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James Surowiecki Quotes

Companies often become victims of their own mythologies Picture Quote #1

Breaking tasks down into smaller sub-tasks can be very useful Picture Quote #1

There’s no debt limit in the Constitution Picture Quote #1

Sometimes you have to destroy your business in order to save it Picture Quote #1

Sometimes even a smart crowd will make a mistake Picture Quote #1

Corporate welfare isn’t necessarily a bad thing Picture Quote #1

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If companies tell us more, insider trading will be worth less Picture Quote #1

In order to work well, markets need a basic level of trust Picture Quote #1

Of course, plenty of people don’t think that guaranteeing affordable health insurance is a core responsibility of government Picture Quote #1

Most corporate name changes are the result of mergers and acquisitions. But these tend to be unimaginative Picture Quote #1

Developing countries often have hypertrophied bureaucracies, requiring businesses to deal with enormous amounts of red tape Picture Quote #1

You can’t fuel real economic growth with indiscriminate credit. You can only fuel it with well-allocated, long-term investment Picture Quote #1

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The ban on sports betting does exactly what Prohibition did. It makes criminals rich Picture Quote #1

Technology is supposed to make our lives easier, allowing us to do things more quickly and efficiently. But too often it seems to make things harder, leaving us with fifty-button remote controls, digital cameras with hundreds of mysterious features and book-length manuals, and cars with dashboard systems worthy of the space shuttle Picture Quote #1

A long-term crisis, after a certain point, no longer seems like a crisis. It seems like the way things are Picture Quote #1

In the heart of the Great Depression, millions of American workers did something they’d never done before: they joined a union. Emboldened by the passage of the Wagner Act, which made collective bargaining easier, unions organized industries across the country, remaking the economy Picture Quote #1

Popular as Keynesian fiscal policy may be, many economists are skeptical that it works. They argue that fine-tuning the economy is a virtually impossible task, and that fiscal-stimulus programs are usually too small, and arrive too late, to make a difference Picture Quote #1

The financial crisis of 2008 was not caused by investment banks betting against the housing market in 2007. It was caused by the fact that too few investors - including all of the big investment banks - bet too heavily on the housing market in the years before 2007 Picture Quote #1

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The world’s central banks and the International Monetary Fund still have vaults full of bullion, even though currencies are no longer backed by gold. Governments hold on to it as a kind of magic symbol, a way of reassuring people that their money is real Picture Quote #1

Although oil is a commodity, it’s still not a commodity like coffee, which, thank God, we will have with us always. At some point the oil will run out Picture Quote #1

As technology improves, on-screen avatars look more and more like real people. When they start looking too real, though, we pull away. These almost-humans aren’t quite right; they look creepy, like zombies Picture Quote #1

Being unemployed is even more disastrous for individuals than you’d expect. Aside from the obvious harm - poverty, difficulty paying off debts - it seems to directly affect people’s health, particularly that of older workers Picture Quote #1

Companies have long gathered data to break down their customer base into specific segments. Now political parties have become adept at micro-targeting, too, using data on shopping habits, leisure activities, voting histories, charity donations, and so on, in order to pinpoint likely supporters and the type of appeal most likely to win them over Picture Quote #1

Flexible supply chains are great for multinationals and consumers. But they erode already thin profit margins in developing-world factories and foster a pell-mell work environment in which getting the order out the door is the only thing that matters Picture Quote #1

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From a social point of view, it’s beneficial that homeownership encourages commitment to a given town or city. But, from an economic point of view, it’s good for people to be able to leave places where there’s less work and move to places where there’s more Picture Quote #1

If someone really wants my company’s business, why shouldn’t he be able to do everything he can - including paying me off - to get that business? Because bribery encourages people to make decisions based on the wrong criteria, which means in the business world that it distorts the efficient allocation of resources Picture Quote #1

In industries where a lot of competitors are selling the same product - mangoes, gasoline, DVD players - price is the easiest way to distinguish yourself. The hope is that if you cut prices enough you can increase your market share, and even your profits. But this works only if your competitors won’t, or can’t, follow suit Picture Quote #1

Intellectual-property rules are clearly necessary to spur innovation: if every invention could be stolen, or every new drug immediately copied, few people would invest in innovation. But too much protection can strangle competition and can limit what economists call ‘incremental innovation’ - innovations that build, in some way, on others Picture Quote #1

It may be that the very qualities that help people get ahead are the ones that make them ill-suited for managing crises. It’s hard to prepare for the worst when you think you’re the best Picture Quote #1

Linux is a complex example of the wisdom of crowds. It’s a good example in the sense that it shows you can set people to work in a decentralized way - that is, without anyone really directing their efforts in a particular direction - and still trust that they’re going to come up with good answers Picture Quote #1

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Friendship Quotes

Motivational Quotes

Inspirational Quotes

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Text Quotes

Companies often become victims of their own mythologies (James Surowiecki Quotes) Breaking tasks down into smaller sub-tasks can be very useful (James Surowiecki Quotes) There’s no debt limit in the Constitution (James Surowiecki Quotes) Sometimes you have to destroy your business in order to save it (James Surowiecki Quotes) Sometimes even a smart crowd will make a mistake (James Surowiecki Quotes) Corporate welfare isn’t necessarily a bad thing (James Surowiecki Quotes) If companies tell us more, insider trading will be worth less (James Surowiecki Quotes) In order to work well, markets need a basic level of trust (James Surowiecki Quotes) Of course, plenty of people don’t think that guaranteeing affordable health insurance is a core responsibility of government (James Surowiecki Quotes) Most corporate name changes are the result of mergers and acquisitions. But these tend to be unimaginative (James Surowiecki Quotes) Developing countries often have hypertrophied bureaucracies, requiring businesses to deal with enormous amounts of red tape (James Surowiecki Quotes) You can’t fuel real economic growth with indiscriminate credit. You can only fuel it with well-allocated, long-term investment (James Surowiecki Quotes) The ban on sports betting does exactly what Prohibition did. It makes criminals rich (James Surowiecki Quotes) Technology is supposed to make our lives easier, allowing us to do things more quickly and efficiently. But too often it seems to make things harder, leaving us with fifty-button remote controls, digital cameras with hundreds of mysterious features and book-length manuals, and cars with dashboard systems worthy of the space shuttle (James Surowiecki Quotes) A long-term crisis, after a certain point, no longer seems like a crisis. It seems like the way things are (James Surowiecki Quotes) In the heart of the Great Depression, millions of American workers did something they’d never done before: they joined a union. Emboldened by the passage of the Wagner Act, which made collective bargaining easier, unions organized industries across the country, remaking the economy (James Surowiecki Quotes) Popular as Keynesian fiscal policy may be, many economists are skeptical that it works. They argue that fine-tuning the economy is a virtually impossible task, and that fiscal-stimulus programs are usually too small, and arrive too late, to make a difference (James Surowiecki Quotes) The financial crisis of 2008 was not caused by investment banks betting against the housing market in 2007. It was caused by the fact that too few investors - including all of the big investment banks - bet too heavily on the housing market in the years before 2007 (James Surowiecki Quotes) The world’s central banks and the International Monetary Fund still have vaults full of bullion, even though currencies are no longer backed by gold. Governments hold on to it as a kind of magic symbol, a way of reassuring people that their money is real (James Surowiecki Quotes) Although oil is a commodity, it’s still not a commodity like coffee, which, thank God, we will have with us always. At some point the oil will run out (James Surowiecki Quotes) As technology improves, on-screen avatars look more and more like real people. When they start looking too real, though, we pull away. These almost-humans aren’t quite right; they look creepy, like zombies (James Surowiecki Quotes) Being unemployed is even more disastrous for individuals than you’d expect. Aside from the obvious harm - poverty, difficulty paying off debts - it seems to directly affect people’s health, particularly that of older workers (James Surowiecki Quotes) Companies have long gathered data to break down their customer base into specific segments. Now political parties have become adept at micro-targeting, too, using data on shopping habits, leisure activities, voting histories, charity donations, and so on, in order to pinpoint likely supporters and the type of appeal most likely to win them over (James Surowiecki Quotes) Flexible supply chains are great for multinationals and consumers. But they erode already thin profit margins in developing-world factories and foster a pell-mell work environment in which getting the order out the door is the only thing that matters (James Surowiecki Quotes) From a social point of view, it’s beneficial that homeownership encourages commitment to a given town or city. But, from an economic point of view, it’s good for people to be able to leave places where there’s less work and move to places where there’s more (James Surowiecki Quotes) If someone really wants my company’s business, why shouldn’t he be able to do everything he can - including paying me off - to get that business? Because bribery encourages people to make decisions based on the wrong criteria, which means in the business world that it distorts the efficient allocation of resources (James Surowiecki Quotes) In industries where a lot of competitors are selling the same product - mangoes, gasoline, DVD players - price is the easiest way to distinguish yourself. The hope is that if you cut prices enough you can increase your market share, and even your profits. But this works only if your competitors won’t, or can’t, follow suit (James Surowiecki Quotes) Intellectual-property rules are clearly necessary to spur innovation: if every invention could be stolen, or every new drug immediately copied, few people would invest in innovation. But too much protection can strangle competition and can limit what economists call ‘incremental innovation’ - innovations that build, in some way, on others (James Surowiecki Quotes) It may be that the very qualities that help people get ahead are the ones that make them ill-suited for managing crises. It’s hard to prepare for the worst when you think you’re the best (James Surowiecki Quotes) Linux is a complex example of the wisdom of crowds. It’s a good example in the sense that it shows you can set people to work in a decentralized way - that is, without anyone really directing their efforts in a particular direction - and still trust that they’re going to come up with good answers (James Surowiecki Quotes)

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