Thomas Piketty Quotations

I don't pretend that I can predict the future value of the growth rate or rate of return.

'Das Kapital,' I think, is very difficult to read, and for me, it was not very influential.

Private property and the market system are good not only to promote innovation and to promote growth; private property and the market system are good for our personal freedom.

Market forces and capitalism by themselves aren't sufficient to ensure the common good and to limit the concentration of wealth at levels that are compatible with democratic ideals.

Economists should be modest and be aware that they are part of the broader social science community. We need to be pragmatic about the methods we use. When we need to do history, we should do history. When we need to study political science, we should study political science.

What I argue for is a progressive tax, a global tax, based on the taxation of private property.

I don't live in the Cold War. Some people maybe still live in the Cold War, but this is their problem, not mine.

I believe in the power of ideas, I believe in the power of books, but you have to give them time.

Yeah, I am in favor of migration. But I am also in favor of education. But at the same time, I am in favor of progressive taxation. I think we need all of this. I think we don't have to choose one.

Having a decent share of the national wealth for the middle class is not bad for growth. It is actually useful both for equity and efficiency reasons.