---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nothing can preserve the integrity of…"
description: "\"Nothing can preserve the integrity of contact between individuals, except a discretionary authority in the state to revise what has become intolerable...."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db3/john-maynard-keynes-1380_authority_nothing-can-preserve-the-integrity-of-co_1670780.jpg"
---

#  Nothing can preserve the integrity of contact between…

![“Nothing can preserve the integrity of contact between individuals, except a discretionary authority in the state to revise what has become intolerable. The powers of uninterrupted usury are too great. If the accretions of vested interests were to grow without mitigation for many generations, half…” quote by John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db3/john-maynard-keynes-1380_authority_nothing-can-preserve-the-integrity-of-co_1670780.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db3/john-maynard-keynes-1380_authority_nothing-can-preserve-the-integrity-of-co_1670780.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db3/john-maynard-keynes-1380_authority_nothing-can-preserve-the-integrity-of-co_1670780.jpg)

> “Nothing can preserve the integrity of contact between individuals, except a discretionary authority in the state to revise what has become intolerable. The powers of uninterrupted usury are too great. If the accretions of vested interests were to grow without mitigation for many generations, half the population would be no better than slaves to the other half.”

[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.

Unchecked accumulation of power and wealth leads to systemic inequality, requiring state intervention to prevent exploitation.

**In simple terms:** Power concentrates, state must intervene.

Key Takeaway

Implement fair regulation.

Themes

economics politics inequality government justice

Mood

concerned critical

Type

analytical policy‑oriented

When to use this quote

- tax reform
- anti‑monopoly law
- public oversight
- social safety nets

Key Concepts

public policy wealth distribution social contract

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we balance regulation with freedom?
- What safeguards prevent state abuse?

A Different Perspective

State action may stifle innovation or over‑centralize control.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Contact](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contact/) [Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations/) [Grows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grows/) [Half](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/half/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Integrity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/integrity/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Other half](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/other-half/) [Population](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/population/) [Preserve Integrity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preserve-integrity-856558/) [Preserves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preserves/) [Slave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slave/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [Uninterrupted Usury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uninterrupted-usury-856557/) [Usury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/usury/) [Usury Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/usury-great-856559/) [Vested interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vested-interest/) [Vested interests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vested-interests/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/)

## Related quotes

> [It is ideas, not vested interests, which are dangerous for good or evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/it-is-ideas-not-vested-interests-which-are-dangerous-for-good-or-evil/)

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

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

[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/)

> [My job, as I've said, is to break down sectionalism, vested interests and a fixed mindset of merely following precedents, so that I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoshihide-suga/my-job-as-i-ve-said-is-to-break-down-sectionalism-vested-interests/)

[Yoshihide Suga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoshihide-suga/)

> [When I worked with various healers of one kind or another, very often what came up was that there was an "inner" person who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-alan-wolf/when-i-worked-with-various-healers-of-one-kind-or-another-very-often/)

[Fred Alan Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-alan-wolf/)

> [The Japanese army is now prepared to use every means within its power to subdue its opponents. The objectives of the Japanese Expeditionary Forces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iwane-matsui/the-japanese-army-is-now-prepared-to-use-every-means-within-its-power/)

[Iwane Matsui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iwane-matsui/)

> [The state is captive to vested interests.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanusi-lamido-sanusi/the-state-is-captive-to-vested-interests/)

[Sanusi Lamido Sanusi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanusi-lamido-sanusi/)

> [Cutting the fiscal deficit is not popular. That is the experience of all governments in all countries. Expenditure cuts hurt certain vested interests, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manmohan-singh/cutting-the-fiscal-deficit-is-not-popular-that-is-the-experience-of/)

[Manmohan Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manmohan-singh/)

> [We've all got to look at ourselves, start with yourself, that's all you can do. I believe that we can act responsibly as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-elton/we-ve-all-got-to-look-at-ourselves-start-with-yourself-that-s-all-you/)

[Ben Elton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-elton/)

> [Almost all scholarly research carries practical and political implications. Better that we should spell these out ourselves than leave that task to people with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-coontz/almost-all-scholarly-research-carries-practical-and-political/)

[Stephanie Coontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-coontz/)

> [The investment business has taught me – increasingly as the years have passed – that people, especially investors (and, I believe, Americans), prefer good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-grantham/the-investment-business-has-taught-me-increasingly-as-the-years-have/)

[Jeremy Grantham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-grantham/)

> [There is such a thing as truth, but we have a vested interest in not seeing it, in avoiding it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/there-is-such-a-thing-as-truth-but-we-have-a-vested-interest-in-not/)

[Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/)

> [The fact is that many countries that call themselves free succumbed to medical dictatorship...people are sicker and less healthy...A country which mandates vaccination is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viera-scheibner/the-fact-is-that-many-countries-that-call-themselves-free-succumbed/)

[Viera Scheibner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viera-scheibner/)

> [Opinions have vested interests just as men have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/opinions-have-vested-interests-just-as-men-have/)

[Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/)

> [“steam-tactics saga illustrates that (4) Rationalism, unlike empiricism, tends to assume an accretion of vested interests.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-andrew-hugh-gordon/steam-tactics-saga-illustrates-that-4-rationalism-unlike-empiricism/)

[Gilbert Andrew Hugh Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-andrew-hugh-gordon/)

## 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 Authority quotes

> [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/)

[Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/)

> [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/)

> [I think people need to be comfortable questioning the authority of a doctor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/i-think-people-need-to-be-comfortable-questioning-the-authority-of-a/)

[Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/)

> [At a distance, we cannot conceive of the authority of a despot who knows all his subjects on sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/at-a-distance-we-cannot-conceive-of-the-authority-of-a-despot-who/)

[Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/)

> [Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/throughout-human-history-as-our-species-has-faced-the-frightening/)

[Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/)

> [“I'm of the age and immaturity level that I cannot give you my respect solely because you are older or ranked higher on an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-goros/i-m-of-the-age-and-immaturity-level-that-i-cannot-give-you-my-respect/)

[Erica Goros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-goros/)

> [In the end theologians are jealous of science, for they are aware that it has greater authority than do their own ways of finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/in-the-end-theologians-are-jealous-of-science-for-they-are-aware-that/)

[Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/)

> [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/)

> [Miracles are like candles lit up until the sun rises, and then blown out. Therefore, I am amused when I hear sects and churches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/miracles-are-like-candles-lit-up-until-the-sun-rises-and-then-blown/)

[Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/)

> [The execution was set for the 29th of March, at nine in the morning. This delay was due to a desire on the part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-execution-was-set-for-the-29th-of-march-at-nine-in-the-morning/)

[Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/)

> [I started with the belief that every person who came to the laboratory was free to accept or to reject the dictates of authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/i-started-with-the-belief-that-every-person-who-came-to-the/)

[Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/)

> [The rationale which accompanies that imposition of male authority euphemistically referred to as 'the battle of the sexes' bears a certain resemblance to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-millett/the-rationale-which-accompanies-that-imposition-of-male-authority/)

[Kate Millett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-millett/)

> [“We are at the mercy of whoever wields authority over the things we either desire or detest. If you would be free, then, do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/we-are-at-the-mercy-of-whoever-wields-authority-over-the-things-we/)

[Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/)

> [Sometimes it's easier for people who are in authority to be authoritarian, because people know where you stand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/sometimes-it-s-easier-for-people-who-are-in-authority-to-be/)

[Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/)

> [The victory of Hamas is not only based on the corruption of the Palestinian Authority. Hamas has a vision and a program, and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-haniyeh/the-victory-of-hamas-is-not-only-based-on-the-corruption-of-the/)

[Ismail Haniyeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-haniyeh/)

[Browse all 4,003 Authority quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Nothing can preserve the integrity of contact between individuals, except a discretionary authority in the state to revise what has become intolerable. The powers of uninterrupted usury are too great. If the accretions of vested interests were to grow without mitigation for many generations, half the population would be no better than slaves to the other half.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Maynard Keynes"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/nothing-can-preserve-the-integrity-of-contact-between-individuals/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Authority"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/nothing-can-preserve-the-integrity-of-contact-between-individuals/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db3/john-maynard-keynes-1380_authority_nothing-can-preserve-the-integrity-of-co_1670780.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db3/john-maynard-keynes-1380_authority_nothing-can-preserve-the-integrity-of-co_1670780.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db3/john-maynard-keynes-1380_authority_nothing-can-preserve-the-integrity-of-co_1670780.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Nothing can preserve the integrity of contact between individuals, except a discretionary authority in the…” — 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": "Nothing can preserve the integrity of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/nothing-can-preserve-the-integrity-of-contact-between-individuals/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/nothing-can-preserve-the-integrity-of-contact-between-individuals/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
