--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Economists have much to be humble about." description: "\"Economists have much to be humble about.\" — Paul Samuelson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/paul-samuelson-9078_be-humble_economists-have-much-to-be-humble-about_2272741.png" --- # Economists have much to be humble about. ![“Economists have much to be humble about.” quote by Paul Samuelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/paul-samuelson-9078_be-humble_economists-have-much-to-be-humble-about_2272741.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/paul-samuelson-9078_be-humble_economists-have-much-to-be-humble-about_2272741.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/paul-samuelson-9078_be-humble_economists-have-much-to-be-humble-about_2272741.png) > “Economists have much to be humble about.” [Paul Samuelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-samuelson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Economists must recognize the limits of their knowledge and stay modest. **In simple terms:** Economists should stay modest about their expertise. Key Takeaway Cultivate humility in economic analysis. Themes economics humility knowledge limits Mood analytical cautious Type academic philosophical When to use this quote - academic research - public policy advising - financial forecasting Key Concepts model uncertainty policy impact Questions to Reflect On - How to balance confidence with humility? - What safeguards prevent overreach? A Different Perspective Overconfidence can lead to flawed policies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Be humble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/be-humble/) [Economics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economics/) [Economist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economist/) [Economists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economists/) [Economists Humble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economists-humble-5274130/) [Humble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humble/) [Humility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humility/) ## Related quotes > [Being humble doesn't work as well as being aware.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/being-humble-doesn-t-work-as-well-as-being-aware/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [You have to know when to be arrogant. You have to when to be humble. You have to know when to be hard and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-kweli/you-have-to-know-when-to-be-arrogant-you-have-to-when-to-be-humble/) [Talib Kweli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talib-kweli/) > [To seek yourself in this world is to be lost; and to be humble is to be exalted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/to-seek-yourself-in-this-world-is-to-be-lost-and-to-be-humble-is-to/) [John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/) > [It's very easy for us to be humble when no one else is around. There is no reason for us to demonstrate our superiority,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/it-s-very-easy-for-us-to-be-humble-when-no-one-else-is-around-there/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [You've got to be humble really to be yourself or to get a chance to be yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-harrison/you-ve-got-to-be-humble-really-to-be-yourself-or-to-get-a-chance-to/) [George Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-harrison/) > [Catch {a man} at the moment when he is really poor in spirit and smuggle into his mind the gratifying reflection, "By jove, I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/catch-a-man-at-the-moment-when-he-is-really-poor-in-spirit-and/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Humility does not mean weakness. It does not mean timidity. It does not mean fear. A man can be humble and fearless. A man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/humility-does-not-mean-weakness-it-does-not-mean-timidity-it-does-not/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [In the abstract world of American economists, equations run both ways; they believe that by changing the sign of a variable from plus to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-gilpin/in-the-abstract-world-of-american-economists-equations-run-both-ways/) [Robert Gilpin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-gilpin/) > [When economists speak of money, they neglect that all money and credit is debt. That is the essence of bookkeeping and accounting. 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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/) > [Our biggest challenge is to eliminate the popular perception that economists don't have anything useful to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zandi/our-biggest-challenge-is-to-eliminate-the-popular-perception-that/) [Mark Zandi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zandi/) ## More by Paul Samuelson > [Companies are not charitable enterprises: They hire workers to make profits. In the United States, this logic still works. In Europe, it hardly does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-samuelson/companies-are-not-charitable-enterprises-they-hire-workers-to-make/) [Paul Samuelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-samuelson/) > [We are like highly trained athletes, who never run a race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-samuelson/we-are-like-highly-trained-athletes-who-never-run-a-race/) [Paul Samuelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-samuelson/) > [ When the economy was going up, \[Milton Friedman and I\] both gave the same advice, and when the economy was going down, we gave… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-samuelson/when-the-economy-was-going-up-milton-friedman-and-i-both-gave-the/) [Paul Samuelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-samuelson/) > [Our ideal society finds it essential to put a rent on land as a way of maximizing the total consumption available to the society.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-samuelson/our-ideal-society-finds-it-essential-to-put-a-rent-on-land-as-a-way/) [Paul Samuelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-samuelson/) > [That's what I would like to do until the end of time, to go on scribbling my articles on the third floor of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-samuelson/that-s-what-i-would-like-to-do-until-the-end-of-time-to-go-on/) [Paul Samuelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-samuelson/) > [Contrary to what many skeptics had earlier believed, the Soviet economy is proof that a socialist command economy can function and even thrive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-samuelson/contrary-to-what-many-skeptics-had-earlier-believed-the-soviet/) [Paul Samuelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-samuelson/) > [To prove that Wall Street is an early omen of movements still to come in GNP, commentators quote economic studies alleging that market downturns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-samuelson/to-prove-that-wall-street-is-an-early-omen-of-movements-still-to-come/) [Paul Samuelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-samuelson/) > [Even if this advice to portfolio decision makers to drop dead is good advice, it obviously is not counsel that will be eagerly followed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-samuelson/even-if-this-advice-to-portfolio-decision-makers-to-drop-dead-is-good/) [Paul Samuelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-samuelson/) > [Perhaps there really are managers who can outperform the market consistently - logic would suggest that they exist. But they are remarkably well-hidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-samuelson/perhaps-there-really-are-managers-who-can-outperform-the-market/) [Paul Samuelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-samuelson/) > [Globalization presumes sustained economic growth. Otherwise, the process loses its economic benefits and political support.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-samuelson/globalization-presumes-sustained-economic-growth-otherwise-the/) [Paul Samuelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-samuelson/) > [In every mutual fund prospectus, in every sales promotional folder, and in every mutual fund advertisement (albeit in print almost too small to read),…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-samuelson/in-every-mutual-fund-prospectus-in-every-sales-promotional-folder-and/) [Paul Samuelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-samuelson/) > [I don't care who writes a nation's laws-or crafts its advanced treaties-if I can write its economics textbooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-samuelson/i-don-t-care-who-writes-a-nation-s-laws-or-crafts-its-advanced/) [Paul Samuelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-samuelson/) > [It isn't that greed's increased. What's increased is the realization that you've got a free field to reach out for what you'd like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-samuelson/it-isn-t-that-greed-s-increased-what-s-increased-is-the-realization/) [Paul Samuelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-samuelson/) > [Forsake search for needles that are so very small in haystacks that are so very large.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-samuelson/forsake-search-for-needles-that-are-so-very-small-in-haystacks-that/) [Paul Samuelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-samuelson/) > [The problem is no longer that with every pair of hands that comes into the world there comes a hungry stomach. Rather it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-samuelson/the-problem-is-no-longer-that-with-every-pair-of-hands-that-comes/) [Paul Samuelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-samuelson/) [Explore all 75 Paul Samuelson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-samuelson/) ## More Be humble quotes > [To seek yourself in this world is to be lost; and to be humble is to be exalted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/to-seek-yourself-in-this-world-is-to-be-lost-and-to-be-humble-is-to/) [John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/) > [Well I think they broke the mould when they made me and being humble is one of my great assets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-hagman/well-i-think-they-broke-the-mould-when-they-made-me-and-being-humble/) [Larry Hagman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-hagman/) > [Remember this-all the sighing, mourning, sobbing, and complaining in the world, does not so undeniably evidence a man to be humble, as his overlooking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-brooks/remember-this-all-the-sighing-mourning-sobbing-and-complaining-in-the/) [Thomas Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-brooks/) > [ Be humble and say okay, all right, I have to prep myself. So everybody prepped, and we finished the film \[Valerian \] four days… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-besson/be-humble-and-say-okay-all-right-i-have-to-prep-myself-so-everybody/) [Luc Besson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-besson/) > [Catch {a man} at the moment when he is really poor in spirit and smuggle into his mind the gratifying reflection, "By jove, I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/catch-a-man-at-the-moment-when-he-is-really-poor-in-spirit-and/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Humility does not mean weakness. It does not mean timidity. It does not mean fear. A man can be humble and fearless. A man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/humility-does-not-mean-weakness-it-does-not-mean-timidity-it-does-not/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [Always enter like a kitten and leave like a lion. But NEVER enter like a lion and leave like a kitten. Always be humble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlson-gracie/always-enter-like-a-kitten-and-leave-like-a-lion-but-never-enter-like/) [Carlson Gracie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlson-gracie/) > [There is no substitute for hardwork. Always be humble and hungry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/there-is-no-substitute-for-hardwork-always-be-humble-and-hungry/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [You've got to be humble really to be yourself or to get a chance to be yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-harrison/you-ve-got-to-be-humble-really-to-be-yourself-or-to-get-a-chance-to/) [George Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-harrison/) > [Learning something means coming into contact with a world of which you know nothing. In order to learn, you must be humble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/learning-something-means-coming-into-contact-with-a-world-of-which/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Create your own job. Become the master of what you do. Fully imerse yourself in your culter. Be humble. You are never above having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-amoruso/create-your-own-job-become-the-master-of-what-you-do-fully-imerse/) [Sophia Amoruso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-amoruso/) > [It's very easy for us to be humble when no one else is around. There is no reason for us to demonstrate our superiority,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/it-s-very-easy-for-us-to-be-humble-when-no-one-else-is-around-there/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I'm totally normal. I think it's obnoxious when people demand limos or bodyguards. I eat at McDonald's or Taco Bell. My parents always taught…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paris-hilton/i-m-totally-normal-i-think-it-s-obnoxious-when-people-demand-limos-or/) [Paris Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paris-hilton/) > [You have to know when to be arrogant. You have to when to be humble. You have to know when to be hard and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-kweli/you-have-to-know-when-to-be-arrogant-you-have-to-when-to-be-humble/) [Talib Kweli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talib-kweli/) > [I know that a Christian should be humble, but against the Pope I am going to be proud and say to him: "You, Pope,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/i-know-that-a-christian-should-be-humble-but-against-the-pope-i-am/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) [Browse all 243 Be humble quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/be-humble/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Economists have much to be humble about.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Samuelson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-samuelson/economists-have-much-to-be-humble-about/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Be humble" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-samuelson/economists-have-much-to-be-humble-about/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/paul-samuelson-9078_be-humble_economists-have-much-to-be-humble-about_2272741.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/paul-samuelson-9078_be-humble_economists-have-much-to-be-humble-about_2272741.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/paul-samuelson-9078_be-humble_economists-have-much-to-be-humble-about_2272741.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Economists have much to be humble about.” — Paul Samuelson", "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 Samuelson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-samuelson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Economists have much to be humble...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-samuelson/economists-have-much-to-be-humble-about/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-samuelson/economists-have-much-to-be-humble-about/#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 } } ] } ```