---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I know of only three people who really…"
description: "\"I know of only three people who really understand money. A professor at another university. One of my students. And a rather junior clerk at the Bank o..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fd/john-maynard-keynes-1380_bank_i-know-of-only-three-people-who-really-u_1451370.png"
---

#  I know of only three people who really understand money. A…

![“I know of only three people who really understand money. A professor at another university. One of my students. And a rather junior clerk at the Bank of England.” quote by John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fd/john-maynard-keynes-1380_bank_i-know-of-only-three-people-who-really-u_1451370.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fd/john-maynard-keynes-1380_bank_i-know-of-only-three-people-who-really-u_1451370.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fd/john-maynard-keynes-1380_bank_i-know-of-only-three-people-who-really-u_1451370.png)

> “I know of only three people who really understand money. A professor at another university. One of my students. And a rather junior clerk at the Bank of England.”

[John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

## About This Quote

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

Only a few truly understand money: a professor, a student, and a junior clerk.

**In simple terms:** Money insight is rare and found in unexpected places.

Key Takeaway

Seek diverse perspectives on economics.

Themes

economics knowledge expertise humility learning

Mood

analytical inquisitive reflective

Type

economic educational

When to use this quote

- academic research
- financial planning
- policy making
- education
- career mentorship

Key Concepts

financial theory pedagogy institutional insight

Questions to Reflect On

- Who else might hold deep economic insight?
- How can we broaden economic education?

A Different Perspective

May undervalue other valuable economic contributors.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[England](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/england/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Professors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/professors/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/) [Teachers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teachers/) [University](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/university/)

## Related quotes

> [When I worked at the Bank of England, I learnt a very simple lesson: your sums must always add up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-reeves/when-i-worked-at-the-bank-of-england-i-learnt-a-very-simple-lesson/)

[Rachel Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-reeves/)

> [“If you owe ten pounds to the Bank of England, you get thrown in jail, but if you owe a million pounds, they invite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-ri-s/if-you-owe-ten-pounds-to-the-bank-of-england-you-get-thrown-in-jail/)

Philippe Riès

> [When I started work as an economist at the Bank of England, just six of my graduate intake of 37 were women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-reeves/when-i-started-work-as-an-economist-at-the-bank-of-england-just-six/)

[Rachel Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-reeves/)

> [We think it would be safer if the Bank of England had responsibility for solvency regulation of UK-based banks, as well as having an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-redwood/we-think-it-would-be-safer-if-the-bank-of-england-had-responsibility/)

[John Redwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-redwood/)

> [“In fact this is precisely the logic on which the Bank of England—the first successful modern central bank—was originally founded. In 1694, a consortium…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/in-fact-this-is-precisely-the-logic-on-which-the-bank-of-england-the/)

[David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/)

> [You are as safe with me as you would be in the Bank of England.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-maxwell/you-are-as-safe-with-me-as-you-would-be-in-the-bank-of-england/)

[Robert Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-maxwell/)

> [An overview of all wars since the establishment of the Bank of England in 1694 suggests that most of them would have been greatly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-edward-griffin/an-overview-of-all-wars-since-the-establishment-of-the-bank-of/)

[G. Edward Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-edward-griffin/)

> [Housing associations have fingered the fact that they cannot use their assets as liquidity due to Bank of England rules unlike their continental equivalents.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-cable/housing-associations-have-fingered-the-fact-that-they-cannot-use/)

[Vince Cable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-cable/)

> [ He \[Stanley Matthews\] told me that he used to play for just twenty pounds a week. Today he would be worth all the money… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gianfranco-zola/he-stanley-matthews-told-me-that-he-used-to-play-for-just-twenty/)

[Gianfranco Zola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gianfranco-zola/)

> [According to the Bank of England the economy is growing too fast so interest rates must rise to counter the supposed inflationary threat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-enfield/according-to-the-bank-of-england-the-economy-is-growing-too-fast-so/)

[Harry Enfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-enfield/)

> [“Whenever he gives advice it is always something as startling as an epigram, and yet as practical as the Bank of England.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/whenever-he-gives-advice-it-is-always-something-as-startling-as-an/)

[G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/)

> [How is it having more control if we have a recession as the Bank of England and IFS say?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/how-is-it-having-more-control-if-we-have-a-recession-as-the-bank-of/)

[Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/)

> [The historian assesses that the investment of the wealthy classes in the Bank of England wedded them to the fate of the nation as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-russell-mead/the-historian-assesses-that-the-investment-of-the-wealthy-classes-in/)

[Walter Russell Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-russell-mead/)

> [As long as you have a percentage of a song, that lasts forever. You have to study the business. Don't just be in it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustard/as-long-as-you-have-a-percentage-of-a-song-that-lasts-forever-you/)

Mustard

> [I always felt very insecure financially as a child. I was desperate to understand money as a child. I was desperate to be secure.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mellody-hobson/i-always-felt-very-insecure-financially-as-a-child-i-was-desperate-to/)

[Mellody Hobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mellody-hobson/)

## More by John Maynard Keynes

> [Once we allow ourselves to be disobedient to the test of an accountant's profit, we have begun to change our civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/once-we-allow-ourselves-to-be-disobedient-to-the-test-of-an/)

[John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

> [If you owe your bank manager a thousand pounds, you are at his mercy. If you owe him a million pounds, he is at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/if-you-owe-your-bank-manager-a-thousand-pounds-you-are-at-his-mercy/)

[John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

> [There is no subtler, no surer means of overturning the existing basis of society than to debauch the currency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/there-is-no-subtler-no-surer-means-of-overturning-the-existing-basis/)

[John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

> [It has been pointed out already that no knowledge of probabilities, less in degree than certainty, helps us to know what conclusions are true,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/it-has-been-pointed-out-already-that-no-knowledge-of-probabilities/)

[John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

> [Everything is always decided for reasons other than the real merits of the case](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/everything-is-always-decided-for-reasons-other-than-the-real-merits/)

[John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

> [In the long run we are all dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/in-the-long-run-we-are-all-dead/)

[John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

> [The power of vested interests is vastly exaggerated compared with the gradual encroachment of ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/the-power-of-vested-interests-is-vastly-exaggerated-compared-with-the/)

[John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

> [It is a good thing to make mistakes so long as you're found out quickly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/it-is-a-good-thing-to-make-mistakes-so-long-as-you-re-found-out/)

[John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

> [When the accumulation of wealth is no longer of high social importance, there will be great changes in the code of morals. We shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/when-the-accumulation-of-wealth-is-no-longer-of-high-social/)

[John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

> [Of the maxims of orthodox finance none, surely, is more anti-social than the fetish of liquidity, the doctrine of that it is a positive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/of-the-maxims-of-orthodox-finance-none-surely-is-more-anti-social/)

[John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

> [The outstanding faults of the economic society in which we live are its failure to provide for full employment and its arbitrary and inequitable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/the-outstanding-faults-of-the-economic-society-in-which-we-live-are/)

[John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

> [I conceive, therefore, that a somewhat comprehensive socialisation of investment will prove the means of securing an approximation to full employment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/i-conceive-therefore-that-a-somewhat-comprehensive-socialisation-of/)

[John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

> [Capitalism is the astounding belief that the most wickedest of men will do the most wickedest of things for the greatest good of everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/capitalism-is-the-astounding-belief-that-the-most-wickedest-of-men/)

[John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

> [Economics is a very dangerous science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/economics-is-a-very-dangerous-science/)

[John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

> [Whenever you save five shillings you put a man out of work for a day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/whenever-you-save-five-shillings-you-put-a-man-out-of-work-for-a-day/)

[John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

[Explore all 246 John Maynard Keynes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

## More Bank quotes

> [It isn't what a man's got in the bank, but what he's got in his head, that makes him a great merchant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-horace-lorimer/it-isn-t-what-a-man-s-got-in-the-bank-but-what-he-s-got-in-his-head/)

[George Horace Lorimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-horace-lorimer/)

> [My aim was to make money for the bank. You lose track of the amounts involved when you are engaged in this kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-kerviel/my-aim-was-to-make-money-for-the-bank-you-lose-track-of-the-amounts/)

[Jerome Kerviel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-kerviel/)

> [I earnestly feel terrible for any mistakes at the bank.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-mnuchin/i-earnestly-feel-terrible-for-any-mistakes-at-the-bank/)

[Steve Mnuchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-mnuchin/)

> [You can look at the West Bank. Cities are like prisons. They can be closed quickly by the Israeli forces, and everything stops in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hassan-nasrallah/you-can-look-at-the-west-bank-cities-are-like-prisons-they-can-be/)

[Hassan Nasrallah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hassan-nasrallah/)

> [What we prefer to do is operate our investment bank in a way that is like what investment banks used to be, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-stephens/what-we-prefer-to-do-is-operate-our-investment-bank-in-a-way-that-is/)

[Warren Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-stephens/)

> [The situation in the West Bank and Gaza involves a military occupation amid urban guerrilla warfare, analogous to the British security measures in Northern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-schwartz/the-situation-in-the-west-bank-and-gaza-involves-a-military/)

[Jack Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-schwartz/)

> [Remember, your bank will never call and ask you to hand over account numbers or say you must swap money from one account to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-rippon/remember-your-bank-will-never-call-and-ask-you-to-hand-over-account/)

[Angela Rippon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-rippon/)

> [I couldn't be working in a bank and launch a clothing line. It's only because cinema gave me a lot of access that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-deverakonda/i-couldn-t-be-working-in-a-bank-and-launch-a-clothing-line-it-s-only/)

[Vijay Deverakonda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-deverakonda/)

> [If there is a risk in a bank, our first question should be 'Okay, what are you in the bank going to do about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeroen-dijsselbloem/if-there-is-a-risk-in-a-bank-our-first-question-should-be-okay-what/)

[Jeroen Dijsselbloem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeroen-dijsselbloem/)

> [With post offices and postal workers already on the ground, USPS could partner with banks to make a critical difference for millions of Americans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/with-post-offices-and-postal-workers-already-on-the-ground-usps-could/)

[Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/)

> [True wealth is not measured by how much money you've got in the bank or how many toys you've got. Some of the happiest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashad-evans/true-wealth-is-not-measured-by-how-much-money-you-ve-got-in-the-bank/)

[Rashad Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashad-evans/)

> [I might have added zeros to my bank balance and followers to my Instagram account, but apart from that, I still lead a middle-class…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-massey/i-might-have-added-zeros-to-my-bank-balance-and-followers-to-my/)

[Vikrant Massey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-massey/)

> [Monetary policy transmission encompasses the whole continuum of interest rates; of course, the central bank only determines the overnight policy rate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/urjit-patel/monetary-policy-transmission-encompasses-the-whole-continuum-of/)

[Urjit Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/urjit-patel/)

> [I actually love Twitter and Instagram. I do think it's so strange to think that 20 years ago, people would never have known personal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorde/i-actually-love-twitter-and-instagram-i-do-think-it-s-so-strange-to/)

[Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorde/)

> [The Oslo Accords in 1993 determined that the Gaza Strip and the West Bank are a single territorial entity which cannot be divided. Immediately,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-oslo-accords-in-1993-determined-that-the-gaza-strip-and-the-west/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

Browse all 916 Bank quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I know of only three people who really understand money. A professor at another university. One of my students. And a rather junior clerk at the Bank of England.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Maynard Keynes"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/i-know-of-only-three-people-who-really-understand-money-a-professor/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bank"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/i-know-of-only-three-people-who-really-understand-money-a-professor/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fd/john-maynard-keynes-1380_bank_i-know-of-only-three-people-who-really-u_1451370.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fd/john-maynard-keynes-1380_bank_i-know-of-only-three-people-who-really-u_1451370.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fd/john-maynard-keynes-1380_bank_i-know-of-only-three-people-who-really-u_1451370.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I know of only three people who really understand money. A professor at another university. One of my…” — John Maynard Keynes",
                "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 Maynard Keynes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I know of only three people...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/i-know-of-only-three-people-who-really-understand-money-a-professor/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/i-know-of-only-three-people-who-really-understand-money-a-professor/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
