---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The good thing I will say about the…"
description: "\"The good thing I will say about the Chicago School is that it was always about the world, not about the abstract.\" — Richard Thaler"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d5/richard-thaler-3060_abstract_the-good-thing-i-will-say-about-the-chic_3069183.png"
---

#  The good thing I will say about the Chicago School is that…

![“The good thing I will say about the Chicago School is that it was always about the world, not about the abstract.” quote by Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d5/richard-thaler-3060_abstract_the-good-thing-i-will-say-about-the-chic_3069183.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d5/richard-thaler-3060_abstract_the-good-thing-i-will-say-about-the-chic_3069183.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d5/richard-thaler-3060_abstract_the-good-thing-i-will-say-about-the-chic_3069183.png)

> “The good thing I will say about the Chicago School is that it was always about the world, not about the abstract.”

[Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/)

## About This Quote

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

The Chicago School emphasized practical, real‑world economic issues rather than abstract theory.

**In simple terms:** Focus on real world.

Key Takeaway

Apply economics to everyday life.

Themes

pragmatism economics policy

Mood

analytical practical

Type

economic educational

When to use this quote

- public policy
- business strategy
- consumer behavior

Key Concepts

behavioral economics real‑world relevance

Questions to Reflect On

- How can theory improve practice?
- When is abstraction necessary?

A Different Perspective

Abstract models still have theoretical value.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Abstract](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract/) [Chicago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chicago/) [Chicago School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chicago-school-5183549/) [Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good/) [Good thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-thing/) [Say Chicago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-chicago-3073101/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [School World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school-world-380826/) [Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/will/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World Abstract](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-abstract-316151/)

## Related quotes

> [Where human eyes have never seen, where human beings have never been, I build a world of abstract dreams, and I wait for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-ra/where-human-eyes-have-never-seen-where-human-beings-have-never-been-i/)

[Sun Ra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-ra/)

> [They say Chicago is for haters. No one will just sweat each other and say, 'Oh, you're so good,' if you're not. Which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamila-woods/they-say-chicago-is-for-haters-no-one-will-just-sweat-each-other-and/)

[Jamila Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamila-woods/)

> [I did say, at Chicago, in my speech there, that I do wish to see the spread of slavery arrested and to see it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-did-say-at-chicago-in-my-speech-there-that-i-do-wish-to-see-the/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [L.A. can be pretty insane because there's so much show business here, but I also know a lot of kids who grew up in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/l-a-can-be-pretty-insane-because-there-s-so-much-show-business-here/)

[Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/)

> [“I'm perfectly normal; its the rest of the world that's abstract.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-allinson/i-m-perfectly-normal-its-the-rest-of-the-world-that-s-abstract/)

[Alexis Allinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-allinson/)

> [The things I talk about and explain couldn't happen - yet, they don't seem impossible - you could say I talk about the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/the-things-i-talk-about-and-explain-couldn-t-happen-yet-they-don-t/)

[Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/)

> [I'm not satisfied sitting in just the world of abstract work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-m-not-satisfied-sitting-in-just-the-world-of-abstract-work/)

[Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/)

> [I thought I would hate New York, but I love New York. I almost hate to say that being from Chicago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-rel-howery/i-thought-i-would-hate-new-york-but-i-love-new-york-i-almost-hate-to/)

[Lil Rel Howery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-rel-howery/)

> [“There seems to be a different Chicago around every street corner, behind every bar, and within every apartment, two-flat, cottage, or bungalow. City of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-a-pacyga/there-seems-to-be-a-different-chicago-around-every-street-corner/)

[Dominic A. Pacyga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-a-pacyga/)

> [You know what they say about Chicago. If you don't like the weather, wait fifteen minutes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-kiner/you-know-what-they-say-about-chicago-if-you-don-t-like-the-weather/)

[Ralph Kiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-kiner/)

> [This world is your body. This world is a great school, This world is your silent teacher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sivananda/this-world-is-your-body-this-world-is-a-great-school-this-world-is/)

[Sivananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sivananda/)

> [If you could draw a picture of the best high school in the world - where all the teachers are wonderful and all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-whitley/if-you-could-draw-a-picture-of-the-best-high-school-in-the-world/)

[Kym Whitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-whitley/)

> [I dream for a world which is free of child labour, a world in which every child goes to school. A world in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailash-satyarthi/i-dream-for-a-world-which-is-free-of-child-labour-a-world-in-which/)

[Kailash Satyarthi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailash-satyarthi/)

> [I think every school in the world should have a sports program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-bachchan/i-think-every-school-in-the-world-should-have-a-sports-program/)

[Abhishek Bachchan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-bachchan/)

> [I'm starting a virtual school for the world, teaching things the way I wanted to be taught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-khan/i-m-starting-a-virtual-school-for-the-world-teaching-things-the-way-i/)

[Sal Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-khan/)

## More by Richard Thaler

> [The Nobel Prize is going to be 'fun money' - for an occasion, when my wife and I want a $50 bottle of wine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/the-nobel-prize-is-going-to-be-fun-money-for-an-occasion-when-my-wife/)

[Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/)

> [In some ways, the finding that financial education doesn't provide long-term payoffs is hardly surprising. After all, how much do you remember from your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/in-some-ways-the-finding-that-financial-education-doesn-t-provide/)

[Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/)

> [Fortunately, economists open to new ways of thinking are finding novel ways to use supposedly irrelevant factors to make the world a better place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/fortunately-economists-open-to-new-ways-of-thinking-are-finding-novel/)

[Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/)

> [If people just put away what's left at the end of the month, that's a recipe for failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/if-people-just-put-away-what-s-left-at-the-end-of-the-month-that-s-a/)

[Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/)

> [The wealth in many large estates has never been taxed because it is largely in the form of unrealized - therefore untaxed - capital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/the-wealth-in-many-large-estates-has-never-been-taxed-because-it-is/)

[Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/)

> [The lesson of my field, behavioral economics, is that we need to understand the ways in which we differ from the rational human assumed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/the-lesson-of-my-field-behavioral-economics-is-that-we-need-to/)

[Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/)

> [I think behavioral economists don't have any more of an explanation about the rise of Trump than anyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/i-think-behavioral-economists-don-t-have-any-more-of-an-explanation/)

[Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/)

> [There are cases when I can make myself better off by restricting my future choices and commit myself to a specific course of action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/there-are-cases-when-i-can-make-myself-better-off-by-restricting-my/)

[Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/)

> [For amateur golfers, I think one of the biggest mistakes is to model their play on professionals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/for-amateur-golfers-i-think-one-of-the-biggest-mistakes-is-to-model/)

[Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/)

> [he card companies will often, as a courtesy, honor that credit card, but hit you with a penalty. And you keep swiping your card…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/he-card-companies-will-often-as-a-courtesy-honor-that-credit-card-but/)

[Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/)

> [We all need a lot of humility, and especially about the economy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/we-all-need-a-lot-of-humility-and-especially-about-the-economy/)

[Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/)

> [Social Security may be the most beloved of all the government's programs, partly because it requires so little thinking. You pay taxes while you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/social-security-may-be-the-most-beloved-of-all-the-government-s/)

[Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/)

> [If you're trading individual securities, you're almost certainly making a mistake. Because most professional managers can't outperform their benchmarks, and there's little reason to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/if-you-re-trading-individual-securities-you-re-almost-certainly/)

[Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/)

> [A nudge is some feature of the environment that changes the behaviour of humans but would not change the behaviour of rational economic agents,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/a-nudge-is-some-feature-of-the-environment-that-changes-the-behaviour/)

[Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/)

> [One reason for high health care costs is that patients fail to follow their treatment regimen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/one-reason-for-high-health-care-costs-is-that-patients-fail-to-follow/)

[Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/)

[Explore all 141 Richard Thaler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/)

## More Abstract quotes

> [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Wisdom is the abstract of the past, but beauty is the promise of the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wisdom-is-the-abstract-of-the-past-but-beauty-is-the-promise-of-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Where human eyes have never seen, where human beings have never been, I build a world of abstract dreams, and I wait for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-ra/where-human-eyes-have-never-seen-where-human-beings-have-never-been-i/)

[Sun Ra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-ra/)

> [A little too abstract, a little too wise, It is time for us to kiss the earth again, It is time to let the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robinson-jeffers/a-little-too-abstract-a-little-too-wise-it-is-time-for-us-to-kiss-the/)

[Robinson Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robinson-jeffers/)

> [“Happy is very abstract, you can't touch it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-veal/happy-is-very-abstract-you-can-t-touch-it/)

[Julius Veal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-veal/)

> [Abstract Expressionism was invented by New York drunks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/abstract-expressionism-was-invented-by-new-york-drunks/)

[Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/)

> [The more horrible this world (as today, for instance), the more abstract our art, whereas a happy world brings forth an art of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-klee/the-more-horrible-this-world-as-today-for-instance-the-more-abstract/)

[Paul Klee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-klee/)

> [Describing comic sensibility is near impossible. It's sort of an abstract silliness, that sometimes the joke isn't the star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-carvey/describing-comic-sensibility-is-near-impossible-it-s-sort-of-an/)

[Dana Carvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-carvey/)

> [For people of color - especially African Americans - the idea that racist cops might frame members of their community is no abstract notion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/for-people-of-color-especially-african-americans-the-idea-that-racist/)

[Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/)

> [The word of the Lord never comes to us as an opinion, no attempt is made to support it by argument, it comes as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-w-ivins/the-word-of-the-lord-never-comes-to-us-as-an-opinion-no-attempt-is/)

[Anthony W. Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-w-ivins/)

> [A mobile is an abstract sculpture made chiefly out of sheet metal, steel rods, wire and wood. Some or all of these elements move,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-calder/a-mobile-is-an-abstract-sculpture-made-chiefly-out-of-sheet-metal/)

[Alexander Calder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-calder/)

> [I'm this superphilosophical kind of person. Stuck in a prison of abstract ideas and overpowering emotions, I have this personality that makes it really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natsuo-kirino/i-m-this-superphilosophical-kind-of-person-stuck-in-a-prison-of/)

[Natsuo Kirino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natsuo-kirino/)

> [Future lawyers should be more aware that law is not a system of abstract logic, but the web of arrangements, rooted in history but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-frankfurter/future-lawyers-should-be-more-aware-that-law-is-not-a-system-of/)

[Felix Frankfurter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-frankfurter/)

> [The trouble is that when you read criticisms about the other films that I've made you get the impression that they're all about themes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-haneke/the-trouble-is-that-when-you-read-criticisms-about-the-other-films/)

[Michael Haneke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-haneke/)

> [Painting is... a richer language than words... Painting operates through signs which are not abstract and incorporeal like words. The signs of painting are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-dubuffet/painting-is-a-richer-language-than-words-painting-operates-through/)

[Jean Dubuffet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-dubuffet/)

[Browse all 1,403 Abstract quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The good thing I will say about the Chicago School is that it was always about the world, not about the abstract.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Richard Thaler"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/the-good-thing-i-will-say-about-the-chicago-school-is-that-it-was/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Abstract"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/the-good-thing-i-will-say-about-the-chicago-school-is-that-it-was/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d5/richard-thaler-3060_abstract_the-good-thing-i-will-say-about-the-chic_3069183.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d5/richard-thaler-3060_abstract_the-good-thing-i-will-say-about-the-chic_3069183.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d5/richard-thaler-3060_abstract_the-good-thing-i-will-say-about-the-chic_3069183.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The good thing I will say about the Chicago School is that it was always about the world, not about the…” — Richard Thaler",
                "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": "Richard Thaler",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The good thing I will say...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/the-good-thing-i-will-say-about-the-chicago-school-is-that-it-was/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/the-good-thing-i-will-say-about-the-chicago-school-is-that-it-was/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
