--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our thesis is that the idea of a…" description: "\"Our thesis is that the idea of a self-adjusting market implied a stark utopia. Such an institution could not exist for any length of time without annih..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a3/karl-polanyi-40143_adjusting_our-thesis-is-that-the-idea-of-a-self-ad_1608091.jpg" --- # Our thesis is that the idea of a self-adjusting market… ![“Our thesis is that the idea of a self-adjusting market implied a stark utopia. Such an institution could not exist for any length of time without annihilating the human and natural substance of society; it would have physically destroyed man and transformed his surroundings into a wilderness.” quote by Karl Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a3/karl-polanyi-40143_adjusting_our-thesis-is-that-the-idea-of-a-self-ad_1608091.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a3/karl-polanyi-40143_adjusting_our-thesis-is-that-the-idea-of-a-self-ad_1608091.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a3/karl-polanyi-40143_adjusting_our-thesis-is-that-the-idea-of-a-self-ad_1608091.jpg) > “Our thesis is that the idea of a self-adjusting market implied a stark utopia. Such an institution could not exist for any length of time without annihilating the human and natural substance of society; it would have physically destroyed man and transformed his surroundings into a wilderness.” [Karl Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-polanyi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A self‑regulating market, if left unchecked, would erode social and ecological foundations, turning humanity into a destructive force. **In simple terms:** Uncontrolled markets destroy society and nature. Key Takeaway Guard against market excesses. Themes economics environment society utopia regulation Mood cautious critical reflective Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - policy design - environmental regulation - community planning - corporate governance - urban development Key Concepts market self‑regulation social ecology human impact Questions to Reflect On - How can we embed social safeguards in market systems? - What limits should be set to protect nature? A Different Perspective Markets cannot function without social and ecological constraints. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Institutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutions/) [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Surroundings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surroundings/) [Utopia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/utopia/) [Wilderness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wilderness/) ## Related quotes > [The neglect this implied, the suffering and wasted quality of human life were appalling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-hollows/the-neglect-this-implied-the-suffering-and-wasted-quality-of-human/) [Fred Hollows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-hollows/) > [Traditional society was more like a set of concentric circles of meaningful structures, while modern man must learn how to find meaning in many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-illich/traditional-society-was-more-like-a-set-of-concentric-circles-of/) [Ivan Illich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-illich/) > [Where women are, the better things are implied if not spoken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-bronson-alcott/where-women-are-the-better-things-are-implied-if-not-spoken/) [Amos Bronson Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-bronson-alcott/) > [ Creating senates, the French critics said, implied that there was another social order besides the people represented in the houses of representatives. \[John\] Adams… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-s-wood/creating-senates-the-french-critics-said-implied-that-there-was/) [Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/) > [There is an implied warranty that a commissioned work should last a lifetime. There is to be no charge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxfield-parrish/there-is-an-implied-warranty-that-a-commissioned-work-should-last-a/) [Maxfield Parrish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxfield-parrish/) > [What praise is implied in the simple epithet useful! What reproach in the contrary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/what-praise-is-implied-in-the-simple-epithet-useful-what-reproach-in/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [When the president acts in absence of a congressional grant of authority, he can rely only upon his own independent powers. When the president…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlen-specter/when-the-president-acts-in-absence-of-a-congressional-grant-of/) [Arlen Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlen-specter/) > [“Se l’amore implied, If this is love, then…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/se-l-amore-implied-if-this-is-love-then/) [André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/) > [You have to lead, in the case of a game show, a contestant through the architecture of the show. So there's a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ian-black/you-have-to-lead-in-the-case-of-a-game-show-a-contestant-through-the/) [Michael Ian Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ian-black/) > [The implied threat of using nuclear weapons to curb guerrillas was as absurd as to talk of using a sledge hammer to ward off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-h-liddell-hart/the-implied-threat-of-using-nuclear-weapons-to-curb-guerrillas-was-as/) [B. H. Liddell Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-h-liddell-hart/) > [I believed totally in the possibilities implied in the series. I never thought of it as fantasy. Far from it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-troughton/i-believed-totally-in-the-possibilities-implied-in-the-series-i-never/) [Patrick Troughton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-troughton/) > [Of course language manifests a belief only if we use its words with the implied acceptance of their appositeness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-polanyi/of-course-language-manifests-a-belief-only-if-we-use-its-words-with/) [Michael Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-polanyi/) > [It takes time for an acorn to turn into an oak, but the oak is already implied in the acorn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/it-takes-time-for-an-acorn-to-turn-into-an-oak-but-the-oak-is-already/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [Our Lord never referred to unanswered prayer. He taught that prayers are always answered: “Everyone who asks receives”. And He implied that prayers are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/our-lord-never-referred-to-unanswered-prayer-he-taught-that-prayers/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [I'd forgotten what an honest sandwich it is. For those of you not familiar, 'BLT' stands for 'bacon, lettuce, and tomato.' A lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/i-d-forgotten-what-an-honest-sandwich-it-is-for-those-of-you-not/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) ## More by Karl Polanyi > [“Robert Owen’s was a true insight: market economy if left to evolve according to its own laws would create great and permanent evils.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-polanyi/robert-owen-s-was-a-true-insight-market-economy-if-left-to-evolve/) [Karl Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-polanyi/) > [“The root of all evil, the liberal insists, was precisely this interference with the freedom of employment, trade and currencies practiced by the various…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-polanyi/the-root-of-all-evil-the-liberal-insists-was-precisely-this/) [Karl Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-polanyi/) > [There was nothing natural about laissez-faire; free markets could never have come into being merely by allowing things to take their course. Just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-polanyi/there-was-nothing-natural-about-laissez-faire-free-markets-could/) [Karl Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-polanyi/) > [“the selfish gladly consoled themselves with the thought that though it was merciful at least it was not liberal;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-polanyi/the-selfish-gladly-consoled-themselves-with-the-thought-that-though/) [Karl Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-polanyi/) > [To allow the market mechanism to be the sole director of the fate of human beings and their natural environment…would result in the demolition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-polanyi/to-allow-the-market-mechanism-to-be-the-sole-director-of-the-fate-of/) [Karl Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-polanyi/) > [Enclosures have been appropriately called a revolution of the rich against the poor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-polanyi/enclosures-have-been-appropriately-called-a-revolution-of-the-rich/) [Karl Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-polanyi/) > [“In the half-century 1879–1929, Western societies developed into close-knit units, in which powerful disruptive strains were latent. The more immediate source of this development…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-polanyi/in-the-half-century-1879-1929-western-societies-developed-into-close/) [Karl Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-polanyi/) > [“the organization of labor is only another word for the forms of life of the common people, this means that the development of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-polanyi/the-organization-of-labor-is-only-another-word-for-the-forms-of-life/) [Karl Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-polanyi/) > [“And yet, Burke might have countered, once the masses were fated by the laws of political economy to toil in misery, what else was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-polanyi/and-yet-burke-might-have-countered-once-the-masses-were-fated-by-the/) [Karl Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-polanyi/) > [“...To allow the market mechanism to be sole director of the fate of human beings and their natural environment, indeed, even of the amount…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-polanyi/to-allow-the-market-mechanism-to-be-sole-director-of-the-fate-of/) [Karl Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-polanyi/) [Explore all 11 Karl Polanyi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-polanyi/) ## More Adjusting quotes > [In the movie, I deal with the loss of my legs and adjusting and trying to become a new person, essentially.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bauman/in-the-movie-i-deal-with-the-loss-of-my-legs-and-adjusting-and-trying/) [Jeff Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bauman/) > [Aerobic dancing is already adjusting to injury problems and will probably phase out to some extent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-h-cooper/aerobic-dancing-is-already-adjusting-to-injury-problems-and-will/) [Kenneth H. Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-h-cooper/) > [Every year, you have to keep adjusting. I'm 28; I'm not 19 anymore. You have to work harder now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-hernandez/every-year-you-have-to-keep-adjusting-i-m-28-i-m-not-19-anymore-you/) [Felix Hernandez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-hernandez/) > [The most successful businessmen were often uneducated when measured by the scholastic standards of the teaching profession. But they were equal to their social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/the-most-successful-businessmen-were-often-uneducated-when-measured/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [It was physically difficult, adjusting to wheelchair life, but I remember a great relief and happiness that I was finally getting somewhere, finding musicians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-wyatt/it-was-physically-difficult-adjusting-to-wheelchair-life-but-i/) [Robert Wyatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-wyatt/) > [At first I had no skills in writing comedy. I didn't know what a joke was, but, as someone once told me, your emotions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/at-first-i-had-no-skills-in-writing-comedy-i-didn-t-know-what-a-joke/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [The challenge of co-operation in today's age of quarrel can be achieved by adjusting every situation according to the higher principle of loving God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radhanath-swami/the-challenge-of-co-operation-in-today-s-age-of-quarrel-can-be/) [Radhanath Swami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radhanath-swami/) > [“ Here's something life doesn't give you: a recipe.You have to make it up as you go along, adjusting accordingly. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-gold/here-s-something-life-doesn-t-give-you-a-recipe-you-have-to-make-it/) Jennifer Gold > [The first effect of adjusting to other people is that one becomes boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elias-canetti/the-first-effect-of-adjusting-to-other-people-is-that-one-becomes/) [Elias Canetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elias-canetti/) > [I think they’re having trouble adjusting to the emotions they have outside of their dreams. At any rate, they keep acting like demented teenagers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/i-think-they-re-having-trouble-adjusting-to-the-emotions-they-have/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [Wise and prudent men and intelligent conservatives have long known that in a changing world worthy institutions can be conserved only by adjusting them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/wise-and-prudent-men-and-intelligent-conservatives-have-long-known/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [It’s really critical to have your dream life in your mind so that you’re constantly adjusting and designing your business in such a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-roney/it-s-really-critical-to-have-your-dream-life-in-your-mind-so-that-you/) [Blake Roney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-roney/) > [“There are four ways to adjust a recipe: adjusting the number of portions yielded, changing the size of the portions, yielding a specific number…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruby-parker-puckett/there-are-four-ways-to-adjust-a-recipe-adjusting-the-number-of/) [Ruby Parker Puckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruby-parker-puckett/) > [Talent is important, and some background as well. This really is not beginner's school. I want to work with people that have achieved a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vlatko-stefanovski/talent-is-important-and-some-background-as-well-this-really-is-not/) Vlatko Stefanovski > [I don't mean to imply that we are in imminent danger of being wiped off the face of the earth - at least, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-claussen/i-don-t-mean-to-imply-that-we-are-in-imminent-danger-of-being-wiped/) [Eileen Claussen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-claussen/) Browse all 170 Adjusting quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Our thesis is that the idea of a self-adjusting market implied a stark utopia. 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