--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Unlimited economic growth has the…" description: "\"Unlimited economic growth has the marvelous quality of stilling discontent while maintaining privilege, a fact that has not gone unnoticed among libera..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eee/noam-chomsky-42_discontent_unlimited-economic-growth-has-the-marvel_2286470.jpg" --- # Unlimited economic growth has the marvelous quality of… ![“Unlimited economic growth has the marvelous quality of stilling discontent while maintaining privilege, a fact that has not gone unnoticed among liberal economists.” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eee/noam-chomsky-42_discontent_unlimited-economic-growth-has-the-marvel_2286470.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eee/noam-chomsky-42_discontent_unlimited-economic-growth-has-the-marvel_2286470.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eee/noam-chomsky-42_discontent_unlimited-economic-growth-has-the-marvel_2286470.jpg) > “Unlimited economic growth has the marvelous quality of stilling discontent while maintaining privilege, a fact that has not gone unnoticed among liberal economists.” [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Unlimited growth sustains discontent and preserves privilege, a pattern noticed by liberal economists. **In simple terms:** Endless growth keeps people dissatisfied yet maintains elite advantage. Key Takeaway Question the sustainability of perpetual growth. Themes economics politics social critique Mood analytical skeptical Type critical philosophical When to use this quote - policy analysis - academic discussion - public debate Key Concepts capitalism inequality consumerism Questions to Reflect On - What alternatives to endless growth are viable? - How does growth affect social equity? A Different Perspective Growth may be environmentally impossible and socially destabilizing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Discontent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discontent/) [Economic growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economic-growth/) [Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/) [Privilege](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/privilege/) [Quality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quality/) ## Related quotes > [Unlimited economic growth has the marvelous quality of stilling discontent while maintaining privilege, a fact that has not gone unnoticed among liberal economists.Because, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soniya/unlimited-economic-growth-has-the-marvelous-quality-of-stilling/) SONIYA > [“In 1986, Buchanan was awarded a Nobel Prize in economics. Liberal economists were aghast. Robert Lekachman, for instance, lambasted Buchanan for reducing “all human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/in-1986-buchanan-was-awarded-a-nobel-prize-in-economics-liberal/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [Liberal economists conceive of societies as black boxes connected by exchange rates; as long as exchange rates are correct, what goes on inside the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-gilpin/liberal-economists-conceive-of-societies-as-black-boxes-connected-by/) [Robert Gilpin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-gilpin/) > [Metro Atlanta has virtually unlimited economic potential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ossoff/metro-atlanta-has-virtually-unlimited-economic-potential/) [Jon Ossoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ossoff/) > [The promoters of the global economy...see nothing odd or difficult about unlimited economic growth or unlimited consumption in a limited world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-promoters-of-the-global-economy-see-nothing-odd-or-difficult/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [There are decades in the making of the one man of renown; Multitudes that go unnoticed who must wreathe for him a crown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paolini/there-are-decades-in-the-making-of-the-one-man-of-renown-multitudes/) [Christopher Paolini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paolini/) > [The orchestration of press, radio and television to create a continuous, lasting and total environment renders the influence of propaganda virtually unnoticed precisely because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-ellul/the-orchestration-of-press-radio-and-television-to-create-a/) [Jacques Ellul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-ellul/) > [It is a strange and wonderful fact to be here, walking around in a body, to have a whole world within you and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/it-is-a-strange-and-wonderful-fact-to-be-here-walking-around-in-a/) [John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/) > [The practice of inhibiting impulses, which is to a great extent necessary to civilized life, makes mistakes easier, by preventing experience of the actions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/the-practice-of-inhibiting-impulses-which-is-to-a-great-extent/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [The idea of nature contains, though often unnoticed, an extraordinary amount of human history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-williams/the-idea-of-nature-contains-though-often-unnoticed-an-extraordinary/) [Raymond Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-williams/) > [History is like a mole, it burrows away unnoticed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-sakharov/history-is-like-a-mole-it-burrows-away-unnoticed/) [Andrei Sakharov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-sakharov/) > [Camouflage is about much more than concealment and going unnoticed. There's a whole game involved between revealing and hiding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raf-simons/camouflage-is-about-much-more-than-concealment-and-going-unnoticed/) [Raf Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raf-simons/) > [After a while, footsteps sounded on the flagstones outside and there was a gentle tap at the door. Of course, one of them would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliet-marillier/after-a-while-footsteps-sounded-on-the-flagstones-outside-and-there/) [Juliet Marillier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliet-marillier/) > [Just because it went unsaid, does not mean it went unnoticed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-wilson/just-because-it-went-unsaid-does-not-mean-it-went-unnoticed/) Andre Wilson > [“Of the good things they do many will pass unnoticed, or will even not be considered good at all; but they need not fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-of-vila/of-the-good-things-they-do-many-will-pass-unnoticed-or-will-even-not/) [Teresa of Ávila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-of-vila/) ## More by Noam Chomsky > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [If you believe in democracy, why shouldn't you know what the government is doing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/if-you-believe-in-democracy-why-shouldn-t-you-know-what-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [It’s a shameful moment for U.S. media when it insists on being subservient to the grotesque propaganda agencies of a violent, aggressive state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/it-s-a-shameful-moment-for-u-s-media-when-it-insists-on-being/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There are questions as to whether it should even exist. Who should corporations be responsive to, the management of a corporation? Theoretically they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-are-questions-as-to-whether-it-should-even-exist-who-should/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Governments regard their own citizens as their main enemy, and they have to be - protect themselves. That's why you have state secret laws.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/governments-regard-their-own-citizens-as-their-main-enemy-and-they/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I don't join the New Atheists. So, for example, I wouldn't have the arrogance to lecture some mother who hopes to see her dying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-don-t-join-the-new-atheists-so-for-example-i-wouldn-t-have-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The first thing you ought to do is verify what I present. Just because I say it doesn't make it true. So check it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-first-thing-you-ought-to-do-is-verify-what-i-present-just-because/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [ I wrote an article about the marine landing \[in Haiti\] right away, but barely mentioned the oil, because my article would come out two… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-wrote-an-article-about-the-marine-landing-in-haiti-right-away-but/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [American society is now remarkably atomized. Political organizations have collapsed. In fact, it seems like even bowling leagues are collapsing. The left has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/american-society-is-now-remarkably-atomized-political-organizations/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Discovery is the ability to be puzzled by simple things. Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/discovery-is-the-ability-to-be-puzzled-by-simple-things-noam-chomsky/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There's an interesting book about that called The Third Reich and the Ivory Tower, written by Stephen H. Norwood. It has a long discussion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-s-an-interesting-book-about-that-called-the-third-reich-and-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [This is class war on an international scale, and power is in the hands of those who control the international economic system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/this-is-class-war-on-an-international-scale-and-power-is-in-the-hands/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There are big, extremely irrational parts of the society, and they have now been mobilized politically by the Republican establishment, hoping that these people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-are-big-extremely-irrational-parts-of-the-society-and-they-have/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There's plenty to criticize about the mass media, but they are the source of regular information about a wide range of topics. You can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-s-plenty-to-criticize-about-the-mass-media-but-they-are-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The 50,000 Korean mercenaries we had in Vietnam were professional killers and just massacred people outright. And the American army did plenty of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-50-000-korean-mercenaries-we-had-in-vietnam-were-professional/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) [Explore all 2,129 Noam Chomsky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) ## More Discontent quotes > [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [For a successful revolution it is not enough that there is discontent. What is required is a profound and thorough conviction of the justice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-r-ambedkar/for-a-successful-revolution-it-is-not-enough-that-there-is-discontent/) [B. R. Ambedkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-r-ambedkar/) > [“She was tired of the flaming thoughts of discontent that kept her awake at night.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-gaffney/she-was-tired-of-the-flaming-thoughts-of-discontent-that-kept-her/) [Virginia Gaffney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-gaffney/) > [The oppressed without hope are mysteriously quiet. When the conception of change is beyond the limits of the possible, there are no words to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-rowbotham/the-oppressed-without-hope-are-mysteriously-quiet-when-the-conception/) [Sheila Rowbotham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-rowbotham/) > [“Comparison with myself brings improvement, comparison with others brings discontent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-jamie-chung/comparison-with-myself-brings-improvement-comparison-with-others/) [Betty Jamie Chung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-jamie-chung/) > [I am profoundly in the D's - discouraged, depressed, disheartened, disgusted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-dunbar-nelson/i-am-profoundly-in-the-d-s-discouraged-depressed-disheartened/) [Alice Dunbar Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-dunbar-nelson/) > [Any writer worth his salt writes to please himself...It's a self-exploratory operation that is endless. An exorcism of not necessarily his demon, but of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/any-writer-worth-his-salt-writes-to-please-himself-it-s-a-self/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [While the principles of our Constitution give just latitude to inquiry, every citizen faithful to it will deem embodied expressions of discontent and open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/while-the-principles-of-our-constitution-give-just-latitude-to/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [“And since he was seeing more and more people who were unhappy for no apparent reason, he was becoming more and more tired, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-ois-lelord/and-since-he-was-seeing-more-and-more-people-who-were-unhappy-for-no/) [François Lelord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-ois-lelord/) > [You can spend your whole life complaining about how much you hate life or you can spend it finding new ways to love it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/you-can-spend-your-whole-life-complaining-about-how-much-you-hate/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [I grieve and dare not show my discontent, I love and yet am forced to seem to hate, I do, yet dare not say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-i/i-grieve-and-dare-not-show-my-discontent-i-love-and-yet-am-forced-to/) [Elizabeth I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-i/) > [Upon the profound discontent of the young in every country do I set my faith. I beg you, the young, to be discontented. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/upon-the-profound-discontent-of-the-young-in-every-country-do-i-set/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [Love is maintain'd by wealth: when all is spent, Adversity then breeds the discontent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-herrick/love-is-maintain-d-by-wealth-when-all-is-spent-adversity-then-breeds/) [Robert Herrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-herrick/) > [Everything becomes so problematic because of basic faults: from a discontent with myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-freud/everything-becomes-so-problematic-because-of-basic-faults-from-a/) [Anna Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-freud/) > [“One whisper, Judith, added to a thousand others will become a roar of discontent even”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-garwood/one-whisper-judith-added-to-a-thousand-others-will-become-a-roar-of/) [Julie Garwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-garwood/) [Browse all 450 Discontent quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discontent/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Unlimited economic growth has the marvelous quality of stilling discontent while maintaining privilege, a fact that has not gone unnoticed among liberal economists.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Noam Chomsky" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/unlimited-economic-growth-has-the-marvelous-quality-of-stilling-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Discontent" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/unlimited-economic-growth-has-the-marvelous-quality-of-stilling-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eee/noam-chomsky-42_discontent_unlimited-economic-growth-has-the-marvel_2286470.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eee/noam-chomsky-42_discontent_unlimited-economic-growth-has-the-marvel_2286470.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eee/noam-chomsky-42_discontent_unlimited-economic-growth-has-the-marvel_2286470.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Unlimited economic growth has the marvelous quality of stilling discontent while maintaining privilege, a…” — Noam Chomsky", "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": "Noam Chomsky", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Unlimited economic growth has the marvelous...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/unlimited-economic-growth-has-the-marvelous-quality-of-stilling-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/unlimited-economic-growth-has-the-marvelous-quality-of-stilling-2/#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 } } ] } ```