--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I picked economics at the end of my…" description: "\"I picked economics at the end of my undergraduate time because it seemed to be a really nice combination of theory, including mathematical theory on on..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07c/michael-spence-17709_economics_i-picked-economics-at-the-end-of-my-unde_31584.jpg" --- # I picked economics at the end of my undergraduate time… ![“I picked economics at the end of my undergraduate time because it seemed to be a really nice combination of theory, including mathematical theory on one hand, and things that are quite practical that you can touch and see and feel. So I picked it, and I consciously thought of it as an experiment…” quote by Michael Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07c/michael-spence-17709_economics_i-picked-economics-at-the-end-of-my-unde_31584.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07c/michael-spence-17709_economics_i-picked-economics-at-the-end-of-my-unde_31584.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07c/michael-spence-17709_economics_i-picked-economics-at-the-end-of-my-unde_31584.jpg) > “I picked economics at the end of my undergraduate time because it seemed to be a really nice combination of theory, including mathematical theory on one hand, and things that are quite practical that you can touch and see and feel. So I picked it, and I consciously thought of it as an experiment to see if I liked it. And it worked.” [Michael Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-spence/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Choosing economics as a blend of abstract theory and tangible applications, the speaker treated the decision as an experiment to gauge personal affinity, which proved successful. **In simple terms:** Economics merges theory with real‑world relevance. Key Takeaway Test fields before committing. Themes interdisciplinary practicality self‑discovery experimentation decision‑making Mood curious optimistic Type personal anecdote educational insight When to use this quote - college major selection - career exploration - academic curiosity Key Concepts theory application personal growth Practical Applications - career guidance counseling - curriculum design Questions to Reflect On - What factors influence your choice of study? - How does hands‑on experience shape theoretical understanding? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Economics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economics/) [Experiment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiment/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“Reality is not a thought experiment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-amerland/reality-is-not-a-thought-experiment/) [David Amerland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-amerland/) > [I like to imagine, as a thought experiment, the day, perhaps not too far off, when a Republican president nominates a Supreme Court Justice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/i-like-to-imagine-as-a-thought-experiment-the-day-perhaps-not-too-far/) [Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/) > [What Mach calls a thought experiment is of course not an experiment at all. At bottom it is a grammatical investigation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-mach/what-mach-calls-a-thought-experiment-is-of-course-not-an-experiment/) [Ernst Mach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-mach/) > [“I made a point of answering the question I received with some frequency from journalists, Do you think books can change people's lives? (which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/i-made-a-point-of-answering-the-question-i-received-with-some/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [“The purpose of a thought-experiment, as the term was used by Schrödinger and other physicists, is not to predict the future - indeed Schrödinger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/the-purpose-of-a-thought-experiment-as-the-term-was-used-by-schr/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“Passepartout was astounded, and, though ready to attempt anything to get over Medicine Creek, thought the experiment proposed a little too American.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-verne/passepartout-was-astounded-and-though-ready-to-attempt-anything-to/) [Jules Verne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-verne/) > [“None that I could understand, but he did illustrate his point with a thought experiment. It’s called the Infinite Hallway.” Langdon paused, taking another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/none-that-i-could-understand-but-he-did-illustrate-his-point-with-a/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [I didn't understand the Weber bar and how gravitational waves interacted with it. I sat and thought about it over a weekend, trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/i-didn-t-understand-the-weber-bar-and-how-gravitational-waves/) [Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/) > [She sat back on her heels and nodded. The thought experiment she proposed was certainly odd, but her point was simple. Everything in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/she-sat-back-on-her-heels-and-nodded-the-thought-experiment-she/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [“Life may be scary But it’s only temporary. And this is perhaps the most comforting conclusion to be reached if one discounts the possibility…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/life-may-be-scary-but-it-s-only-temporary-and-this-is-perhaps-the/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [“The last refuge of the Self, perhaps, is “physical continuity.” Despite the body’s mercurial nature, it feels like a badge of identity we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-kingsland/the-last-refuge-of-the-self-perhaps-is-physical-continuity-despite/) [James Kingsland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-kingsland/) > [“ Thought Experiment : Imagine that you are Johnny Carson and find yourself caught in an intolerable one-on-one conversation at a cocktail party from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walker-percy/thought-experiment-imagine-that-you-are-johnny-carson-and-find/) [Walker Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walker-percy/) > [“Turing presented his new offering in the form of a thought experiment, based on a popular Victorian parlor game. A man and a woman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/turing-presented-his-new-offering-in-the-form-of-a-thought-experiment/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [I set my life since then attempting to figure out how to do that, basically how to have a sort of public discourse in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathon-keats/i-set-my-life-since-then-attempting-to-figure-out-how-to-do-that/) [Jonathon Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathon-keats/) > [“If at the moment when someone cuts us off in traffic or breaks our heart or begins bombing our ancestral village, we could withdraw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/if-at-the-moment-when-someone-cuts-us-off-in-traffic-or-breaks-our/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) ## More by Michael Spence > [My mother was strong-willed, demanding, and very supportive all at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-spence/my-mother-was-strong-willed-demanding-and-very-supportive-all-at-the/) [Michael Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-spence/) > [There is no question that the recovery from the global recession triggered by the 2008 financial crisis has been unusually lengthy and anemic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-spence/there-is-no-question-that-the-recovery-from-the-global-recession/) [Michael Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-spence/) > [During my Ph.D. program, I became interested in the informational structure of markets that turned into the work on signaling, which was the part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-spence/during-my-ph-d-program-i-became-interested-in-the-informational/) [Michael Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-spence/) > [In economies with excess productive capacity, targeted investment can yield a double benefit, generating short-run demand and boosting growth and productivity thereafter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-spence/in-economies-with-excess-productive-capacity-targeted-investment-can/) [Michael Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-spence/) > [Next to my family, it seems clear to me that the educational institutions and the teachers from whom I had the privilege of learning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-spence/next-to-my-family-it-seems-clear-to-me-that-the-educational/) [Michael Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-spence/) > [Properly targeted public investment can do much to boost economic performance, generating aggregate demand quickly, fueling productivity growth by improving human capital, encouraging technological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-spence/properly-targeted-public-investment-can-do-much-to-boost-economic/) [Michael Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-spence/) > [Globalization is the process by which markets integrate worldwide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-spence/globalization-is-the-process-by-which-markets-integrate-worldwide/) [Michael Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-spence/) > [The research side of academic life is often viewed from the outside as a solo and, at times, lonely activity. In fact, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-spence/the-research-side-of-academic-life-is-often-viewed-from-the-outside/) [Michael Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-spence/) > [Digitally enabled supply chains initially increased efficiency and dramatically shortened lead times. Capital was mobile; labor, less so. Economic activity (production, research, design, etc.)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-spence/digitally-enabled-supply-chains-initially-increased-efficiency-and/) [Michael Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-spence/) > [It is a wonderful and unexpected honor to receive the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. Receiving this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-spence/it-is-a-wonderful-and-unexpected-honor-to-receive-the-bank-of-sweden/) [Michael Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-spence/) > [Although everyone does benefit from lower-priced goods and services, people also care greatly about the chance to be productively employed and the quality of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-spence/although-everyone-does-benefit-from-lower-priced-goods-and-services/) [Michael Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-spence/) > [I was not thinking about infinite multipliers when I was 10. But I did have a father who was a Ph.D. in commerce and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-spence/i-was-not-thinking-about-infinite-multipliers-when-i-was-10-but-i-did/) [Michael Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-spence/) > [Globalization has redefined the competition for employment and incomes in the United States. Tradeoffs will have to be made between the two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-spence/globalization-has-redefined-the-competition-for-employment-and/) [Michael Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-spence/) > [China's continued growth and rising household income are creating opportunities for lower-income economies in low-cost manufacturing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-spence/china-s-continued-growth-and-rising-household-income-are-creating/) [Michael Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-spence/) > [All countries will eventually need to rebuild their growth models around digital technologies and the human capital that supports their deployment and expansion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-spence/all-countries-will-eventually-need-to-rebuild-their-growth-models/) [Michael Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-spence/) [Explore all 36 Michael Spence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-spence/) ## More Economics quotes > [Don't let's lose sight of what creates wealth. 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It is about the power of the state as applied to individuals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-rudd/politics-is-about-power-it-is-about-the-power-of-the-state-it-is/) [Kevin Rudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-rudd/) > [Having an economy that works for the 99% is achievable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winnie-byanyima/having-an-economy-that-works-for-the-99-is-achievable/) [Winnie Byanyima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winnie-byanyima/) > [“a select group of high-performing companies have managed to close the strategy-to-performance gap through better planning and execution. These companies—Barclays, Cisco Systems, Dow Chemical,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-mankins/a-select-group-of-high-performing-companies-have-managed-to-close-the/) [Michael C. 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Psychologists watch what they actually do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/economists-think-about-what-people-ought-to-do-psychologists-watch/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [The politician attempts to remedy the evil by increasing the very thing that caused the evil in the first place: legal plunder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/the-politician-attempts-to-remedy-the-evil-by-increasing-the-very/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [“Economists have a singular method of procedure. There are only two kinds of institutions for them, artificial and natural. The institutions of feudalism are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/economists-have-a-singular-method-of-procedure-there-are-only-two/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [As the variable capital always stays in the hands of the capitalist in some form or other, it cannot be claimed in any way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/as-the-variable-capital-always-stays-in-the-hands-of-the-capitalist/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) [Browse all 7,788 Economics quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economics/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I picked economics at the end of my undergraduate time because it seemed to be a really nice combination of theory, including mathematical theory on one hand, and things that are quite practical that you can touch and see and feel. So I picked it, and I consciously thought of it as an experiment to see if I liked it. 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