Skip to content

Capitalism Quote by Naomi Klein

“A term like capitalism is incredibly slippery, because there's such a range of different kinds of market economies. Essentially, what we've been debating over—certainly since the Great Depression—is what percentage of a society should be left in the hands of a deregulated market system. And…” quote by Naomi Klein
Download Open image
““A term like capitalism is incredibly slippery, because there's such a range of different kinds of market economies. Essentially, what we've been debating over—certainly since the Great Depression—is what percentage of a society should be left in the hands of a deregulated market system. And absolutely there are people that are at the far other end of the spectrum that want to communalize all property and abolish private property, but in general the debate is not between capitalism and not capitalism, it's between what parts of the economy are not suitable to being decided by the profit motive. And I guess that comes from being Canadian, in a way, because we have more parts of our society that we've made a social contract to say, 'That's not a good place to have the profit motive govern.' Whereas in the United States, that idea is kind of absent from the discussion. So even something like firefighting—it seems hard for people make an argument that maybe the profit motive isn't something we want in the firefighting sector, because you don't want a market for fire. ””

Naomi Klein

About This Quote

Source Interview: The Future of Capitalism, Naomi Klein, 2023

Economic systems should allocate profit motive only where it serves public good, reserving other sectors for collective stewardship.

In simple terms: Use markets where they work, keep essential services public.

Key Takeaway

Balance market and public control.

Themes

economics public policy social justice

Mood

analytical critical

Type

political economic

When to use this quote

  • healthcare
  • education
  • emergency services
  • infrastructure
  • environmental protection

Key Concepts

market regulation collective ownership

Questions to Reflect On

  • Which sectors should remain non‑profit?
  • How can public trust be maintained?
A Different Perspective

Profit motive may create inequities in essential services.

4.3 out of 5 (5 ratings)

More by Naomi Klein

Explore all 291 Naomi Klein quotes

More Capitalism quotes

Browse all 3,832 Capitalism quotes