---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As a general principle, the American…"
description: "\"As a general principle, the American people would be well served by the active pursuit of effective policies to support longer-run growth in productivi..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86a/janet-yellen-2828_american_as-a-general-principle-the-american-peop_744389.png"
---

#  As a general principle, the American people would be well…

![“As a general principle, the American people would be well served by the active pursuit of effective policies to support longer-run growth in productivity.” quote by Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86a/janet-yellen-2828_american_as-a-general-principle-the-american-peop_744389.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86a/janet-yellen-2828_american_as-a-general-principle-the-american-peop_744389.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86a/janet-yellen-2828_american_as-a-general-principle-the-american-peop_744389.png)

> “As a general principle, the American people would be well served by the active pursuit of effective policies to support longer-run growth in productivity.”

[Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/)

## About This Quote

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

She argues that actively shaping policies to boost long‑term productivity benefits the nation.

**In simple terms:** Proactive policy improves future productivity.

Key Takeaway

Support policies that enhance productivity growth.

Themes

economics policy growth

Mood

optimistic analytical

Type

prescriptive informative

When to use this quote

- government budgeting
- business strategy
- education reform
- infrastructure planning

Key Concepts

macroeconomics innovation investment

Questions to Reflect On

- What policies best raise productivity?
- How to balance short‑term costs with long‑term gains?

A Different Perspective

Political constraints can delay reforms.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[American people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-people/) [Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/) [Principle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principle/) [Productivity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/productivity/) [Support](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/support/)

## Related quotes

> [My advice would be, as you consider fiscal policies, to keep in mind and look carefully at the impact those policies are likely to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/my-advice-would-be-as-you-consider-fiscal-policies-to-keep-in-mind/)

[Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/)

> [What is a good enough principle for an American citizen ought to be good enough for the working man to follow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-is-a-good-enough-principle-for-an-american-citizen-ought-to-be/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [We must speed up the deployment of broadband in order to bring high-speed data services to homes and businesses. The spread of information technology…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-oxley/we-must-speed-up-the-deployment-of-broadband-in-order-to-bring-high/)

[Michael Oxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-oxley/)

> [Growth in productivity has diverged from growth in the share that working people can expect right across advanced economies, but this trend started earlier…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariana-mazzucato/growth-in-productivity-has-diverged-from-growth-in-the-share-that/)

[Mariana Mazzucato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariana-mazzucato/)

> [“It was because 'in 1776 our fathers retired the gods from politics.' The basic principle of the American Republic is the freedom of man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lewis/it-was-because-in-1776-our-fathers-retired-the-gods-from-politics-the/)

[Joseph Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lewis/)

> [Productivity and the growth of productivity must be the first economic consideration at all times, not the last. That is the source of technological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-e-simon/productivity-and-the-growth-of-productivity-must-be-the-first/)

[William E. Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-e-simon/)

> [“the greatest menace to freedom is an inert people; that public discussion is a political duty; and that this should be a fundamental principle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bader-ginsburg/the-greatest-menace-to-freedom-is-an-inert-people-that-public/)

[Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bader-ginsburg/)

> [“No matter how rich or poor we are, each of us gets twenty-four hours in a day. In order to consume YouTube, Facebook, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-brynjolfsson/no-matter-how-rich-or-poor-we-are-each-of-us-gets-twenty-four-hours/)

[Erik Brynjolfsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-brynjolfsson/)

> [A basic principle of American justice holds that a bad man has the same rights as a good man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-basic-principle-of-american-justice-holds-that-a-bad-man-has-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [What is good for my country is good for my party, Should my party abandon this principle, the American people will abandon us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/what-is-good-for-my-country-is-good-for-my-party-should-my-party/)

[John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/)

> [It is a general principle of human nature, that a man will be interested in whatever he possesses, in proportion to the firmness or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/it-is-a-general-principle-of-human-nature-that-a-man-will-be/)

[Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/)

> [Amid the pressure of great events, a general principle gives no help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/amid-the-pressure-of-great-events-a-general-principle-gives-no-help/)

[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/)

> [All that I desire to point out is the general principle that life imitates art far more than art imitates life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/all-that-i-desire-to-point-out-is-the-general-principle-that-life/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [A general principle for all user interface design is to go through all of your design elements and remove them one at a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/a-general-principle-for-all-user-interface-design-is-to-go-through/)

[Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/)

> [As a general principle, I should put it that a man's country is where the things he loves are most respected. Circumstances may have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-j-nock/as-a-general-principle-i-should-put-it-that-a-man-s-country-is-where/)

[Albert J. Nock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-j-nock/)

## More by Janet Yellen

> [Nationally, the share of mortgages that are underwater fell by about one-half between 2011 and 2014.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/nationally-the-share-of-mortgages-that-are-underwater-fell-by-about/)

[Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/)

> [Will capitalist economies operate at full employment in the absence of routine intervention? Certainly not. Are deviations from full employment a social problem? Obviously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/will-capitalist-economies-operate-at-full-employment-in-the-absence/)

[Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/)

> [Individuals out of work for an extended period can become less employable as they lose the specific skills acquired in their previous jobs and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/individuals-out-of-work-for-an-extended-period-can-become-less/)

[Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/)

> [For decades, the pace of technological change in manufacturing has outstripped that in the economy as a whole. And, so, firms - manufacturing firms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/for-decades-the-pace-of-technological-change-in-manufacturing-has/)

[Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/)

> [For my own part, I did not see and did not appreciate what the risks were with securitization, the credit ratings agencies, the shadow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/for-my-own-part-i-did-not-see-and-did-not-appreciate-what-the-risks/)

[Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/)

> [It's important for market participants to have a sense of how we think about the economy and the appropriate path of policy, to look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/it-s-important-for-market-participants-to-have-a-sense-of-how-we/)

[Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/)

> [If there is a job that you feel passionate about, do what you can to pursue that job; if there is a purpose about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/if-there-is-a-job-that-you-feel-passionate-about-do-what-you-can-to/)

[Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/)

> [Although we work through financial markets, our goal is to help Main Street, not Wall Street.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/although-we-work-through-financial-markets-our-goal-is-to-help-main/)

[Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/)

> [I felt that the Fed had always been the agency that picked up the pieces when there was a financial crisis, and it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/i-felt-that-the-fed-had-always-been-the-agency-that-picked-up-the/)

[Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/)

> [Increased business sales would almost certainly raise the productive capacity of the economy by encouraging additional capital spending, especially if accompanied by reduced uncertainty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/increased-business-sales-would-almost-certainly-raise-the-productive/)

[Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/)

> [There were a lot of manufacturing jobs lost over a long period of time and particularly after - during the Great Recession. We've had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/there-were-a-lot-of-manufacturing-jobs-lost-over-a-long-period-of/)

[Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/)

> [Uncertainty about sales impedes business planning and could harm capital formation just as much as uncertainty about inflation can create uncertainty about relative prices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/uncertainty-about-sales-impedes-business-planning-and-could-harm/)

[Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/)

> [Stronger productivity growth would tend to raise the average level of interest rates and, therefore, would provide the Federal Reserve with greater scope to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/stronger-productivity-growth-would-tend-to-raise-the-average-level-of/)

[Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/)

> [The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) is committed to policies that promote maximum employment and price stability, consistent with our mandate from Congress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/the-federal-open-market-committee-fomc-is-committed-to-policies-that/)

[Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/)

> [To me, the greatest asset of the Fed is the people. We have a tremendously dedicated staff... They feel proud to work for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/to-me-the-greatest-asset-of-the-fed-is-the-people-we-have-a/)

[Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/)

[Explore all 148 Janet Yellen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/)

## More American quotes

> [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/)

[Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/)

> [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. And an Irish writer who used to write for 'The New Yorker' called Maeve Brennan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/william-maxwell-s-my-favorite-north-american-writer-i-think-and-an/)

[Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/)

> [I have fallen in love with American names, the sharp names that never get fat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/i-have-fallen-in-love-with-american-names-the-sharp-names-that-never/)

[Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/)

> [I really like a lot of American country stuff, so my music has that influence, but I don't like to be set within a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade-bird/i-really-like-a-lot-of-american-country-stuff-so-my-music-has-that/)

[Jade Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade-bird/)

> [I certainly don't think that the heirs of the American Revolution were a particularly noble class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/i-certainly-don-t-think-that-the-heirs-of-the-american-revolution/)

[H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/)

> [Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act in a tremendous investment to support millions of workers without a paycheck and behind on bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-auchincloss/congress-passed-the-american-rescue-plan-act-in-a-tremendous/)

[Jake Auchincloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-auchincloss/)

> [Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy and employ almost half of the working population. Yet because of their size, they rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-lipinski/small-businesses-are-the-backbone-of-the-american-economy-and-employ/)

[Dan Lipinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-lipinski/)

> [Although I write in English, and despite the fact that I'm from America, I consider myself an Armenian writer. The words I use are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/although-i-write-in-english-and-despite-the-fact-that-i-m-from/)

[William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/)

> [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/)

[Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/)

> [Firefighters and rescue workers are American superheroes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/firefighters-and-rescue-workers-are-american-superheroes/)

[Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/)

> [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/)

[Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/)

> [New York and San Francisco are distinctly different. San Francisco is driving the American media, not New York. You have young, microwaved millionaires and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-whitlock/new-york-and-san-francisco-are-distinctly-different-san-francisco-is/)

[Jason Whitlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-whitlock/)

> [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. We have to take risks and it's important that we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/well-look-cia-is-an-agency-that-has-to-collect-intelligence-do/)

[Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/)

> [Food as a hobby used to be an elite pastime, and it has become something that is totally ordinary for people of every background.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goodyear/food-as-a-hobby-used-to-be-an-elite-pastime-and-it-has-become/)

[Dana Goodyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goodyear/)

> [It's important for American soldiers to be culturally sensitive when deployed in foreign countries. But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/)

[Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/)

Browse all 7,717 American quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "As a general principle, the American people would be well served by the active pursuit of effective policies to support longer-run growth in productivity.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Janet Yellen"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/as-a-general-principle-the-american-people-would-be-well-served-by/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "American"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/as-a-general-principle-the-american-people-would-be-well-served-by/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86a/janet-yellen-2828_american_as-a-general-principle-the-american-peop_744389.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86a/janet-yellen-2828_american_as-a-general-principle-the-american-peop_744389.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86a/janet-yellen-2828_american_as-a-general-principle-the-american-peop_744389.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“As a general principle, the American people would be well served by the active pursuit of effective policies…” — Janet Yellen",
                "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": "Janet Yellen",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "As a general principle, the American...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/as-a-general-principle-the-american-people-would-be-well-served-by/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/as-a-general-principle-the-american-people-would-be-well-served-by/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
