Top 34 Quotes by Thomas Piketty

I am not political. It is not my job. But I would be happy if politicians could read my work and draw some conclusions from it.

Yeah, I am in favor of migration. But I am also in favor of education. But at the same time, I am in favor of progressive taxation. I think we need all of this. I think we don't have to choose one.

I think inequality is fine, as long as it is in the common interest. The problem is when it gets so extreme, when it becomes excessive.

I believe in the power of ideas, I believe in the power of books, but you have to give them time.

Market forces and capitalism by themselves aren't sufficient to ensure the common good and to limit the concentration of wealth at levels that are compatible with democratic ideals.

One way to have broader access to wealth is to reduce the tax on the large group and increase the tax on the very top so concentration of wealth doesn't get to extreme levels.

The United States could transform its property tax system into a progressive tax on net worth without asking permission to the rest of the world.

Economists tend to think they are much, much smarter than historians, than everybody. And this is a bit too much because at the end of the day, we don't know very much in economics.

What I argue for is a progressive tax, a global tax, based on the taxation of private property.

Having a decent share of the national wealth for the middle class is not bad for growth. It is actually useful both for equity and efficiency reasons.