Commencement oratory must eschew anything that smacks of partisan politics, political preference, sex, religion or unduly firm opinion. Nonetheless, there must be a speech: Speeches in our culture are the vacuum that fills a vacuum.

Quote by John Kenneth Galbraith

Topics: Politics Quotes

Where humor is concerned there are no standards - no one can say what is...

Where humor is concerned there are no standards - no one can say what is...

We can safely abandon the doctrine of the eighties, namely that the rich were not...

We can safely abandon the doctrine of the eighties, namely that the rich were not...

In economics it is a far, far wiser thing to be right than to be...

In economics it is a far, far wiser thing to be right than to be...

In economics, the majority is always wrong.

In economics, the majority is always wrong.

Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it's just the opposite.

Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it's just the opposite.

In any great organization it is far, far safer to be wrong with the majority...

In any great organization it is far, far safer to be wrong with the majority...

All successful revolutions are the kicking in of a rotten door.

All successful revolutions are the kicking in of a rotten door.

By all but the pathologically romantic, it is now recognized that this is not the...

By all but the pathologically romantic, it is now recognized that this is not the...

Wealth, in even the most improbable cases, manages to convey the aspect of intelligence.

Wealth, in even the most improbable cases, manages to convey the aspect of intelligence.

Humor is richly rewarding to the person who employs it. It has some value in...

Humor is richly rewarding to the person who employs it. It has some value in...

Of all classes the rich are the most noticed and the least studied.

Of all classes the rich are the most noticed and the least studied.

Economics is extremely useful as a form of employment for economists.

Economics is extremely useful as a form of employment for economists.

Faced with the choice between changing one's mind and proving that there is no need...

Faced with the choice between changing one's mind and proving that there is no need...

Wisdom itself is often an abstraction associated not with fact or reality but with the...

Wisdom itself is often an abstraction associated not with fact or reality but with the...

A person buying ordinary products in a supermarket is in touch with his deepest emotions.

A person buying ordinary products in a supermarket is in touch with his deepest emotions.

The Metropolis should have been aborted long before it became New York, London or Tokyo.

The Metropolis should have been aborted long before it became New York, London or Tokyo.

There's a certain part of the contented majority who love anybody who is worth a...

There's a certain part of the contented majority who love anybody who is worth a...

Humor is richly rewarding to the person who employs it. It has some value in...

Humor is richly rewarding to the person who employs it. It has some value in...

Our subconscious minds have no sense of humor, play no jokes and cannot tell the...

Our subconscious minds have no sense of humor, play no jokes and cannot tell the...

Calories are just little tiny creatures that live in your closet and sew your clothes...

Calories are just little tiny creatures that live in your closet and sew your clothes...