Thomas Piketty
Thomas Piketty
Thomas Pikettyis a French economist who works on wealth and income inequality. He is a professorat the École des hautes études en sciences sociales, associate chair at the Paris School of Economics and Centennial professor at the London School of Economics new International Inequalities Institute...
NationalityFrench
ProfessionEconomist
Date of Birth7 May 1971
CountryFrance
Thomas Piketty quotes about
wealth existence
Wealth is so concentrated that a large segment of society is virtually unaware of its existence.
democratic-ideals luck inheritance
Our modern democratic ideal is based on the hope that inequalities will be based on merit more than inheritance or luck.
hypocrisy financial economic
No hypocrisy is too great when economic and financial elites are obliged to defend their interest.
innovation growth important
It's important to realize that innovation and growth in itself are not sufficient to moderate inequality of wealth.
opposites democracy want
We want capitalism and market forces to be the slave of democracy rather than the opposite.
opposites method source
Without precisely defined sources, methods, and concepts, it is possible to see absolutely everything and its opposite.
bottom destroy increase middle premise
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.
capture democratic extreme harmful inequality lead mobility useless
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.
exist founded main market position stock
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.
becomes common gets
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.
capital devours future itself output
Once constituted, capital reproduces itself faster than output increases. The past devours the future.
education inequality knowledge main pushing reduction toward
The main force pushing toward reduction in inequality has always been the diffusion of knowledge and the diffusion of education.
domestic peaceful people social solutions tempting
I am afraid that if you don't find peaceful domestic solutions to our inequality and social problems, then it's always tempting to find other people responsible for our problems.
asking net permission property states system transform united
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.