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. Thomas Piketty capitalismcommoncompatible Change image and share on social
My premise is not to tax to destroy the wealth of the wealthy; it's to increase the wealth of the bottom and the middle class. Thomas Piketty bottomclassdestroy Change image and share on social
'Das Kapital,' I think, is very difficult to read, and for me, it was not very influential. Thomas Piketty difficultinfluentialkapital Change image and share on social
I was born too late to have any temptation with communism, or at least Soviet-type communism. Travelling in Eastern Europe and the ex-Soviet Union, you clearly don't want to defend a system that would have empty shops and a totalitarian regime and internal passports. Thomas Piketty bearcommunismdefend share on social
The main force pushing toward reduction in inequality has always been the diffusion of knowledge and the diffusion of education. Thomas Piketty diffusioneducationforce Change image and share on social
We want capitalism and market forces to be the slave of democracy rather than the opposite. Thomas Piketty capitalismdemocracyforce Change image and share on social
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. Thomas Piketty bitedayeconomics Change image and share on social
When you are an entrepreneur, you have founded your own firm, it is so easy to find that you exist - you are the main shareholder of your company; it is very easy to look at the stock market position of your company to know how rich you are. Thomas Piketty companyeasyentrepreneur share on social
You need some inequality to grow... but extreme inequality is not only useless but can be harmful to growth because it reduces mobility and can lead to political capture of our democratic institutions. Thomas Piketty capturedemocraticextreme share on social
There is a fundamentalist belief by capitalists that capital will save the world, and it just isn't so. Thomas Piketty beliefcapitalcapitalist Change image and share on social
