--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Today if you look at most economic…" description: "\"Today if you look at most economic textbooks, economics is not defined by subject matter. It's presented as a science of social choice that applies not..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41d/michael-sandel-10344_children_today-if-you-look-at-most-economic-textb_492852.jpg" --- # Today if you look at most economic textbooks, economics is… ![“Today if you look at most economic textbooks, economics is not defined by subject matter. It's presented as a science of social choice that applies not only to material goods - not only to flat-screen televisions - but to every decision we make, whether it's to get married, or to stay married…” quote by Michael Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41d/michael-sandel-10344_children_today-if-you-look-at-most-economic-textb_492852.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41d/michael-sandel-10344_children_today-if-you-look-at-most-economic-textb_492852.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41d/michael-sandel-10344_children_today-if-you-look-at-most-economic-textb_492852.jpg) > “Today if you look at most economic textbooks, economics is not defined by subject matter. It's presented as a science of social choice that applies not only to material goods - not only to flat-screen televisions - but to every decision we make, whether it's to get married, or to stay married, whether to have children and how to educate those children, or how to look after our health.” [Michael Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sandel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Economics studies how people make choices, not just about goods but all life decisions. **In simple terms:** Economics is about decision making in all aspects of life. Key Takeaway Consider the broader impact of economic choices. Themes ethics economics decision making Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - policy design - personal finance - family planning - healthcare decisions Key Concepts Social choice theory behavioral economics Questions to Reflect On - What everyday decisions are economic choices? - How does economics influence personal values? A Different Perspective Economic models may oversimplify human motivations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) [Economics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economics/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) ## Related quotes > [Textbooks describe economics as the study of the allocation of scarce resources. 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I am only pointing out what is possible with the intelligent application and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/in-my-work-i-am-not-attempting-to-predict-the-future-i-am-only/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) > [ They \[the teachers at European conservatories\] taught us because they wanted to pass the knowledge on and educate young musicians. It was not because… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miroslav-vitous/they-the-teachers-at-european-conservatories-taught-us-because-they/) [Miroslav Vitous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miroslav-vitous/) > [With breast cancer, it's all about detection. 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Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [I know one thing: that you can do a lot of things but if you don't educate people into conscious anarchism it gets frittered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-bookchin/i-know-one-thing-that-you-can-do-a-lot-of-things-but-if-you-don-t/) [Murray Bookchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-bookchin/) > [How you educate the people around you, what steps you take toward making it better, what sacrifices you make. The equation of life is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-hawkins/how-you-educate-the-people-around-you-what-steps-you-take-toward/) [Andrew Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-hawkins/) > [Each year more than 100,000 high school graduates, with proved ability, do not enter college because they cannot afford it. And if we cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/each-year-more-than-100-000-high-school-graduates-with-proved-ability/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [We must master our egoism, and through this mastery, step outside ourselves and educate ourselves in giving. Fasting requires that we rediscover all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/we-must-master-our-egoism-and-through-this-mastery-step-outside/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) ## More by Michael Sandel > [It is true that the Jewish tradition emphasizes the moral mandate to save life. It also has a different position from the Catholic Church…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sandel/it-is-true-that-the-jewish-tradition-emphasizes-the-moral-mandate-to/) [Michael Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sandel/) > [If parents are aiming at choosing children who will be good athletes, or great musicians, or who will get into Ivy League schools, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sandel/if-parents-are-aiming-at-choosing-children-who-will-be-good-athletes/) [Michael Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sandel/) > [Aiming at giving our kids a competitive edge in a consumer society - that, in principle, is a goal that is limitless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sandel/aiming-at-giving-our-kids-a-competitive-edge-in-a-consumer-society/) [Michael Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sandel/) > [In natural pregnancy, more than half of fertilized eggs fail to implant or are otherwise lost. 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What matters is that people of different backgrounds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sandel/democracy-does-not-require-perfect-equality-but-it-does-require-that/) [Michael Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sandel/) > [Parenthood is a school for humility. We can't choose the precise traits of our children, and that is morally important. It teaches us what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sandel/parenthood-is-a-school-for-humility-we-can-t-choose-the-precise/) [Michael Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sandel/) > [I'm a supporter of embryonic stem cell research. I do think there are very important moral and also religious questions at stake in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sandel/i-m-a-supporter-of-embryonic-stem-cell-research-i-do-think-there-are/) [Michael Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sandel/) [Explore all 66 Michael Sandel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sandel/) ## More Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. 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