James Surowiecki Quotes

It is ... difficult to induce a number of free beings to co-operate for their mutual benefit.

It is precisely because neither individuals nor small groups can be fully self-sufficient that cooperation is necessary to human survival and flourishing.

One thing that makes France different from other countries is the tradition of social solidarity. People from all backgrounds and political positions are willing to contribute for services and protection of society as a whole - but on the condition that money is being spent effectively and that everyone is paying their part.

Fundamentally, American society is composed of individuals who don't go out of their way to do each other favours.

Reciprocity helps us balance the need for self-determination and creative individuality with mutual hope and, therefore, what might be described as 'solidarity.'

I lose faith in any cooperative, commonwealth; cannot see how, after all, there will be incentives.

If you treat people right they will treat you right — ninety percent of the time.

… men who are governed by self-interest will combine, whether white or black, and the generous and selfless will similarly unite

I think most people agree with the idea of shared sacrifice, but for many, when push comes to shove, that principle goes out the window.

Primates are really well designed to see who is not keeping up their end of the deal.

If you ask anyone, what is morality based on? These are the two factors that always come out: One is reciprocity, … a sense of fairness, and the other one is empathy and compassion.

People can overcome their differences, and when united, move toward a world of greater fairness and justice. As in folk music, each person has a unique role to play.

When I talk about 'everyday communism', I am teasing a little. It is a provocative idea. But then we all do a lot of sharing a lot of the time. We don't draw up contracts for everything.

If we expect others to rely on our fairness and justice we must show that we rely on their fairness and justice.

Mates help each other; they do not tax each other.

Unity and self-sacrifice, of themselves, even when fostered by the most noble means, produce a facility for hating. Even when men league themselves mightily together to promote tolerance and peace on earth, they are likely to be violently intolerant toward those not of a like mind.

If individuals can take from a common pot regardless of how much they put in it, each person has an incentive to be a free rider, to do as little as possible and take as much as possible because what one fails to take will be taken by someone else.

Each of us must rededicate ourselves to serving the common good. We are a community. Our individual Fates are linked; our futures intertwined; and if we act in that knowledge and in that spirit together, as the Bible says: "We can move mountains."

Service without reward is punishment.

If men will not act for themselves, what will they do when the benefit of their effort is for all?

Everybody was being decent, and when people are decent, thing work out for everybody. That has been my theory all through life. If you're making money, let the other fellow make it too. If somebody's getting hurt, it's bad, but if you can work a thing out so that everybody profits that's the ideal business.

If you treat me fairly, I'll give you all my goods.

I will engage in no transaction which does not benefit all whom it affects

Fairness does not consist so much of everybody's doing the same thing, but of everybody's being willing to do something that others don't want to do.

Justice begins with the recognition of the necessity of sharing. The oldest law is that which regulates it, and this is still themost important law today and, as such, has remained the basic concern of all movements which have at heart the community of human activities and of human existence in general.