--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Economics is not an attempt to generalize…" description: "\"Economics is not an attempt to generalize human desires or human behavior; but to generalize the phenomena of price.\" — Michael Joseph Oakeshott" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be8/michael-joseph-oakeshott-25415_behavior_economics-is-not-an-attempt-to-generaliz_1922102.png" --- # Economics is not an attempt to generalize human desires or… ![“Economics is not an attempt to generalize human desires or human behavior; but to generalize the phenomena of price.” quote by Michael Joseph Oakeshott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be8/michael-joseph-oakeshott-25415_behavior_economics-is-not-an-attempt-to-generaliz_1922102.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be8/michael-joseph-oakeshott-25415_behavior_economics-is-not-an-attempt-to-generaliz_1922102.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be8/michael-joseph-oakeshott-25415_behavior_economics-is-not-an-attempt-to-generaliz_1922102.png) > “Economics is not an attempt to generalize human desires or human behavior; but to generalize the phenomena of price.” [Michael Joseph Oakeshott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-joseph-oakeshott/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The statement distinguishes economics as a study of price phenomena rather than a generalization of human desires or behavior. **In simple terms:** Economics studies price patterns, not human motives. Key Takeaway Focus on price mechanisms. Themes economics philosophy methodology Mood analytical critical Type philosophical academic When to use this quote - policy design - academic research - business strategy - education Key Concepts price theory behavioral limits market analysis Questions to Reflect On - How do price signals reflect human choices? - Can economics ever fully separate from behavior? A Different Perspective It may overlook the influence of psychology on markets. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Behavior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behavior/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Economics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economics/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Human behavior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-behavior/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) ## Related quotes > [Photography is thus brought within reach of every human being who desires to preserve a record of what he sees… and enables the fortunate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eastman/photography-is-thus-brought-within-reach-of-every-human-being-who/) [George Eastman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eastman/) > [“To avoid a misconception, it must be clarified that a world of steadily increasing wealth by no means ends human competition, and certainly does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-gat/to-avoid-a-misconception-it-must-be-clarified-that-a-world-of/) Azar Gat > [The full meaning of life, the collective meaning of all human desires, is fundamentally a mystery beyond our grasp. As a young man, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-wigner/the-full-meaning-of-life-the-collective-meaning-of-all-human-desires/) [Eugene Wigner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-wigner/) > [“It matter so little to the majority of living beings what the minority, that calls itself human, desires or decides.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster-2/it-matter-so-little-to-the-majority-of-living-beings-what-the/) [E.M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster-2/) > [All the arts serving human desires and needs are derived from the breath that Godsent into the human body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hildegard-of-bingen/all-the-arts-serving-human-desires-and-needs-are-derived-from-the/) [Hildegard of Bingen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hildegard-of-bingen/) > [Human desires and requirements do not ever achieve perfection until death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/human-desires-and-requirements-do-not-ever-achieve-perfection-until/) Mak\_786 > [“But there is no conceivable way of making people do things they do not wish to do. What is possible is to alter their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/but-there-is-no-conceivable-way-of-making-people-do-things-they-do/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“I feel that human desires are absolutely necessary. They keep us alive. So, we shouldn’t frown upon them. And instead, should embrace them with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhaidev/i-feel-that-human-desires-are-absolutely-necessary-they-keep-us-alive/) [Abhaidev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhaidev/) > [Deep down, we remain human, very human and have all the desires to love and be loved by one person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/basil-hume/deep-down-we-remain-human-very-human-and-have-all-the-desires-to-love/) [Basil Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/basil-hume/) > [The individual feels the vanity of human desires and aims, and the nobility and marvelous order which are revealed in nature and in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-individual-feels-the-vanity-of-human-desires-and-aims-and-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [...all enjoyment is dependent upon the frailty of human life and human desires ... if we were to have all we want and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-swallow-richards/all-enjoyment-is-dependent-upon-the-frailty-of-human-life-and-human/) [Ellen Swallow Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-swallow-richards/) > [“Every human being desires love and happiness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/every-human-being-desires-love-and-happiness/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [The individual feels the futility of human desires and aims and the sublimity and marvelous order which reveal themselves both in nature and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-individual-feels-the-futility-of-human-desires-and-aims-and-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [“On occasion a traveler will venture from one city to another. Is he perplexed What took seconds in Berne might take hours in Fribourg…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/on-occasion-a-traveler-will-venture-from-one-city-to-another-is-he/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [Two deep human desires were at war ... the longing for stability, for form, for permanence, which in its essence is the desire for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-wilder-lane/two-deep-human-desires-were-at-war-the-longing-for-stability-for-form/) [Rose Wilder Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-wilder-lane/) ## More by Michael Joseph Oakeshott > [In political activity, then, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea; there is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-joseph-oakeshott/in-political-activity-then-men-sail-a-boundless-and-bottomless-sea/) [Michael Joseph Oakeshott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-joseph-oakeshott/) > [Education is ... the invitation to disentangle oneself, for a time, from the urgencies of the here and now and to listen to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-joseph-oakeshott/education-is-the-invitation-to-disentangle-oneself-for-a-time-from/) [Michael Joseph Oakeshott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-joseph-oakeshott/) > [It is certain that most who concentrate upon achievement miss life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-joseph-oakeshott/it-is-certain-that-most-who-concentrate-upon-achievement-miss-life/) [Michael Joseph Oakeshott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-joseph-oakeshott/) > [A recorded past is no more than a bygone present composed of the footprints made by human beings actually going somewhere but not knowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-joseph-oakeshott/a-recorded-past-is-no-more-than-a-bygone-present-composed-of-the/) [Michael Joseph Oakeshott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-joseph-oakeshott/) > [To be conservative…is to prefer the familiar to the unknown, to prefer the tried to the untried, fact to mystery, the actual to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-joseph-oakeshott/to-be-conservative-is-to-prefer-the-familiar-to-the-unknown-to-prefer/) [Michael Joseph Oakeshott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-joseph-oakeshott/) > [The man of conservative temperament believes that a known good is not lightly to be surrendered for an unknown better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-joseph-oakeshott/the-man-of-conservative-temperament-believes-that-a-known-good-is-not/) [Michael Joseph Oakeshott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-joseph-oakeshott/) > [The rule of law bakes no bread, it is unable to distribute loaves or fishes (it has none), and it cannot protect itself against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-joseph-oakeshott/the-rule-of-law-bakes-no-bread-it-is-unable-to-distribute-loaves-or/) [Michael Joseph Oakeshott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-joseph-oakeshott/) > [The conjunction of ruling and dreaming generates tyranny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-joseph-oakeshott/the-conjunction-of-ruling-and-dreaming-generates-tyranny/) [Michael Joseph Oakeshott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-joseph-oakeshott/) > [This, I believe, is the appropriate image of human intercourse -- appropriate because it recognizes the qualities, the diversities, and the proper relationships of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-joseph-oakeshott/this-i-believe-is-the-appropriate-image-of-human-intercourse/) [Michael Joseph Oakeshott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-joseph-oakeshott/) > [Our predicament is not the difficulty of attaining happiness, but the difficult of avoiding the misery to which the pursuit of happiness exposes us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-joseph-oakeshott/our-predicament-is-not-the-difficulty-of-attaining-happiness-but-the/) [Michael Joseph Oakeshott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-joseph-oakeshott/) > [History is what the evidence compels us to believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-joseph-oakeshott/history-is-what-the-evidence-compels-us-to-believe/) [Michael Joseph Oakeshott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-joseph-oakeshott/) > [Politics I take to be the activity of attending to the general arrangements of a set of people whom chance or choice have brought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-joseph-oakeshott/politics-i-take-to-be-the-activity-of-attending-to-the-general/) [Michael Joseph Oakeshott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-joseph-oakeshott/) > [We consider ourselves to be free because no one in our society is allowed unlimited powerno leader, faction, party or 'class', no majority, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-joseph-oakeshott/we-consider-ourselves-to-be-free-because-no-one-in-our-society-is/) [Michael Joseph Oakeshott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-joseph-oakeshott/) > [Like Midas, the Rationalist is always in the unfortunate position of not being able to touch anything, without transforming it into an abstraction; he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-joseph-oakeshott/like-midas-the-rationalist-is-always-in-the-unfortunate-position-of/) [Michael Joseph Oakeshott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-joseph-oakeshott/) > [“So far from a political ideology being the quasi-divine parent of political activity, it turns out to be its earthly stepchild. Instead of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-joseph-oakeshott/so-far-from-a-political-ideology-being-the-quasi-divine-parent-of/) [Michael Joseph Oakeshott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-joseph-oakeshott/) [Explore all 23 Michael Joseph Oakeshott quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-joseph-oakeshott/) ## More Behavior quotes > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behaviour. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-you-begin-changing-your-thinking-start-immediately-to-change-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I now know that deep within the human concept is something dark, selfish, and completely willing to do whatever is necessary to support the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-west/i-now-know-that-deep-within-the-human-concept-is-something-dark/) [Melissa West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-west/) > [“We are endowed with genes which code out our reaction to beavers and otters, maybe our reaction to each other as well. We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/we-are-endowed-with-genes-which-code-out-our-reaction-to-beavers-and/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [The number of poor, and poorly prepared, students who succeed in college and beyond undercuts the simplistic notion that economic or educational disadvantage is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-merullo/the-number-of-poor-and-poorly-prepared-students-who-succeed-in/) [Roland Merullo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-merullo/) > [To behave creatively in art means behavior with skill; and skill comes from discipline, not derangement. The artist who knows the rules -and proportion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burne-hogarth/to-behave-creatively-in-art-means-behavior-with-skill-and-skill-comes/) Burne Hogarth > [You don't put milk in chamomile tea - that's disgusting behavior! That's not right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-fraser/you-don-t-put-milk-in-chamomile-tea-that-s-disgusting-behavior-that-s/) [Laura Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-fraser/) > [The laws of thermodynamics, as empirically determined, express the approximate and probable behavior of systems of a great number of particles, or, more precisely,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-willard-gibbs/the-laws-of-thermodynamics-as-empirically-determined-express-the/) J. Willard Gibbs > [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 tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-tipping-point-is-that-magic-moment-when-an-idea-trend-or-social/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [I think we've told a lot of lies about human behavior through film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-arquette/i-think-we-ve-told-a-lot-of-lies-about-human-behavior-through-film/) [Patricia Arquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-arquette/) > [The strongest rebellion may be expressed in quiet, undramatic behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-spock/the-strongest-rebellion-may-be-expressed-in-quiet-undramatic-behavior/) [Benjamin Spock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-spock/) > [The behavior of any bureaucratic organization can best be understood by assuming that it is controlled by a secret cabal of its enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-conquest/the-behavior-of-any-bureaucratic-organization-can-best-be-understood/) [Robert Conquest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-conquest/) > [If you want good behavior, don't pay on a commission basis. Our judges aren't paid so much a case. We keep them pretty well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/if-you-want-good-behavior-don-t-pay-on-a-commission-basis-our-judges/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) [Browse all 4,218 Behavior quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behavior/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Economics is not an attempt to generalize human desires or human behavior; but to generalize the phenomena of price.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Joseph Oakeshott" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-joseph-oakeshott/economics-is-not-an-attempt-to-generalize-human-desires-or-human/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Behavior" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-joseph-oakeshott/economics-is-not-an-attempt-to-generalize-human-desires-or-human/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be8/michael-joseph-oakeshott-25415_behavior_economics-is-not-an-attempt-to-generaliz_1922102.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be8/michael-joseph-oakeshott-25415_behavior_economics-is-not-an-attempt-to-generaliz_1922102.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be8/michael-joseph-oakeshott-25415_behavior_economics-is-not-an-attempt-to-generaliz_1922102.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Economics is not an attempt to generalize human desires or human behavior; but to generalize the phenomena…” — Michael Joseph Oakeshott", "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": "Michael Joseph Oakeshott", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-joseph-oakeshott/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Economics is not an attempt to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-joseph-oakeshott/economics-is-not-an-attempt-to-generalize-human-desires-or-human/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-joseph-oakeshott/economics-is-not-an-attempt-to-generalize-human-desires-or-human/#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 } } ] } ```