---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: By rescuing the financial system without…"
description: "\"By rescuing the financial system without reforming it, Washington has done nothing to protect us from a new crisis, and, in fact, has made another cris..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eac/paul-krugman-2255_crisis_by-rescuing-the-financial-system-without_1750275.png"
---

#  By rescuing the financial system without reforming it…

![“By rescuing the financial system without reforming it, Washington has done nothing to protect us from a new crisis, and, in fact, has made another crisis more likely.” quote by Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eac/paul-krugman-2255_crisis_by-rescuing-the-financial-system-without_1750275.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eac/paul-krugman-2255_crisis_by-rescuing-the-financial-system-without_1750275.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eac/paul-krugman-2255_crisis_by-rescuing-the-financial-system-without_1750275.png)

> “By rescuing the financial system without reforming it, Washington has done nothing to protect us from a new crisis, and, in fact, has made another crisis more likely.”

[Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Rescuing banks without fixing underlying problems leaves the system vulnerable to future crises.

**In simple terms:** Saving banks alone doesn't prevent new crises.

Key Takeaway

Demand reforms with bailouts.

Themes

finance policy risk reform

Mood

cautious critical

Type

analytical policy

When to use this quote

- banking crisis
- policy making
- public trust
- legislative action

Key Concepts

systemic risk regulatory capture

Questions to Reflect On

- What structural changes are needed to prevent repeat crises?
- How can policymakers balance immediate relief with long‑term stability?

A Different Perspective

Reforms may be politically blocked.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Crisis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crisis/) [Customer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Financial system](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/financial-system/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/)

## Related quotes

> [The Treasury's plan has little for those outside of the financial industry. It is aimed at rescuing the same financial institutions that created this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-shelby/the-treasury-s-plan-has-little-for-those-outside-of-the-financial/)

[Richard Shelby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-shelby/)

> [It strikes me that people want to be engaged, and that those who go into a bookstore in a time of crisis are much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/it-strikes-me-that-people-want-to-be-engaged-and-that-those-who-go/)

[Michael Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-korda/)

> [If there's been a crisis in a market, you don't tend to have a new crisis in that market until the people who went…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-andreessen/if-there-s-been-a-crisis-in-a-market-you-don-t-tend-to-have-a-new/)

[Marc Andreessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-andreessen/)

> [Politicians used to have the confidence to tell us stories that made sense of the chaos of world events. But now there are no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/politicians-used-to-have-the-confidence-to-tell-us-stories-that-made/)

[Adam Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-curtis/)

> [The current financial crisis in the US is likely to be judged in retrospect as the most wrenching since the end of the Second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/the-current-financial-crisis-in-the-us-is-likely-to-be-judged-in/)

[Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/)

> [The world economy is in a nosedive, and understanding what I call "depression economics" - the weird world you get into when even a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/the-world-economy-is-in-a-nosedive-and-understanding-what-i-call/)

[Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/)

> [Following World War II, the U.S. was the architect of the UN system, and the world financial system, and the Human Rights Declaration, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/following-world-war-ii-the-u-s-was-the-architect-of-the-un-system-and/)

[John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/)

> [We may be in a rapidly evolving international financial system with all the bells and whistles of the so-called new economy. But the old-economy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/we-may-be-in-a-rapidly-evolving-international-financial-system-with/)

[Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/)

> [The economic costs, the financial costs, the job losses, the income losses, the fiscal costs of bailing out financial system are becoming larger and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nouriel-roubini/the-economic-costs-the-financial-costs-the-job-losses-the-income/)

[Nouriel Roubini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nouriel-roubini/)

> [We need to ensure that the government agencies that are supposed to be regulating the financial system are actually doing their jobs. We must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-fiorina/we-need-to-ensure-that-the-government-agencies-that-are-supposed-to/)

[Carly Fiorina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-fiorina/)

> [When I was on tour, people would say "We don't need a value-based currency, we can go out and buy gold and silver with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-von-nothaus/when-i-was-on-tour-people-would-say-we-don-t-need-a-value-based/)

[Bernard von NotHaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-von-nothaus/)

> [Well, as you know, we're working through a difficult period in our financial markets right now as we work off some of the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-paulson/well-as-you-know-we-re-working-through-a-difficult-period-in-our/)

[Henry Paulson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-paulson/)

> [We do not expect significant spillovers from the subprime market to the rest of the economy or to the financial system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bernanke/we-do-not-expect-significant-spillovers-from-the-subprime-market-to/)

[Ben Bernanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bernanke/)

> [It is the policy of the federal government to use all resources at its disposal to make our financial system stronger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-paulson/it-is-the-policy-of-the-federal-government-to-use-all-resources-at/)

[Henry Paulson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-paulson/)

> [Just as Wall Street needs to break the hold of the bonus culture, which drives risk-taking that is rational for individuals but damaging to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-schekman/just-as-wall-street-needs-to-break-the-hold-of-the-bonus-culture/)

[Randy Schekman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-schekman/)

## More by Paul Krugman

> [People who are complaining about the Fed are people who've been predicting runaway inflation for five and six years, and it hasn't happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/people-who-are-complaining-about-the-fed-are-people-who-ve-been/)

[Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/)

> [Surely I'm not the only person to ask the obvious question: How different, really, is Mr. Madoff's tale from the story of the investment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/surely-i-m-not-the-only-person-to-ask-the-obvious-question-how/)

[Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/)

> [“The rich are different from you and me: they have more influence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/the-rich-are-different-from-you-and-me-they-have-more-influence/)

[Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/)

> [“The Internet’s impact on the economy has been no greater than the fax machine’s….ten years from now, the phrase “information economy” will sound silly.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/the-internet-s-impact-on-the-economy-has-been-no-greater-than-the-fax/)

[Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/)

> [Not all private equity people are evil. Only some.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/not-all-private-equity-people-are-evil-only-some/)

[Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/)

> [You really have to go searching desperately to find any contemporary examples of good, old-fashioned runaway inflation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/you-really-have-to-go-searching-desperately-to-find-any-contemporary/)

[Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/)

> [However, the fact that an economist offers a theoretical analysis does not and should not automatically command respect. What is needed is some assurance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/however-the-fact-that-an-economist-offers-a-theoretical-analysis-does/)

[Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/)

> [Politics determines who has the power, not who has the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/politics-determines-who-has-the-power-not-who-has-the-truth/)

[Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/)

> [The key reason executives are paid so much now is that they appoint the members of the corporate board that determines their compensation and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/the-key-reason-executives-are-paid-so-much-now-is-that-they-appoint/)

[Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/)

> [I've always believed in expansionary monetary policy and if necessary fiscal policy when the economy is depressed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/i-ve-always-believed-in-expansionary-monetary-policy-and-if-necessary/)

[Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/)

> [...academic credentials are neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for having your ideas taken seriously. If a famous professor repeatedly says stupid things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/academic-credentials-are-neither-a-necessary-nor-a-sufficient/)

[Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/)

> [It’s not about the budget; it’s about the power...So will the attack on unions succeed? I don’t know. But anyone who cares about retaining…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/it-s-not-about-the-budget-it-s-about-the-power-so-will-the-attack-on/)

[Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/)

> [When stock prices are rising, it's called ''momentum investing''; when they are falling, it's called ''panic.''](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/when-stock-prices-are-rising-it-s-called-momentum-investing-when-they/)

[Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/)

> [I don't want a job in the administration; I think I'm more effective carping from the sidelines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/i-don-t-want-a-job-in-the-administration-i-think-i-m-more-effective/)

[Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/)

> [Under the gold standard America had no major financial panics other than in 1873, 1884, 1890, 1893, 1907, 1930, 1931, 1932, and 1933.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/under-the-gold-standard-america-had-no-major-financial-panics-other/)

[Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/)

[Explore all 175 Paul Krugman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/)

## More Crisis quotes

> [People in great groups have blinders on. Their work is all they see. They value failures as learning opportunities. They are optimistic, not realistic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/people-in-great-groups-have-blinders-on-their-work-is-all-they-see/)

[Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/)

> [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/)

[David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/)

> [The crisis of our diminishing water resources is just as severe (if less obviously immediate) as any wartime crisis we have ever faced. Our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-wright/the-crisis-of-our-diminishing-water-resources-is-just-as-severe-if/)

Jim Wright

> [It is popular to call it a crisis of the Western world. It is in fact a crisis of the whole world. Communism, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whittaker-chambers/it-is-popular-to-call-it-a-crisis-of-the-western-world-it-is-in-fact/)

[Whittaker Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whittaker-chambers/)

> [The financial crisis we are facing today arises from the fact that there is almost no more social, cultural, natural, and spiritual capital left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/the-financial-crisis-we-are-facing-today-arises-from-the-fact-that/)

[Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/)

> [Ideal for the child and society in the best of times, Rudolf Steiner's brilliant process of education is critically needed and profoundly relevant now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/ideal-for-the-child-and-society-in-the-best-of-times-rudolf-steiner-s/)

[Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/)

> [In a couple of decades you have half of the wells that are drilled right now, and you're talking about numbers in the millions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-fox/in-a-couple-of-decades-you-have-half-of-the-wells-that-are-drilled/)

[Josh Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-fox/)

> [Disasters affect every state, and North Carolinians have given our own tax dollars to help neighbors and those in other states in times of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-cooper/disasters-affect-every-state-and-north-carolinians-have-given-our-own/)

[Roy Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-cooper/)

> [Things happen too quickly, crisis follows crisis, the soil of our minds is perpetually disturbed. Each of us, to relieve his feelings, broadcasts his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-struther/things-happen-too-quickly-crisis-follows-crisis-the-soil-of-our-minds/)

[Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-struther/)

> [When this coronavirus crisis is over, what kind of society will we be? A more important question is what kind of society do we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-lucas/when-this-coronavirus-crisis-is-over-what-kind-of-society-will-we-be/)

[Caroline Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-lucas/)

> [The average ordinary citizen can do a lot of different things when it comes to the climate crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bender/the-average-ordinary-citizen-can-do-a-lot-of-different-things-when-it/)

[Lawrence Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bender/)

> [The turning points of lives are not the great moments. The real crises are often concealed in occurrences so trivial in appearance that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-turning-points-of-lives-are-not-the-great-moments-the-real-crises/)

[George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/)

> [Firstly, economic globalisation has brought prosperity and development to many countries, but also financial crises to Asia, Latin America and Russia, and increasing poverty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-lindh/firstly-economic-globalisation-has-brought-prosperity-and-development/)

[Anna Lindh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-lindh/)

> [If we Europeans are not in a state to be able to solve the refugee crisis ourselves, if we only depend on Plan B…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-kurz/if-we-europeans-are-not-in-a-state-to-be-able-to-solve-the-refugee/)

[Sebastian Kurz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-kurz/)

> [Urbanisation is not a crisis but an opportunity, seeing it as a crisis is wrong. And not just villages, we want everyone to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/urbanisation-is-not-a-crisis-but-an-opportunity-seeing-it-as-a-crisis/)

[Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/)

[Browse all 3,419 Crisis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crisis/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "By rescuing the financial system without reforming it, Washington has done nothing to protect us from a new crisis, and, in fact, has made another crisis more likely.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Paul Krugman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/by-rescuing-the-financial-system-without-reforming-it-washington-has/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Crisis"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/by-rescuing-the-financial-system-without-reforming-it-washington-has/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eac/paul-krugman-2255_crisis_by-rescuing-the-financial-system-without_1750275.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eac/paul-krugman-2255_crisis_by-rescuing-the-financial-system-without_1750275.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eac/paul-krugman-2255_crisis_by-rescuing-the-financial-system-without_1750275.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“By rescuing the financial system without reforming it, Washington has done nothing to protect us from a new…” — Paul Krugman",
                "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": "Paul Krugman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "By rescuing the financial system without...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/by-rescuing-the-financial-system-without-reforming-it-washington-has/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/by-rescuing-the-financial-system-without-reforming-it-washington-has/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
