Business Quote by Richard Davenport-Hines
““Instead of using their vastly increased material and technical resources to build a wonder-city, they built slums; and they thought it right and advisable to build slums because slums, on the test of private enterprise, "paid", whereas the wonder-city would, they thought, have been an act of foolish extravagance, which would, in the imbecile idiom of the financial fashion, have "mortgaged the future"; though how the construction to-day of great and glorious works can impoverish the future, no man can see until his mind is beset by false analogies from an irrelevant accountancy.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Rise and Fall of the British Empire, Richard Davenport-Hines, 2017
The quote critiques prioritizing short‑term profit over long‑term visionary projects, warning that short‑sighted economics can damage future prosperity.
In simple terms: Choosing quick profit over lasting value harms the future.
Key Takeaway
Consider long‑term impact before short‑term gains.
Themes
economics
urban planning
future thinking
Mood
critical
reflective
Type
analytical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- government budgeting
- real‑estate development
- infrastructure projects
- community advocacy
Key Concepts
short‑termism
public good
financial myopia
Questions to Reflect On
- What future benefits are being sacrificed for current profit?
- How can we balance short‑term needs with long‑term vision?
A Different Perspective
May overlook immediate needs, leading to resistance from stakeholders.
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