Anne Robert Jacques Turgot Quotes


Not only there does not exist, nor can exist, any other revenue than the clear produce of land, but it is the earth also that has furnished all capitals, that form the mass of all the advances of culture and commerce.


Context

While Turgot was right about so much, this was one of his big errors—the assumption that land was fundamental to and necessary for, wealth. In many countries it is still true, but of the recent billionaires like Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, Carlos Slim and most others, they own very little land. In the United States and Canada, there are large tracts of land that few or no one will buy and a cast majority of people do not make their living from land.


Citations

Anne Robert Jacques Turgot, 1727-1781, French Finance Minister, Statesman & Economist, Reflections on the Formation and Distribution of Wealth, 1766

Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations

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Anne Robert Jacques Turgot
Anne Robert Jacques Turgot
  • Born: May 10, 1727
  • Died: March 18, 1781
  • Nationality: French
  • Profession: Economist, Statesman

Anne Robert Jacques Turgot, Baron de l'Aulne, commonly known as Turgot, was a French economist and statesman. Originally considered a physiocrat, he is today best remembered as an early advocate for economic liberalism. He is thought to be the first economist to have recognized the law of diminishing marginal returns in agriculture.