--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The debate that I'm interested in having…" description: "\"The debate that I'm interested in having is with seriously smart people about how we design institutions in the 21st century that will genuinely addres..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af5/niall-ferguson-3627_21st-century_the-debate-that-i-m-interested-in-having_2379179.jpg" --- # The debate that I'm interested in having is with seriously… ![“The debate that I'm interested in having is with seriously smart people about how we design institutions in the 21st century that will genuinely address problems of poverty and educational underachievement.” quote by Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af5/niall-ferguson-3627_21st-century_the-debate-that-i-m-interested-in-having_2379179.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af5/niall-ferguson-3627_21st-century_the-debate-that-i-m-interested-in-having_2379179.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af5/niall-ferguson-3627_21st-century_the-debate-that-i-m-interested-in-having_2379179.jpg) > “The debate that I'm interested in having is with seriously smart people about how we design institutions in the 21st century that will genuinely address problems of poverty and educational underachievement.” [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He wants intelligent debate on creating 21st‑century institutions that truly solve poverty and education gaps. **In simple terms:** Seek smart discussion on building effective modern institutions. Key Takeaway Focus on designing solutions for poverty and education. Themes policy education poverty institutional design future Mood analytical thought‑provoking Type policy philosophical When to use this quote - government reform - NGO strategy - academic research Key Concepts social equity systemic reform public policy Questions to Reflect On - What barriers exist to reform? - How can diverse voices shape policy? A Different Perspective Complex problems may resist simple institutional fixes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [21st century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/21st-century/) [About](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) [Address](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/address/) [Century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/century/) [Debate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debate/) [Debate Interested](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debate-interested-5678036/) [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Design Institutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design-institutions-5169313/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Educational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/educational/) [Educational Underachievement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/educational-underachievement-5886591/) [Genuinely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genuinely/) [Having](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/having/) [How](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/how/) [Institutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutions/) [Interested](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interested/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) [Problems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problems/) [Seriously](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seriously/) [Seriously Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seriously-smart-5886592/) [Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smart/) [Smart people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smart-people/) [Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/will/) ## Related quotes > [Political debate is more interested in manipulating the truth, than finding the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/political-debate-is-more-interested-in-manipulating-the-truth-than/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [“A common problem plagues people who try to design institutions without accounting for hidden motives. First they identify the key goals that the institution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-simler/a-common-problem-plagues-people-who-try-to-design-institutions/) [Kevin Simler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-simler/) > [The great majority of Scientologists I know are good people who are genuinely interested in improving conditions on this planet and helping others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-haggis/the-great-majority-of-scientologists-i-know-are-good-people-who-are/) [Paul Haggis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-haggis/) > [It is rare that you read scripts that genuinely move you and make you feel that, regardless of the commercial possibilities, you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-fellner/it-is-rare-that-you-read-scripts-that-genuinely-move-you-and-make-you/) [Eric Fellner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-fellner/) > [We no longer claim that a genuinely religious government can be democratic, but that it cannot be otherwise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdolkarim-soroush/we-no-longer-claim-that-a-genuinely-religious-government-can-be/) [Abdolkarim Soroush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdolkarim-soroush/) > [I try to explain to people that the only way to be cool is to be who you truly are, and the only way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-max/i-try-to-explain-to-people-that-the-only-way-to-be-cool-is-to-be-who/) [Tucker Max](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-max/) > [I've been through the routine so many times that I genuinely don't even think about a big fight very much beforehand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-calzaghe/i-ve-been-through-the-routine-so-many-times-that-i-genuinely-don-t/) [Joe Calzaghe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-calzaghe/) > [She is up there with the best of them. I can only talk about my experience, but it was genuinely special.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-finney/she-is-up-there-with-the-best-of-them-i-can-only-talk-about-my/) [Albert Finney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-finney/) > [I'm very interactive with my fans. I genuinely just love them to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benson-boone/i-m-very-interactive-with-my-fans-i-genuinely-just-love-them-to-death/) [Benson Boone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benson-boone/) > [We met in Cracker. I played a maniac fan who murders a policeman and she did my makeup. I thought anyone interested in me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-carlyle/we-met-in-cracker-i-played-a-maniac-fan-who-murders-a-policeman-and/) [Robert Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-carlyle/) > [I think growing up in South Africa, and then moving to Canada, I'm just genuinely interested in the difference between the First World and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neill-blomkamp/i-think-growing-up-in-south-africa-and-then-moving-to-canada-i-m-just/) [Neill Blomkamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neill-blomkamp/) > [There are few moments in science in which you genuinely are excited. The discovery of superfluidity in helium-3 was one of those moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lee/there-are-few-moments-in-science-in-which-you-genuinely-are-excited/) [David Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lee/) > [I would make a genuinely terrible guide. I can't remember things. I would get half way through telling a story or explaining something and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/i-would-make-a-genuinely-terrible-guide-i-can-t-remember-things-i/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [I felt cheated by the way grown-ups told me that the future of the world was bleak when I became a teenager in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-ridley/i-felt-cheated-by-the-way-grown-ups-told-me-that-the-future-of-the/) [Matt Ridley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-ridley/) > [It is no secret that I have read 'The Da Vinci Code' several times. I genuinely believe that 'The Da Vinci Code' and 'Angels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashwin-sanghi/it-is-no-secret-that-i-have-read-the-da-vinci-code-several-times-i/) [Ashwin Sanghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashwin-sanghi/) ## More by Niall Ferguson > [“I wrote this book because I had formed a strong impression that the people currently living were paying insufficient attention to the dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/i-wrote-this-book-because-i-had-formed-a-strong-impression-that-the/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“Consider this: the US economy created 2.4 million jobs in the three years beginning in June 2009. In the same period, 3.3 million Americans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/consider-this-the-us-economy-created-2-4-million-jobs-in-the-three/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [I think the rise of quantitative econometrics and a highly mathematical approach to risk management was the obverse of a decline in interest in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/i-think-the-rise-of-quantitative-econometrics-and-a-highly/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“Is it better today to be in a network, which gives you influence, than in a hierarchy, which gives you power?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/is-it-better-today-to-be-in-a-network-which-gives-you-influence-than/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [As a teacher, my strategy is to encourage questioning. I'm the least authoritarian professor you'll ever meet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/as-a-teacher-my-strategy-is-to-encourage-questioning-i-m-the-least/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [Ask me not, 'Are you rightwing,' but ask me 'Are you a committed believer in individual freedom, the values of the enlightenment?' Then, yeah,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/ask-me-not-are-you-rightwing-but-ask-me-are-you-a-committed-believer/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“Many historians still tend to assume that the spread of an idea or an ideology is a function of its inherent content in relation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/many-historians-still-tend-to-assume-that-the-spread-of-an-idea-or-an/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“the twentieth century ran a series of experiments, imposing quite different institutions on two sets of Germans (in West and East), two sets of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/the-twentieth-century-ran-a-series-of-experiments-imposing-quite/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“Historians are not scientists. They cannot (and should not even trying to) establish universal laws of social or political "physics" with reliable predictive powers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/historians-are-not-scientists-they-cannot-and-should-not-even-trying/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [You really struggle to be a successful empire if you are also the world's biggest debtor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/you-really-struggle-to-be-a-successful-empire-if-you-are-also-the/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“One difficulty is that we cannot always reconstruct the past thoughts of these non-Western peoples, for not all of them existed in civilizations with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/one-difficulty-is-that-we-cannot-always-reconstruct-the-past-thoughts/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [If young men have jobs - or the prospects of jobs - they are less likely to take up arms, they are less likely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/if-young-men-have-jobs-or-the-prospects-of-jobs-they-are-less-likely/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [I think that it is important to be gregarious, and that friendships are not just a leisure pursuit, that they are an integral part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/i-think-that-it-is-important-to-be-gregarious-and-that-friendships/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“The question was simply this: Would the world be French or British?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/the-question-was-simply-this-would-the-world-be-french-or-british/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“it is not ‘Eurocentrism’ or (anti-)‘Orientalism’ to say that the rise of Western civilization is the single most important historical phenomenon of the second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/it-is-not-eurocentrism-or-anti-orientalism-to-say-that-the-rise-of/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) [Explore all 124 Niall Ferguson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) ## More 21st century quotes > [The young people today are the 21st century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-scorsese/the-young-people-today-are-the-21st-century/) [Martin Scorsese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-scorsese/) > [“You know it’s the 21st Century when someone TEXTS you from the washroom to ask you to bring them a roll of toilet paper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/comic-strip-mama/you-know-it-s-the-21st-century-when-someone-texts-you-from-the/) [Comic Strip Mama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/comic-strip-mama/) > [“I am made of a thousand ghosts. Only you can shoot me down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-james/i-am-made-of-a-thousand-ghosts-only-you-can-shoot-me-down/) [Bella James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-james/) > [Like many others, I have deep misgivings about the state of education in the United States. Too many of our students fail to graduate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/like-many-others-i-have-deep-misgivings-about-the-state-of-education/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Undeniably, character does count for our citizens, out communities, and our Nation, and this week we celebrate the importance of character in our individual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/undeniably-character-does-count-for-our-citizens-out-communities-and/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [The hope of Internet anarchists was that repressive governments would have only two options: accept the Internet with its limitless possibilities of spreading information,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/the-hope-of-internet-anarchists-was-that-repressive-governments-would/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Maybe we need a tax credit for the poorest Americans to buy a laptop. Now, maybe that's wrong, maybe that's expensive, maybe we can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newt-gingrich/maybe-we-need-a-tax-credit-for-the-poorest-americans-to-buy-a-laptop/) [Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/) > [The 20th century has been marked by cynicism, selfishness, greed, and the desire to please, all without changing the status quo. In the 21st…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scar-arias/the-20th-century-has-been-marked-by-cynicism-selfishness-greed-and/) [Óscar Arias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scar-arias/) > [I firmly believe that the mission of religion in the 21st century must be to contribute concretely to the peaceful coexistence of humankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daisaku-ikeda/i-firmly-believe-that-the-mission-of-religion-in-the-21st-century/) [Daisaku Ikeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisaku-ikeda/) > [Facebook, Twitter...Welcome to The 21st Century...Where Someone can stalk you without leaving the couch!..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/facebook-twitter-welcome-to-the-21st-century-where-someone-can-stalk/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Human Race is all over universe! And I am the first person to inform you. I am the most influential person of this decade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashwani-kumar-ojha/human-race-is-all-over-universe-and-i-am-the-first-person-to-inform/) [Ashwani Kumar Ojha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashwani-kumar-ojha/) > [Like the railroads that brought us together in the 19th century, these trails will bring us together in the 20th and 21st centuries. (at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/like-the-railroads-that-brought-us-together-in-the-19th-century-these/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [What I love about making albums in the 21st century is that so few people buy albums! I can make an album without any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/what-i-love-about-making-albums-in-the-21st-century-is-that-so-few/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [As a former Apollo astronaut, I think it's safe to say that SpaceX and the other commercial developers embody the 21st century version of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusty-schweickart/as-a-former-apollo-astronaut-i-think-it-s-safe-to-say-that-spacex-and/) [Rusty Schweickart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusty-schweickart/) > [The computer provides the only way to give students a real foundation in 21st-century skills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/the-computer-provides-the-only-way-to-give-students-a-real-foundation/) [Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/) [Browse all 771 21st century quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/21st-century/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The debate that I'm interested in having is with seriously smart people about how we design institutions in the 21st century that will genuinely address problems of poverty and educational underachievement.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Niall Ferguson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/the-debate-that-i-m-interested-in-having-is-with-seriously-smart/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "21st century" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/the-debate-that-i-m-interested-in-having-is-with-seriously-smart/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af5/niall-ferguson-3627_21st-century_the-debate-that-i-m-interested-in-having_2379179.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af5/niall-ferguson-3627_21st-century_the-debate-that-i-m-interested-in-having_2379179.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af5/niall-ferguson-3627_21st-century_the-debate-that-i-m-interested-in-having_2379179.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The debate that I'm interested in having is with seriously smart people about how we design institutions in…” — Niall Ferguson", "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": "Niall Ferguson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The debate that I'm interested in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/the-debate-that-i-m-interested-in-having-is-with-seriously-smart/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/the-debate-that-i-m-interested-in-having-is-with-seriously-smart/#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 } } ] } ```