[Capitalism is] the astonishing belief that the nastiest motives of the nastiest men somehow or other work for the best results in the best of all possible worlds.
John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946) English economist
(Attributed)
Attributed by Sir George Schuster, Christianity and Human Relations in Industry (1951). Frequently quoted, but no direct citation found.
A common variant, also not found in Keynes' work (and also attributed, without citation, to John Kenneth Galbraith):Capitalism is the astounding belief that the most wickedest of men will do the most wickedest of things for the greatest good of everyone.
E. A. G. Robinson was a close colleague of Galbraith, and in his book Monopoly (1941), he wrote:The great merit of the capitalist system, it has been said, is that it succeeds in using the nastiest motives of nasty people for the ultimate benefit of society.
Another variant:Capitalism is the extraordinary belief that the nastiest of men for the nastiest of motives will somehow work for the benefit of all.
More discussion and research into this quote:
- Quote Origin: Capitalism: The Nastiest of Men for the Nastiest of Motives Will Somehow Work for the Benefit of All – Quote Investigator®
- "Capitalism is the belief that the wickedest of men…
- John Maynard Keynes: Capitalism and the "Nastiest/Wickedest of Men" | Steve Cotler | One man's squint at the metaphorical signposts, songbirds, soapboxes, street musicians, and hot dog stands of life. Criticism, lyricism, polemics, performance, and making change...all with mustard.
