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, Speech Quotes

It is a far, far better thing to have a firm anchor in nonsense than...

It is a far, far better thing to have a firm anchor in nonsense than...

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...

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

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

The commencement speech is not, I think, a wholly satisfactory manifestation of our culture.

The commencement speech is not, I think, a wholly satisfactory manifestation of our culture.

We all agree that pessimism is a mark of superior intellect.

We all agree that pessimism is a mark of superior intellect.

If wrinkles must be written upon our brows, let them not be written upon the...

If wrinkles must be written upon our brows, let them not be written upon the...

Economics is a subject profoundly conducive to cliche, resonant with boredom. On few topics is...

Economics is a subject profoundly conducive to cliche, resonant with boredom. On few topics is...

What is called a high standard of living consists, in considerable measure, in arrangements for...

What is called a high standard of living consists, in considerable measure, in arrangements for...

There is an insistent tendency among serious social scientists to think of any institution which...

There is an insistent tendency among serious social scientists to think of any institution which...

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...

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...

In economics, hope and faith coexist with great scientific pretension and also a deep desire...

In economics, hope and faith coexist with great scientific pretension and also a deep desire...

Meetings are indispensable when you don't want to do anything.

Meetings are indispensable when you don't want to do anything.

The enemy of the conventional wisdom is not ideas but the march of events.

The enemy of the conventional wisdom is not ideas but the march of events.

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...

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...

People who are in a fortunate position always attribute virtue to what makes them so...

People who are in a fortunate position always attribute virtue to what makes them so...

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.

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...

In all life one should comfort the afflicted, but verily, also, one should afflict the...

In all life one should comfort the afflicted, but verily, also, one should afflict the...