---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Banks are allowed to loan $10 for every…"
description: "\"“Banks are allowed to loan $10 for every dollar they actually possess, which means that 90 percent of all the money in our bank accounts is not covered..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d67/yuval-noah-harari-100_bank-account_banks-are-allowed-to-loan-10-for-every-d_660078.jpg"
---

#  Banks are allowed to loan $10 for every dollar they…

![“Banks are allowed to loan $10 for every dollar they actually possess, which means that 90 percent of all the money in our bank accounts is not covered by actual coins and notes.” quote by Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d67/yuval-noah-harari-100_bank-account_banks-are-allowed-to-loan-10-for-every-d_660078.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d67/yuval-noah-harari-100_bank-account_banks-are-allowed-to-loan-10-for-every-d_660078.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d67/yuval-noah-harari-100_bank-account_banks-are-allowed-to-loan-10-for-every-d_660078.jpg)

> ““Banks are allowed to loan $10 for every dollar they actually possess, which means that 90 percent of all the money in our bank accounts is not covered by actual coins and notes.””

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

## About This Quote

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

Banks can create money far beyond physical cash, showing modern economies rely on fractional reserve banking.

**In simple terms:** Banks lend more than they have in cash.

Key Takeaway

Understand money creation limits.

Themes

economics finance trust systems risk

Mood

cautious analytical

Type

educational informative

When to use this quote

- banking regulation
- personal budgeting
- investment decisions
- policy debates

Key Concepts

fractional reserve monetary policy liquidity inflation financial stability

Questions to Reflect On

- How does this affect your view of savings?
- What safeguards could improve stability?

A Different Perspective

The system can fail if confidence collapses.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bank account](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bank-account/)

## Related quotes

> [This 90/10 rule holds true in almost anything financial. Take the game of golf, for example. Ten percent of the professional golfers make 90…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/this-90-10-rule-holds-true-in-almost-anything-financial-take-the-game/)

[Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/)

> [I got told I wasn't allowed to go on loan, which was a good thing but, at the same time, I just wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-winks/i-got-told-i-wasn-t-allowed-to-go-on-loan-which-was-a-good-thing-but/)

[Harry Winks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-winks/)

> [“Until the late modern era, more than 90 percent of humans were peasants”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/until-the-late-modern-era-more-than-90-percent-of-humans-were-peasants/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Why do you think that 1 percent of the population earns around 96 percent of all the money that’s being earned?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-byrne/why-do-you-think-that-1-percent-of-the-population-earns-around-96/)

[Rhonda Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-byrne/)

> [We have become ninety-nine percent money mad. The method of living at home modestly and within our income, laying a little by systematically for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington-carver/we-have-become-ninety-nine-percent-money-mad-the-method-of-living-at/)

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

> [Ninety-nine percent of everyday things are things we don't need - that goes for regular visits to the hairdresser just as it does for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-johan-persson/ninety-nine-percent-of-everyday-things-are-things-we-don-t-need-that/)

Karl-Johan Persson

> [Fifty percent of life in the N.B.A. is sex. The other fifty percent is money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-rodman/fifty-percent-of-life-in-the-n-b-a-is-sex-the-other-fifty-percent-is/)

[Dennis Rodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-rodman/)

> [A wise man puts aside 10 percent of the money he gets - and 90 percent of the free advice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-karns/a-wise-man-puts-aside-10-percent-of-the-money-he-gets-and-90-percent/)

Harry Karns

> [Women play about twenty-five percent as good as men, so they should get about twenty-five percent of the money men get.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-riggs/women-play-about-twenty-five-percent-as-good-as-men-so-they-should/)

[Bobby Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-riggs/)

> [I don't want to give a lecture to this body that's out there. You know, I mean, having had the heart attack, I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/i-don-t-want-to-give-a-lecture-to-this-body-that-s-out-there-you-know/)

[Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/)

> [The UFC makes about 99 percent of the money, and the rest goes to the fighters. That one percent ain't nothing compared to what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tito-ortiz/the-ufc-makes-about-99-percent-of-the-money-and-the-rest-goes-to-the/)

[Tito Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tito-ortiz/)

> [I just don't understand exactly why you're charging me twenty percent interest on the money that you loaned me, when you already taking thirty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-players-club/i-just-don-t-understand-exactly-why-you-re-charging-me-twenty-percent/)

The Players Club

> [Fifty percent of life in the NBA is sex. The other 50 percent is money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-rodman/fifty-percent-of-life-in-the-nba-is-sex-the-other-50-percent-is-money/)

[Dennis Rodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-rodman/)

> [We have become 99 percent money mad. The method of living at home modestly and within our income, laying a little by systematically for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington-carver/we-have-become-99-percent-money-mad-the-method-of-living-at-home/)

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

> [ “At one time he \[Cornelius Vanderbilt\] personally controlled some 10 percent of all the money in circulation in the United States.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/at-one-time-he-cornelius-vanderbilt-personally-controlled-some-10/)

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

## More by Yuval Noah Harari

> [“For similar reasons, archaic humans did not initiate any revolutions. As far as we can tell, changes in social patterns, the invention of new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/for-similar-reasons-archaic-humans-did-not-initiate-any-revolutions/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Today the main source of wealth is knowledge. And whereas you can conquer oil fields through war, you cannot acquire knowledge that way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/today-the-main-source-of-wealth-is-knowledge-and-whereas-you-can/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“How do you cause people to believe in an imagined order such as Christianity, democracy or capitalism? First, you never admit that the order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/how-do-you-cause-people-to-believe-in-an-imagined-order-such-as/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [I think the basic thing that happened is we have lost our story. Humans think in stories, and we try to make sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/i-think-the-basic-thing-that-happened-is-we-have-lost-our-story/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Whereas chimpanzees spend five hours a day chewing raw food, a single hour suffices for people eating cooked food. The advent of cooking enabled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/whereas-chimpanzees-spend-five-hours-a-day-chewing-raw-food-a-single/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“the Chinese air-purification market is booming.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/the-chinese-air-purification-market-is-booming/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Whereas liberalism merged with the milder versions of nationalism to protect the unique experiences of each human community, evolutionary humanists such as Hitler identified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/whereas-liberalism-merged-with-the-milder-versions-of-nationalism-to/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Corporations, money and nations exist only in our imagination. We invented them to serve us; why do we find ourselves sacrificing our lives in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/corporations-money-and-nations-exist-only-in-our-imagination-we/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Small children in affluent societies often dislike showering, and it takes them years of education and parental discipline to adopt this supposedly attractive custom.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/small-children-in-affluent-societies-often-dislike-showering-and-it/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Ever more scholars see cultures as a kind of mental infection or parasite, with humans as its unwitting host. Organic parasites, such as viruses,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/ever-more-scholars-see-cultures-as-a-kind-of-mental-infection-or/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Soviet Communism was a fanatical and missionary religion. A devout Communist could not be a Christian or a Buddhist, and was expected to spread…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/soviet-communism-was-a-fanatical-and-missionary-religion-a-devout/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Whereas religion asks us to believe in something, money asks us to believe that other people believe in something”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/whereas-religion-asks-us-to-believe-in-something-money-asks-us-to/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Terrorists are like a fly that tries to destroy a china shop. The fly is so weak that it cannot budge even a single…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/terrorists-are-like-a-fly-that-tries-to-destroy-a-china-shop-the-fly/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Yet what happens if the greedy shoemaker increases his profits by paying employees less and increasing their work hours? The standard answer is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/yet-what-happens-if-the-greedy-shoemaker-increases-his-profits-by/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“A natural order is a stable order. There is no chance that gravity will cease to function tomorrow, even if people stop believing in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/a-natural-order-is-a-stable-order-there-is-no-chance-that-gravity/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

[Explore all 1,200 Yuval Noah Harari quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

## More Bank account quotes

> [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/)

[Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/)

> [You've got to exercise. Your health account, your bank account, they're the same thing. The more you put in, the more you can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-lalanne/you-ve-got-to-exercise-your-health-account-your-bank-account-they-re/)

[Jack LaLanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-lalanne/)

> [“What constitutes an American? Not color nor race nor religion. Not the pedigree of his family nor the place of his birth. Not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-ickes/what-constitutes-an-american-not-color-nor-race-nor-religion-not-the/)

Harold Ickes

> [“Romantic literature often presents the individual as somebody caught in a struggle against the state and the market. Nothing could be further from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/romantic-literature-often-presents-the-individual-as-somebody-caught/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“War is always more complex. Economics, history, religion all have a role, but not for the ones dodging the bullets. They just get blown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-carter/war-is-always-more-complex-economics-history-religion-all-have-a-role/)

[Bill Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-carter/)

> [Man: I want to share everything with you. woman: okay let's start with your bank account](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-nkandi/man-i-want-to-share-everything-with-you-woman-okay-let-s-start-with/)

[Julia Nkandi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-nkandi/)

> [I actually love Twitter and Instagram. I do think it's so strange to think that 20 years ago, people would never have known personal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorde/i-actually-love-twitter-and-instagram-i-do-think-it-s-so-strange-to/)

[Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorde/)

> [As a joke, I would love to stand in line at ATM machines, and when people put in their PIN, I yell Got it!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hussein-nishah/as-a-joke-i-would-love-to-stand-in-line-at-atm-machines-and-when/)

[Hussein Nishah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hussein-nishah/)

> [ARISTOCRACY, n. Government by the best men. (In this sense the word is obsolete; so is that kind of government.) Fellows that wear downy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/aristocracy-n-government-by-the-best-men-in-this-sense-the-word-is/)

[Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/)

> [I had no idea of the size of my bank account as a teen, and I didn't care to know. That was my mom's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-chlumsky/i-had-no-idea-of-the-size-of-my-bank-account-as-a-teen-and-i-didn-t/)

[Anna Chlumsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-chlumsky/)

> [Prayer is not a check request asking for things to God. It is a deposit slip-a way to depositing God's character into our bankrupt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/prayer-is-not-a-check-request-asking-for-things-to-god-it-is-a/)

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

> [“He’s changed?” “Yes. He’s started hanging out with a different crowd, a richer crowd. The men are all so arrogant. They don’t doubt themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-cooperman/he-s-changed-yes-he-s-started-hanging-out-with-a-different-crowd-a/)

[Kathy Cooperman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-cooperman/)

> [If a person lies to you about what's in their bank account, they'll lie to you about other things as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christie-brinkley/if-a-person-lies-to-you-about-what-s-in-their-bank-account-they-ll/)

[Christie Brinkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christie-brinkley/)

> [Secret bank accounts are for laundering dirty money. Heads of state at the UN should put an end them. That would be the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/secret-bank-accounts-are-for-laundering-dirty-money-heads-of-state-at/)

[Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/)

> [The battle for the airwaves cannot be limited to only those who have the bank accounts to pay for the battle and win it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-cronkite/the-battle-for-the-airwaves-cannot-be-limited-to-only-those-who-have/)

[Walter Cronkite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-cronkite/)

[Browse all 470 Bank account quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bank-account/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Banks are allowed to loan $10 for every dollar they actually possess, which means that 90 percent of all the money in our bank accounts is not covered by actual coins and notes.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Yuval Noah Harari"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/banks-are-allowed-to-loan-10-for-every-dollar-they-actually-possess/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bank account"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/banks-are-allowed-to-loan-10-for-every-dollar-they-actually-possess/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d67/yuval-noah-harari-100_bank-account_banks-are-allowed-to-loan-10-for-every-d_660078.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d67/yuval-noah-harari-100_bank-account_banks-are-allowed-to-loan-10-for-every-d_660078.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d67/yuval-noah-harari-100_bank-account_banks-are-allowed-to-loan-10-for-every-d_660078.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Banks are allowed to loan $10 for every dollar they actually possess, which means that 90 percent of all the…” — Yuval Noah Harari",
                "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": "Yuval Noah Harari",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Banks are allowed to loan $10...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/banks-are-allowed-to-loan-10-for-every-dollar-they-actually-possess/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/banks-are-allowed-to-loan-10-for-every-dollar-they-actually-possess/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
