of doing business…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/until-the-nineteen-seventies-western-countries-paid-little-attention/) [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) > [If someone really wants my company's business, why shouldn't he be able to do everything he can - including paying me off - to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/if-someone-really-wants-my-company-s-business-why-shouldn-t-he-be/) [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) > [Even if you feel like your debt is just never going to go away, think long and hard before declaring bankruptcy. Declaring bankruptcy means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexa-von-tobel/even-if-you-feel-like-your-debt-is-just-never-going-to-go-away-think/) [Alexa Von Tobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexa-von-tobel/) > [What is debt anyway? A debt is just the perversion of a promise. It is a promise corrupted by both math and violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/what-is-debt-anyway-a-debt-is-just-the-perversion-of-a-promise-it-is/) [David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/) > [Yes, it is long past time we get serious about tackling the nation's ever-growing deficits. But the average American family drawn into serious debt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-welch/yes-it-is-long-past-time-we-get-serious-about-tackling-the-nation-s/) [Peter Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-welch/) > [A debt ... is just an exchange that has not been brought to completion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/a-debt-is-just-an-exchange-that-has-not-been-brought-to-completion/) [David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/) > [Refinancing doesn't reduce your debt, it just restructures it, so be clear about what you want to achieve with a refi.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-corcoran/refinancing-doesn-t-reduce-your-debt-it-just-restructures-it-so-be/) [Barbara Corcoran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-corcoran/) > [“The debt we owe our parents can never be squared, and jolly good too, because doing so would threaten to nullify all relationship, all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rowland-smith/the-debt-we-owe-our-parents-can-never-be-squared-and-jolly-good-too/) [Robert Rowland Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rowland-smith/) > [Debt is not just a money thing. It's about owing and being owed. Money is just one thing you can exchange. You can exchange…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/debt-is-not-just-a-money-thing-it-s-about-owing-and-being-owed-money/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Thousands of Ohio families are going deeper and deeper in debt just trying to pay their heating bills, fill prescriptions, and buy groceries. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrod-brown/thousands-of-ohio-families-are-going-deeper-and-deeper-in-debt-just/) [Sherrod Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrod-brown/) > [Love is free in this world, so do not let it become debt just evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meicee/love-is-free-in-this-world-so-do-not-let-it-become-debt-just-evil/) Meicee > [A debt is just as hard for a Government to pay as it is for an individual. No debt ever comes due at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/a-debt-is-just-as-hard-for-a-government-to-pay-as-it-is-for-an/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) ## More by James Surowiecki > [Lack of confidence, sometimes alternating with unrealistic dreams of heroic success, often leads to procrastination, and many studies suggest that procrastinators are self-handicappers: rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/lack-of-confidence-sometimes-alternating-with-unrealistic-dreams-of/) [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) > [Downsizing itself is an inevitable part of any creatively destructive economy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/downsizing-itself-is-an-inevitable-part-of-any-creatively-destructive/) [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) > [In the business world, bad news is usually good news - for somebody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/in-the-business-world-bad-news-is-usually-good-news-for-somebody-else/) [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) > [You might think of consumption as a fairly passive activity, but buying new products and services is actually pretty risky, at least if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/you-might-think-of-consumption-as-a-fairly-passive-activity-but/) [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) > [Corporations hope that the right concept will turn things around overnight. 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It was caused by the fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/the-financial-crisis-of-2008-was-not-caused-by-investment-banks/) [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) > [A consumer-finance agency is a good thing, but it would do well to teach consumers a simple lesson: if you don't understand the deal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/a-consumer-finance-agency-is-a-good-thing-but-it-would-do-well-to/) [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) > [What corporations fear is the phenomenon now known, rather inelegantly, as 'commoditization.' What the term means is simply the conversion of the market for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/what-corporations-fear-is-the-phenomenon-now-known-rather-inelegantly/) [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) > [Making loans and fighting poverty are normally two of the least glamorous pursuits around, but put the two together and you have an economic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/making-loans-and-fighting-poverty-are-normally-two-of-the-least/) [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) > [Unfortunately, there is something of a flaw in this idealized picture of the way the scientific community discovers truth. And the flaw is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/unfortunately-there-is-something-of-a-flaw-in-this-idealized-picture/) [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) > [Markets work best when there's lots of information available and a historical track record to go on; they excel at predicting things like horse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/markets-work-best-when-there-s-lots-of-information-available-and-a/) [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) > [The profit motive, indecorous though it may seem, may represent the best chance the poor have to reap some of globalization's benefits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/the-profit-motive-indecorous-though-it-may-seem-may-represent-the/) [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) [Explore all 180 James Surowiecki quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) ## More Bribery quotes > [In the last few years, the very idea of telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth is dredged up only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-musto/in-the-last-few-years-the-very-idea-of-telling-the-truth-the-whole/) [Michael Musto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-musto/) > [“What did “good government” really mean? Langlie and his brotherhood promised an end to political corruption. (There’s no evidence that Langlie ever even took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-sharlet/what-did-good-government-really-mean-langlie-and-his-brotherhood/) [Jeff Sharlet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-sharlet/) > [They have seized upon the government by bribery and corruption. They have made speculation and public robbery a science. They have loaded the nation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-kearney/they-have-seized-upon-the-government-by-bribery-and-corruption-they/) [Denis Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-kearney/) > [It was the BJP that betrayed me when one of its members made the Rs 150-crore bribery allegation against me without evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-kumaraswamy/it-was-the-bjp-that-betrayed-me-when-one-of-its-members-made-the-rs/) [H. D. Kumaraswamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-d-kumaraswamy/) > [Rather than let their product compete fully and fairly in the marketplace, FalconStor resorted to bribery and graft to win important contracts in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loretta-lynch/rather-than-let-their-product-compete-fully-and-fairly-in-the/) [Loretta Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loretta-lynch/) > [“Bribery quickly became an integral part of the Russian way of doing business, and the expense of buying a government official was considered the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-satter/bribery-quickly-became-an-integral-part-of-the-russian-way-of-doing/) David Satter > [Tis gold Which buys admittance--oft it doth--yea, and makes Diana's rangers false themselves, yield up This deer to th' stand o' th' stealer: and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/tis-gold-which-buys-admittance-oft-it-doth-yea-and-makes-diana-s/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [We meant to temporarily disable her," Ian said. "Just a drop. But Natalie slipped during air turbulence. Before we could warn your nose-ringed nanny,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lerangis/we-meant-to-temporarily-disable-her-ian-said-just-a-drop-but-natalie/) [Peter Lerangis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lerangis/) > [Laws are a fine thing on paper, but painful when no bribery can ease their bind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/laws-are-a-fine-thing-on-paper-but-painful-when-no-bribery-can-ease/) [Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/) > [“You have fallen badly, señor gringo. Bribery is a very serious crime in this country. You will have to pay.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-have-fallen-badly-se-or-gringo-bribery-is-a-very-serious-crime-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A government with all this mass of favours to give or to withhold, however free in name, wields a power of bribery scarcely surpassed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-government-with-all-this-mass-of-favours-to-give-or-to-withhold/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To the goats, all people are equal, except for those who have treats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-tidbeck/to-the-goats-all-people-are-equal-except-for-those-who-have-treats/) [Karin Tidbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-tidbeck/) > [Petitions, not sweetened with gold, are but unsavory and oft refused; or, if received, are pocketed, not read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-massinger/petitions-not-sweetened-with-gold-are-but-unsavory-and-oft-refused-or/) [Philip Massinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-massinger/) > [If a politician takes a bribe to do what he thinks would have been best for the public anyway, he still goes to jail.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-t-conway-iii/if-a-politician-takes-a-bribe-to-do-what-he-thinks-would-have-been/) [George T. 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