Free trade Quote by Lane Kirkland
“To hear the Japanese plead for free trade is like hearing the word love on the lips of a harlot.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Public address on trade policy, 1970s
Comparing Japanese advocacy for free trade to a harlot's love reveals contempt and moral judgment.
In simple terms: The speaker disdains Japanese trade pleas as insincere.
Key Takeaway
Question the motives behind trade rhetoric.
Themes
trade
politics
culture
morality
disdain
Mood
skeptical
critical
Type
political
controversial
When to use this quote
- International negotiations
- policy debates
- media commentary
Key Concepts
Economic nationalism
cultural bias
Questions to Reflect On
- What assumptions underlie the speaker's view?
- How does language shape perception of trade?
A Different Perspective
The analogy may offend and oversimplify complex economic relations.
![“[The] term 'libertarian' itself, to be sure, raises a problem, notably, the specious identification of an anti-authoritarian ideology with a straggling movement for 'pure capitalism' and 'free trade.' This movement never created the word: it appropriated it from the anarchist movement of the…” quote by Murray Bookchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d1e/murray-bookchin-2587_free-trade_the-term-libertarian-itself-to-be-sure-r_144681.jpg)