Wednesday, which in retrospect John Putnam Thatcher was to date as the beginning of The Troubles, provided convincing demonstration of John Maynard Keynes's celebrated dictum about the power of ideas. It was unfortunate, in the light of subsequent events, that so many of those ideas were wrong.
From the absolutely delightful Emma Lathen mystery (as all of them are) "Death Shall Overcome," whose hero (if you don't know him), John Putnam Thatcher, is a Senior Vice President of the Sloan Guaranty Trust. Oh, I love him.
This quotation also seems germane to the current economic/political wrangle which I am watching with absolutely no comprehension whatsoever.
Update I must add another quote:
The targets of Richard Simpson's crusade were the most powerful stockbrokers, the most influential bankers, the most important lawyers in the world. Daily they made decisions that shaped the destinies of men and nations. Naturally, they disliked feeling helpless in the grip of forces bigger than they were. Wall Street was enraged--and surprised--to discover that there were bigger forces. And so, voices were raised with more heat than had been evoked since the nation went off the Gold Standard, and men in expensive tailoring raged with unwonted vigor.
No comments:
Post a Comment