Business Quote by John Kenneth Galbraith
“The great dialectic in our time is not, as anciently and by some still supposed, between capital and labor; it is between economic enterprise and the state.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The Affluent Society, John Kenneth Galbraith, 1958
The main conflict today is not workers vs owners, but businesses versus government control.
In simple terms: Economic power clashes with state authority.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and balance corporate and governmental influence.
Themes
economics
politics
power
society
conflict
Mood
critical
analytical
Type
political
economic
When to use this quote
- regulatory debates
- corporate lobbying
- public procurement
- tax policy
- public‑private partnerships
Key Concepts
capitalism
state intervention
public policy
Questions to Reflect On
- How should societies regulate corporate power?
- What role should the state play in markets?
A Different Perspective
Corporate interests can dominate policy, limiting democratic oversight.
![“[S]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once, for example, when I was just starting out in the food business, I was hired by the caper people to develop a lot of recipes using capers, and it was weeks of…” quote by Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d79/nora-ephron-1217_business_s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-th_980.jpg)
![“If the State does not acquire supremacy over [vast private] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State.” quote by Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bad/bertrand-russell-69_acquire_if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy_1379.jpg)