--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is little that can be said about…" description: "\"There is little that can be said about most economic goods. A toothbrush does little but clean teeth. Aspirin does little but dull pain. Alcohol is imp..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19f/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_alcohol_there-is-little-that-can-be-said-about-m_2572970.jpg" --- # There is little that can be said about most economic… ![“There is little that can be said about most economic goods. A toothbrush does little but clean teeth. Aspirin does little but dull pain. Alcohol is important mostly for making people more or less drunk ... There being so little to be said, much is to be invented.” quote by John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19f/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_alcohol_there-is-little-that-can-be-said-about-m_2572970.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19f/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_alcohol_there-is-little-that-can-be-said-about-m_2572970.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19f/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_alcohol_there-is-little-that-can-be-said-about-m_2572970.jpg) > “There is little that can be said about most economic goods. A toothbrush does little but clean teeth. Aspirin does little but dull pain. Alcohol is important mostly for making people more or less drunk ... There being so little to be said, much is to be invented.” [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. Economic goods often have simple, limited functions, leaving room for innovation beyond their basic use. **In simple terms:** Simple goods have basic uses, prompting invention. Key Takeaway Seek to improve or repurpose everyday items. Themes economics innovation utility creativity Mood analytical curious optimistic Type philosophical practical When to use this quote - product design - entrepreneurship - policy making - consumer behavior Key Concepts utility theory creative destruction market dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How can we add value to a product with a single function? - What drives inventors to reinvent simple goods? A Different Perspective Innovation may be constrained by market acceptance or regulatory barriers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alcohol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alcohol/) [Alcohol Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alcohol-important-1708536/) [Aspirin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aspirin/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Clean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clean/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Drunk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drunk/) [Dull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dull/) [Economic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economic/) [Economic Goods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economic-goods-1708535/) [Goods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goods/) [Goods Toothbrush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goods-toothbrush-1708537/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Teeth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teeth/) [Teeth Aspirin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teeth-aspirin-1708538/) [Toothbrushes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/toothbrushes/) ## Related quotes > [“Well, I may not have a framed Latin diploma, but I know crazy talk when I hear it. Alcohol has been an important part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/well-i-may-not-have-a-framed-latin-diploma-but-i-know-crazy-talk-when/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [I kept this to remind me of you trying to brush away the Villa Rossa from your teeth in the morning, swearing and eating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/i-kept-this-to-remind-me-of-you-trying-to-brush-away-the-villa-rossa/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“It is not from their intrinsic nature that goods gain the character of economic goods, but through their relation to men and through their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandye-gloria-palermo/it-is-not-from-their-intrinsic-nature-that-goods-gain-the-character/) [Sandye Gloria-Palermo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandye-gloria-palermo/) > [“There has always been a temptation to classify economic goods in clearly defined groups, about which a number of short and sharp propositions could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-marshall/there-has-always-been-a-temptation-to-classify-economic-goods-in/) [Alfred Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-marshall/) > [the principal sources of human misery may fairly be said to lie in the over-possession, under-possession, and the unwise use of economic goods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-harkness/the-principal-sources-of-human-misery-may-fairly-be-said-to-lie-in/) [Georgia Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-harkness/) > [I personally like being unique. I like being my own person with my own style and my own opinions and my own toothbrush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/i-personally-like-being-unique-i-like-being-my-own-person-with-my-own/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) > [I travel without barely any luggage. Just a second set of underwear and binoculars and a map and a toothbrush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/i-travel-without-barely-any-luggage-just-a-second-set-of-underwear/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [Home is where i hang my toothbrush and where the cats have their commode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilian-jackson-braun/home-is-where-i-hang-my-toothbrush-and-where-the-cats-have-their/) [Lilian Jackson Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilian-jackson-braun/) > [I have a bag with a toothbrush and toothpaste and all the things I might need during the day. I call the bag my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-linney/i-have-a-bag-with-a-toothbrush-and-toothpaste-and-all-the-things-i/) [Laura Linney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-linney/) > [Those that can't change even their toothbrush and pyjamas are trying to change the world! Let us be serious!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/those-that-can-t-change-even-their-toothbrush-and-pyjamas-are-trying/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [I have gone into town to buy a few last things we need for the expedition: Peruvian wasp repellent, toothbrushes, canned peaches, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-gone-into-town-to-buy-a-few-last-things-we-need-for-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I would say everything should be able to come into a poem, but I can't put toothbrushes into a poem, I really can't!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/i-would-say-everything-should-be-able-to-come-into-a-poem-but-i-can-t/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [Now they broke my toothbrush, I don't own anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-child/now-they-broke-my-toothbrush-i-don-t-own-anything/) [Lee Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-child/) > [She used my toothbrush to clean the toilet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-notorious-b-i-g/she-used-my-toothbrush-to-clean-the-toilet/) [The Notorious B.I.G](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-notorious-b-i-g/) > [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) ## 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. In the absence of new developments, old ones may seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/inventions-that-are-not-made-like-babies-that-are-not-born-are-rarely/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) [Explore all 434 John Kenneth Galbraith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) ## More Alcohol quotes > [I'm Catholic and I can't commit suicide, but I plan to drink myself to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-m-catholic-and-i-can-t-commit-suicide-but-i-plan-to-drink-myself-to/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [Stronger than alcohol, vaster than poetry, Ferment the freckled red bitterness of love!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rimbaud/stronger-than-alcohol-vaster-than-poetry-ferment-the-freckled-red/) [Arthur Rimbaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rimbaud/) > [And, when night Darkens the streets, then wander forth the sons Of Belial, flown with insolence and wine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/and-when-night-darkens-the-streets-then-wander-forth-the-sons-of/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [ \[As in the case of\] alcohol prohibition, illegality has driven organized crime, sent countless people to jail, and killed many thousands. Repression does not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-branson/as-in-the-case-of-alcohol-prohibition-illegality-has-driven-organized/) [Sam Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-branson/) > [You can get a new phone or new trainers (sneakers) but you've only got one body so you have to look after it. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyson-beckford/you-can-get-a-new-phone-or-new-trainers-sneakers-but-you-ve-only-got/) [Tyson Beckford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyson-beckford/) > [Alcohol doesn't console, it doesn't fill up anyone's psychological gaps, all it replaces is the lack of God. It doesn't comfort man. On the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/alcohol-doesn-t-console-it-doesn-t-fill-up-anyone-s-psychological/) [Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/) > [In 1969, I gave up women and alcohol - it was the worst 20 minutes of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-best/in-1969-i-gave-up-women-and-alcohol-it-was-the-worst-20-minutes-of-my/) [George Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-best/) > [Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house unless they have a well-stocked bar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/thou-shalt-not-covet-thy-neighbor-s-house-unless-they-have-a-well/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [Alcohol is like Photoshop for real life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-ferrell/alcohol-is-like-photoshop-for-real-life/) [Will Ferrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-ferrell/) > [“Alcoholism is a choice... not a life sentence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-norman/alcoholism-is-a-choice-not-a-life-sentence/) [David Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-norman/) > [Blunt force didn't knock out the drug epidemic. 21 million Americans are addicted to drugs or alcohol. And half of all federal inmates are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-botticelli/blunt-force-didn-t-knock-out-the-drug-epidemic-21-million-americans/) [Michael Botticelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-botticelli/) > [I go to parties sometimes until four, it's hard to leave when you can't find the door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-walsh/i-go-to-parties-sometimes-until-four-it-s-hard-to-leave-when-you-can/) [Joe Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-walsh/) > [I can't fill the hole with money. I can't fill it with alcohol, or drugs, or sex, so what do I need to fill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-victor-hansen/i-can-t-fill-the-hole-with-money-i-can-t-fill-it-with-alcohol-or/) [Mark Victor Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-victor-hansen/) > [Cocaine decisions that you make today, will mean nothing later on when you get nose decay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zappa/cocaine-decisions-that-you-make-today-will-mean-nothing-later-on-when/) [Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/) > [I take really good care of myself. I promised myself long ago that I would never miss a hunting season, never poison my sacred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/i-take-really-good-care-of-myself-i-promised-myself-long-ago-that-i/) [Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/) [Browse all 1,953 Alcohol quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alcohol/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is little that can be said about most economic goods. A toothbrush does little but clean teeth. Aspirin does little but dull pain. Alcohol is important mostly for making people more or less drunk ... There being so little to be said, much is to be invented.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Kenneth Galbraith" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/there-is-little-that-can-be-said-about-most-economic-goods-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Alcohol" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/there-is-little-that-can-be-said-about-most-economic-goods-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19f/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_alcohol_there-is-little-that-can-be-said-about-m_2572970.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19f/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_alcohol_there-is-little-that-can-be-said-about-m_2572970.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19f/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_alcohol_there-is-little-that-can-be-said-about-m_2572970.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is little that can be said about most economic goods. A toothbrush does little but clean teeth…” — John Kenneth Galbraith", "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": "John Kenneth Galbraith", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There is little that can be...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/there-is-little-that-can-be-said-about-most-economic-goods-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/there-is-little-that-can-be-said-about-most-economic-goods-a/#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 } } ] } ```