--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I react pragmatically. Where the market…" description: "\"I react pragmatically. Where the market works, I'm for that. Where the government is necessary, I'm for that. I'm deeply suspicious of somebody who say..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e89/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_cases_i-react-pragmatically-where-the-market-w_2679457.png" --- # I react pragmatically. Where the market works, I'm for… ![“I react pragmatically. Where the market works, I'm for that. Where the government is necessary, I'm for that. I'm deeply suspicious of somebody who says, 'I'm in favor of privatization,' or, 'I'm deeply in favor of public ownership.' I'm in favor of whatever works in the particular case.” quote by John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e89/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_cases_i-react-pragmatically-where-the-market-w_2679457.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e89/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_cases_i-react-pragmatically-where-the-market-w_2679457.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e89/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_cases_i-react-pragmatically-where-the-market-w_2679457.png) > “I react pragmatically. Where the market works, I'm for that. Where the government is necessary, I'm for that. I'm deeply suspicious of somebody who says, 'I'm in favor of privatization,' or, 'I'm deeply in favor of public ownership.' I'm in favor of whatever works in the particular case.” [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker supports policies based on practical outcomes rather than ideological labels. **In simple terms:** Support what works, not ideology. Key Takeaway Adopt pragmatic, evidence‑based policies. Themes politics pragmatism policy Mood pragmatic analytical Type political policy When to use this quote - Economic reforms - public health measures - environmental regulation Key Concepts functionalism policy analysis Questions to Reflect On - When should ideology guide decisions? - How to evaluate effectiveness objectively? A Different Perspective May lack clear guiding principles. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cases/) [Favor Privatization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/favor-privatization-2568457/) [Favors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/favors/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [Ownership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ownership/) [Particular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/particular/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Pragmatically Market](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pragmatically-market-2568458/) [Pragmatism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pragmatism/) [Privatization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/privatization/) [Privatization Deeply](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/privatization-deeply-2568459/) [Public Ownership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-ownership-345120/) [Suspicious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suspicious/) [Whatever works](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whatever-works/) ## Related quotes > [I believe in public ownership, but I have never favoured the remote nationalised model of the postwar era.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-corbyn/i-believe-in-public-ownership-but-i-have-never-favoured-the-remote/) [Jeremy Corbyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-corbyn/) > [Like the healthcare industry, the banks should be taken out of the hands of the 1% and brought under democratic public ownership.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kshama-sawant/like-the-healthcare-industry-the-banks-should-be-taken-out-of-the/) [Kshama Sawant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kshama-sawant/) > [I'm interested in the idea that we have a more inclusive, clearer set of objectives. I would want us to have a set of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-corbyn/i-m-interested-in-the-idea-that-we-have-a-more-inclusive-clearer-set/) [Jeremy Corbyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-corbyn/) > [I made the case for public ownership in 'Another World is Possible' - a manifesto for 21st-century socialism - as it is the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcdonnell/i-made-the-case-for-public-ownership-in-another-world-is-possible-a/) [John McDonnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcdonnell/) > [Unlike the Marxists, the Nazis did not advocate public ownership of the means of production. They did demand that the government oversee and run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-peikoff/unlike-the-marxists-the-nazis-did-not-advocate-public-ownership-of/) [Leonard Peikoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-peikoff/) > [It's time to put back on the agenda the importance of public ownership and public good, the value of working together collaboratively, not in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-loach/it-s-time-to-put-back-on-the-agenda-the-importance-of-public/) [Ken Loach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-loach/) > [The transfer of Wall Street from private ownership to public ownership has been a big step backward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-bogle/the-transfer-of-wall-street-from-private-ownership-to-public/) [John C. Bogle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-bogle/) > [Increased public ownership of the economy should be structured to create more worker self-management and control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-jones/increased-public-ownership-of-the-economy-should-be-structured-to/) [Owen Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-jones/) > [One hundred and fifty years ago the vacant lands of the West were opened to private use. One hundred years ago the Congress passed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/one-hundred-and-fifty-years-ago-the-vacant-lands-of-the-west-were/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [A substantial extension of public ownership is an essential pre-requisite of greater equality of earned income](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-jenkins/a-substantial-extension-of-public-ownership-is-an-essential-pre/) [Roy Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-jenkins/) > [Socialism without public ownership is nothing but a fantastic apology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-foot/socialism-without-public-ownership-is-nothing-but-a-fantastic-apology/) [Michael Foot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-foot/) > [When you take into public ownership a profitable industry the profits soon disappear. The goose that laid the golden eggs goes broody. State geese…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/when-you-take-into-public-ownership-a-profitable-industry-the-profits/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [Whatever work you undertake, do it seriously, thoroughly and well; never leave it half-done or undone, never feel yourself satisfied unless and until you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syama-prasad-mukherjee/whatever-work-you-undertake-do-it-seriously-thoroughly-and-well-never/) [Syama Prasad Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syama-prasad-mukherjee/) > [Whatever works for the piece I'm thinking about is the way I write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-branca/whatever-works-for-the-piece-i-m-thinking-about-is-the-way-i-write/) [Glenn Branca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-branca/) > [The future will be in the hands of those of you who belong to the 21st century. You have the opportunity and responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/the-future-will-be-in-the-hands-of-those-of-you-who-belong-to-the/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) ## More by John Kenneth Galbraith > [Getting on the cover of TIME guarantees the existence of opposition in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/getting-on-the-cover-of-time-guarantees-the-existence-of-opposition/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Technology means the systematic application of scientific or other organized knowledge to practical tasks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/technology-means-the-systematic-application-of-scientific-or-other/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [“Men can labor to make sense out of single steps toward the goal without ever pausing to reflect that the goal itself is ludicrous.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/men-can-labor-to-make-sense-out-of-single-steps-toward-the-goal/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Consumer wants can have bizarre, frivolous, or even immoral origins, and an admirable case can still be made for a society that seeks to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/consumer-wants-can-have-bizarre-frivolous-or-even-immoral-origins-and/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [That one never need to look beyond the love of money for explanation of human behavior is one of the most jealously guarded simplification…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/that-one-never-need-to-look-beyond-the-love-of-money-for-explanation/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Agriculture is one economic activity that does not obey the laws of demand and supply.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/agriculture-is-one-economic-activity-that-does-not-obey-the-laws-of/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [If we were not in Vietnam, all that part of the world would be enjoying the obscurity it so richly deserves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/if-we-were-not-in-vietnam-all-that-part-of-the-world-would-be/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Washington is a place where men praise courage and act on elaborate personal cost-benefit calculations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/washington-is-a-place-where-men-praise-courage-and-act-on-elaborate/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [World War II revealed two of the enduring features of the Keynesian Revolution. One was the moral difference between spending for welfare and spending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/world-war-ii-revealed-two-of-the-enduring-features-of-the-keynesian/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Money is what fueled the industrial society. But in the informational society, the fuel, the power, is knowledge. One has now come to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/money-is-what-fueled-the-industrial-society-but-in-the-informational/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [While it will be desirable to achieve planned results, it will be even more important to avoid unplanned disasters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/while-it-will-be-desirable-to-achieve-planned-results-it-will-be-even/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [A bad book is the worse that it cannot repent. It has not been the devil's policy to keep the masses of mankind in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/a-bad-book-is-the-worse-that-it-cannot-repent-it-has-not-been-the/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Genius is a rising stock market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/genius-is-a-rising-stock-market/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Mr. David Stockman has said that supply-side economics was merely a cover for the trickle-down approach to economic policy—what an older and less elegant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/mr-david-stockman-has-said-that-supply-side-economics-was-merely-a/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Inventions that are not made, like babies that are not born, are rarely missed. 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I never wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaylord-perry/i-d-always-have-grease-in-at-least-two-places-in-case-the-umpires/) [Gaylord Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaylord-perry/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [You gonna take the case?" It's not a case. It's a missing person. Sort of." You're gonna have a devil of a time finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/you-gonna-take-the-case-it-s-not-a-case-it-s-a-missing-person-sort-of/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) > [I think we've all had enough of Coltrane saxophonists. There's a case of someone ruining a generation of saxophonists, as Louis Armstrong may have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bley/i-think-we-ve-all-had-enough-of-coltrane-saxophonists-there-s-a-case/) [Paul Bley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bley/) > [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [The world around us is an increasingly hostile and sinful place. Occasionally that splashes onto us, and perhaps, in the case of a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-world-around-us-is-an-increasingly-hostile-and-sinful-place/) [Jeffrey R. 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