Corn Quote by Thomas Malthus
“Population regulates itself by the funds which are to employ it, and therefore always increases or diminishes with the increase or the diminution of capital. Every reduction of capital is therefore necessarily followed by a less effective demand for corn, by a fall in price, and by a diminished cultivation.”
About This Quote
Source Treatise: An Essay on the Principle of Population, 1798
Population size is tied to available capital; when capital falls, demand for food drops, lowering prices and cultivation.
In simple terms: Population follows money; less capital means less food demand.
Key Takeaway
Monitor economic health to anticipate demographic changes.
Themes
economics
population
capital
agriculture
market dynamics
Mood
analytical
cautious
Type
economic
historical
When to use this quote
- policy planning
- agricultural forecasting
- investment strategy
- urban development
Key Concepts
Malthusian theory
resource allocation
price elasticity
Questions to Reflect On
- Can modern tech break the capital‑population link?
- How do policy interventions alter this cycle?
A Different Perspective
Does not account for technological advances that boost productivity.
![“[P]opulation, when unchecked, goes on doubling itself every twenty-five years, or increases in a geometrical ratio. ... [T]he means of subsistence, under circumstances the most favorable to human industry, could not possibly be made to increase faster than in an arithmetical ratio.” quote by Thomas Malthus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/16b/thomas-malthus-7621_circumstances_p-opulation-when-unchecked-goes-on-doubl_324443.jpg)
