---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We could, of course, always make the…"
description: "\"We could, of course, always make the payments, simply by printing more money - we simply promise to pay people by giving them dollar bills - but that c..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2b/joseph-stiglitz-1351_giving_we-could-of-course-always-make-the-payme_1093553.jpg"
---

#  We could, of course, always make the payments, simply by…

![“We could, of course, always make the payments, simply by printing more money - we simply promise to pay people by giving them dollar bills - but that could set off inflation.” quote by Joseph Stiglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2b/joseph-stiglitz-1351_giving_we-could-of-course-always-make-the-payme_1093553.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2b/joseph-stiglitz-1351_giving_we-could-of-course-always-make-the-payme_1093553.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2b/joseph-stiglitz-1351_giving_we-could-of-course-always-make-the-payme_1093553.jpg)

> “We could, of course, always make the payments, simply by printing more money - we simply promise to pay people by giving them dollar bills - but that could set off inflation.”

[Joseph Stiglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stiglitz/)

## About This Quote

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

Printing money to cover payments can cause inflation, reducing purchasing power and harming the economy.

**In simple terms:** Printing money can cause inflation.

Key Takeaway

Avoid financing deficits by printing money.

Themes

economics inflation fiscal policy

Mood

cautious analytical

Type

policy economic

When to use this quote

- budget deficits
- public spending
- central bank decisions
- currency management

Key Concepts

monetary supply price stability government debt

Questions to Reflect On

- How can governments fund obligations without causing inflation?
- What safeguards prevent runaway inflation?

A Different Perspective

Printing money may lead to hyperinflation if not controlled.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Dollar bills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dollar-bills/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Giving Dollar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving-dollar-2368973/) [Inflation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inflation/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Printing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/printing/) [Printing money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/printing-money/) [Promise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promise/) [Set Inflation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/set-inflation-2839149/)

## Related quotes

> [Printing money creates inflation, which weakens an economy. Unfortunately, this kind of common-sense thinking never seems to penetrate academic circles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/printing-money-creates-inflation-which-weakens-an-economy/)

[Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/)

> [Central bankers always try to avoid their last big mistake. So every time there's the threat of a contraction in the economy, they'll over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/central-bankers-always-try-to-avoid-their-last-big-mistake-so-every/)

[Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/)

> [Every time the Fed implements 'quantitative easing,' a.k.a. printing more money, two things go up: taxes and inflation. When taxes and inflation go up,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/every-time-the-fed-implements-quantitative-easing-a-k-a-printing-more/)

[Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/)

> [With QE3, we are essentially being bought out with our own money...and unemployment is being used to facilitate this process in a very clever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-austin-fitts/with-qe3-we-are-essentially-being-bought-out-with-our-own-money-and/)

[Catherine Austin Fitts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-austin-fitts/)

> [Since 2007, we've been giving one dollar, one euro - whatever the local currency - of every ticket sold to Partners In Health and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regine-chassagne/since-2007-we-ve-been-giving-one-dollar-one-euro-whatever-the-local/)

[Regine Chassagne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regine-chassagne/)

> [All those commodities are going to have to rise in value as we are in short supply and we are printing too much money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/all-those-commodities-are-going-to-have-to-rise-in-value-as-we-are-in/)

[Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/)

> [Printing money is merely taxation in another form. Rather than robbing citizens of their money, government robs their money of its purchasing power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/printing-money-is-merely-taxation-in-another-form-rather-than-robbing/)

[Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/)

> [It's complicated.' 'So's quantitative easing. But I still get that it means printing money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/it-s-complicated-so-s-quantitative-easing-but-i-still-get-that-it/)

[Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/)

> [The greatest threat facing America today is the disastrous fiscal policies of our own government, marked by shameless deficit spending and Federal Reserve currency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/the-greatest-threat-facing-america-today-is-the-disastrous-fiscal/)

[Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/)

> [Printing money is merely taxation in another form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/printing-money-is-merely-taxation-in-another-form/)

[Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/)

> [You will never solve the American problems just by printing money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-pinera/you-will-never-solve-the-american-problems-just-by-printing-money/)

[Sebastian Pinera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-pinera/)

> [Printing money is the last resort of desperate governments when all other policies have failed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-osborne/printing-money-is-the-last-resort-of-desperate-governments-when-all/)

[George Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-osborne/)

> [I believe in taking care of myself and teaching other people who want to learn. I don't believe in just printing money and giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/i-believe-in-taking-care-of-myself-and-teaching-other-people-who-want/)

[Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/)

> [At some point, the dollar has to give. You can't just keep printing money, and monetizing debt, and buying bonds, without the dollar imploding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/at-some-point-the-dollar-has-to-give-you-can-t-just-keep-printing/)

[Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/)

> [Let's say I am a chocoholic and I eat tons of chocolate a day. A hundred thousands of tons a day. I have this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-koch/let-s-say-i-am-a-chocoholic-and-i-eat-tons-of-chocolate-a-day-a/)

[Charles Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-koch/)

## More by Joseph Stiglitz

> [I grew up in a family in which political issues were often discussed, and debated intensely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stiglitz/i-grew-up-in-a-family-in-which-political-issues-were-often-discussed/)

[Joseph Stiglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stiglitz/)

> [But individuals and firms spend an enormous amount of resources acquiring information, which affects their beliefs; and actions of others too affect their beliefs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stiglitz/but-individuals-and-firms-spend-an-enormous-amount-of-resources/)

[Joseph Stiglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stiglitz/)

> [China, with its large emerging middle class, is among the big beneficiaries of globalization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stiglitz/china-with-its-large-emerging-middle-class-is-among-the-big/)

[Joseph Stiglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stiglitz/)

> [Trickle-down economics is a myth. Enriching corporations - as the TPP would - will not necessarily help those in the middle, let alone those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stiglitz/trickle-down-economics-is-a-myth-enriching-corporations-as-the-tpp/)

[Joseph Stiglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stiglitz/)

> [Some people say we have this inequality because some people have been contributing much more to our society, and so it's fair that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stiglitz/some-people-say-we-have-this-inequality-because-some-people-have-been/)

[Joseph Stiglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stiglitz/)

> [It's actually a tribute to the quality of economics teaching that they have persuaded so many generations of students to believe in so much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stiglitz/it-s-actually-a-tribute-to-the-quality-of-economics-teaching-that/)

[Joseph Stiglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stiglitz/)

> [In an economy, when the government spends more and invests in the economy, that money circulates, and recirculates again and again. So not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stiglitz/in-an-economy-when-the-government-spends-more-and-invests-in-the/)

[Joseph Stiglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stiglitz/)

> [The laws of normal economics dictate that lower taxes combined with increased spending will lead to bigger deficits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stiglitz/the-laws-of-normal-economics-dictate-that-lower-taxes-combined-with/)

[Joseph Stiglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stiglitz/)

> [A less healthy America is not going to be as productive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stiglitz/a-less-healthy-america-is-not-going-to-be-as-productive/)

[Joseph Stiglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stiglitz/)

> [As I noted in my Nobel lecture, an early insight in my work on the economics of information concerned the problem of appropriability -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stiglitz/as-i-noted-in-my-nobel-lecture-an-early-insight-in-my-work-on-the/)

[Joseph Stiglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stiglitz/)

> [We noted the psychological problems facing many of the returning from Iraq veterans - of the 700,000 returning veterans, more than a 100,000 have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stiglitz/we-noted-the-psychological-problems-facing-many-of-the-returning-from/)

[Joseph Stiglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stiglitz/)

> [World War II was really unusual, because America was in the Great Depression before. So the war did help the US economy to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stiglitz/world-war-ii-was-really-unusual-because-america-was-in-the-great/)

[Joseph Stiglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stiglitz/)

> [Moreover, because we chose to finance the way by borrowing, our deficits and debt has soared, and this means we have less room for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stiglitz/moreover-because-we-chose-to-finance-the-way-by-borrowing-our/)

[Joseph Stiglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stiglitz/)

> [I've always been sceptical about the notion that the market is a person you can engage in an argument with, and that that person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stiglitz/i-ve-always-been-sceptical-about-the-notion-that-the-market-is-a/)

[Joseph Stiglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stiglitz/)

> [The striking thing about America is - it's historically, extraordinary unusual,I don't of any other instance - is that productivity of workers and wages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stiglitz/the-striking-thing-about-america-is-it-s-historically-extraordinary/)

[Joseph Stiglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stiglitz/)

[Explore all 251 Joseph Stiglitz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stiglitz/)

## More Dollar bills quotes

> [The man in the coon skin cap in the pig pen wants eleven dollar bills, you've only got ten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/the-man-in-the-coon-skin-cap-in-the-pig-pen-wants-eleven-dollar-bills/)

[Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/)

> [Cash rules everything around me cream get the money, dollar dollar bills y'all fuck it!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swizz-beatz/cash-rules-everything-around-me-cream-get-the-money-dollar-dollar/)

[Swizz Beatz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swizz-beatz/)

> [ \[The web\] is going to end up being a tremendous advantage, providing we can work out the financial structure. I think we’ll see newspapers… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-evans/the-web-is-going-to-end-up-being-a-tremendous-advantage-providing-we/)

[Harold Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-evans/)

> [“Fortune Without Love (The Sonnet) Fortune without love is sheer curse, For life's true blessing is love alone. Live to love and love to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/fortune-without-love-the-sonnet-fortune-without-love-is-sheer-curse/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [The major material advantage, financial advantage from having a reserve currency is that between 200 and 300 billion dollar bills, that may be twenty,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-c-solomon/the-major-material-advantage-financial-advantage-from-having-a/)

[Robert C. Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-c-solomon/)

> [A secret ceases to be a secret if it is once confided - it is like a dollar bill, once broken, it is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/a-secret-ceases-to-be-a-secret-if-it-is-once-confided-it-is-like-a/)

[Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/)

> [And as we know now, and as I pointed out many times, the great plume of fire at the bottom of the Space Shuttle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-rohrabacher/and-as-we-know-now-and-as-i-pointed-out-many-times-the-great-plume-of/)

[Dana Rohrabacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-rohrabacher/)

> [I'm not gonna deny it, I walk around with hundred dollar bills hanging out of my pocket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cris-collinsworth/i-m-not-gonna-deny-it-i-walk-around-with-hundred-dollar-bills-hanging/)

[Cris Collinsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cris-collinsworth/)

> [If you put a ten dollar bill under the rug instead of spending it, that is capital formation. It represents ten dollars' worth of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garet-garrett/if-you-put-a-ten-dollar-bill-under-the-rug-instead-of-spending-it/)

[Garet Garrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garet-garrett/)

> [You must think I am a high-priced man… Fifteen dollars is enough for the job. I send you a receipt for fifteen dollars, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/you-must-think-i-am-a-high-priced-man-fifteen-dollars-is-enough-for/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [“Did you know two out of six dollar bills have been shoved down a stripper’s G-string at one point in time?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-mclaughlin/did-you-know-two-out-of-six-dollar-bills-have-been-shoved-down-a/)

[Jen McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-mclaughlin/)

> [No road offers more mystery than that first one you mount from the town you were born to, the first time you mount it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-karr/no-road-offers-more-mystery-than-that-first-one-you-mount-from-the/)

[Mary Karr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-karr/)

> [If God takes away from us the old, wrinkled, beat-up dollar bill we have clutched so desperately, it is only because He wants to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/if-god-takes-away-from-us-the-old-wrinkled-beat-up-dollar-bill-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [The Space Shuttle is the most effective device known to man for destroying dollar bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-rohrabacher/the-space-shuttle-is-the-most-effective-device-known-to-man-for/)

[Dana Rohrabacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-rohrabacher/)

> [“It was your covenant with the devil to exchange your soul for money and fame, so i won't be sorry for your damn f\*\*\*ing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/it-was-your-covenant-with-the-devil-to-exchange-your-soul-for-money/)

[Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/)

[Browse all 71 Dollar bills quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dollar-bills/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We could, of course, always make the payments, simply by printing more money - we simply promise to pay people by giving them dollar bills - but that could set off inflation.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Joseph Stiglitz"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stiglitz/we-could-of-course-always-make-the-payments-simply-by-printing-more/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Dollar bills"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stiglitz/we-could-of-course-always-make-the-payments-simply-by-printing-more/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2b/joseph-stiglitz-1351_giving_we-could-of-course-always-make-the-payme_1093553.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2b/joseph-stiglitz-1351_giving_we-could-of-course-always-make-the-payme_1093553.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2b/joseph-stiglitz-1351_giving_we-could-of-course-always-make-the-payme_1093553.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We could, of course, always make the payments, simply by printing more money - we simply promise to pay…” — Joseph Stiglitz",
                "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": "Joseph Stiglitz",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stiglitz/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We could, of course, always make...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stiglitz/we-could-of-course-always-make-the-payments-simply-by-printing-more/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stiglitz/we-could-of-course-always-make-the-payments-simply-by-printing-more/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
