David Korten quotes

Money is a mechanism for control. (David Korten)
Capitalism is not about free competitive choices among people who are reasonably equal in their buying and selling of economic power, it is about concentrating capital, concentrating economic power in very few hands using that power to trash everyone who gets in their way. View quote
David Korten
There is a huge shift taking place in the global awareness in the last 5 years with strong views about globalization and the power structures of major corporations. View quote
David Korten
In the US, most progressives start to see the differences between internationalism and economic globalization. View quote
David Korten
Global competition is about winners and losers. View quote
David Korten
Capitalism and the market are presented as synonymous, but they are not. Capitalism is both the enemy of the market and democracy. View quote
David Korten
It is interesting to note that the 200 richest people have more assets than the 2 billion poorest. View quote
David Korten
The professional study of economics has become ideological brainwashing. It is a defense of the excesses of the capitalist system. View quote
David Korten
Money is not wealth. Money is a claim on wealth. View quote
David Korten
If you look internationally over the last 50 years there have been improvements in the third world, but in the last 20 years the reverse has happened, with debt crises and increased poverty. View quote
David Korten
Wall Street sees a social fabric or social contract as inefficiencies, which need to be removed. (David Korten)
Not exclusively, but the bulk of our local economy should be covered by local currencies, which is more efficient than having global currencies which lose connection with reality in the markets, shops and communities of the people. View quote
David Korten
There are actually very few US politicians who have integrity and vision. View quote
David Korten
But we can also take the radical view that the test of an economy has to do with the extent to which it is providing everybody with a decent means of living. View quote
David Korten
Moreover, statistics can be deceiving: the growth of jobs in the US in the 90s was due to many part-time jobs, with no benefits and generally low pay. View quote
David Korten
We should be moving toward local currencies not global or European currencies. View quote
David Korten
More humane societies are usually smaller, like the Scandinavian countries and Holland, where it is much easier to reach consensus and cooperation. View quote
David Korten
There is no visible sign that the current politicians in the US are willing to see the need for change. View quote
David Korten
Europeans say they are proud of their social fabric, of strong rights for workers and the weak in society. View quote
David Korten
If you look at the US economy over the last 15-20 years wages have been stagnating or even declining. View quote
David Korten
So, there is enormous instability in the global economy with a shift of winners and losers. (David Korten)
It will take some time before a politician will capture the imagination of the American people and have the vision and understanding to do what is necessary for a better future for the people of America and the world. View quote
David Korten
The first principle of the market economy is that it is comprised of many small buyers and sellers, which implies a substantial degree of equity. Another fundamental market principle is that costs are internalized in the producer's price. View quote
David Korten
In a world of increasing inequality, the legitimacy of institutions that give precedence to the property rights of "the Haves" over the human rights of "the Have Nots" is inevitably called into serious question. View quote
David Korten
As long as you have a system that is based on the rational that if you are making money you are thereby making a contribution to society, these financial rogue practices will continue. View quote
David Korten

David Korten

David Korten - Image
Photo: Joost van der Borg, CC BY-SA 2.0
Occupation: American Activist
Born: 1937
Quotes count: 33

Related authors

Joanna Macy  1 
 
Peter Fonda - thumbnail
Peter Fonda  29 
American Actor
Tim Robbins - thumbnail
Tim Robbins  58 
American Actor
Thomas Berry  1 
Author
Frances Moore Lappé  3 
 
Bill McKibben - thumbnail
Bill McKibben  27 
American Environmentalist
Paul Hawken - thumbnail
Paul Hawken  35 
American Environmentalist
Herman E. Daly  19 
American Economist
Amy Goodman - thumbnail
Amy Goodman  37 
American Journalist