John Kenneth Galbraith Quotes

Decisions of the kind the executive has to make are not made well by acclamation. They are made well only if based on the clash of conflicting views...The first rule in decision-making is that one does not make a decision unless there is disagreement.

If we are all in agreement on the decision - then I propose we postpone further discussion of this matter until our next meeting to give ourselves time to develop disagreement and perhaps gain some understanding of what the decision is all about.

I never minded giving my opinions. They are just opinions, and I had studied music and I had strong feelings. I was happy for my opinions to join all the other opinions. But you have to be prepared for what comes back, especially if you don't agree with the dominant mythology.

I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me.

Writers should provoke disagreement.

When everyone is unanimous, I wonder whether they are right…. George, at every meeting henceforth I want you to make the most cogent and articulate argument against the war and I will never stop you.

It's not the quantity of your decisions; it's the quality.

… if freedom of speech means anything, it means a willingness to stand and let people say things with which we disagree, and which do weary us considerably.

Disagreement on issues doesn't mean 'dissension.' All it means is that honest men can differ in their approach. You lay out your positions, and president makes a decision.

Women have been late-in-the-game deciders. They weigh all of the issues, all of the images, and all of the information and make a choice almost at the last minute.

My own experience is that the best outcomes are reached when opposing viewpoints are clearly and strongly presented before decisions are made.

I'm not a momentary decision maker. I like well-informed decisions.

People who are great at making decisions in the face of uncertainty have great judgment.

I try to educate the public and let them make the decisions for themselves.

When you think about being contrarian, you have to think about - how is it that smart people will disagree with me, disagree with me ...from a position of intelligence, and there is something that I know that they don't know, that will actually in fact play out to be true.

The biggest gains come from associating with people u DONT agree with!

Diversity and independence are important because the best collective decisions are the product of disagreement and contest, not consensus or compromise.

Prudence is the knowledge of things to be sought, and those to be shunned.

Disagreement produces debate but dissent produces dissension.

Unlike top management at Enron, exemplary leaders reward dissent. They encourage it. They understand that, whatever momentary discomfort they experience as a result of being told they might be wrong, it is more than offset by the fact that the information will help them make better decisions.

Obviously, a man's judgement cannot be better than the information on which he bases it

I do not necessarily support the president's decision.

Knowing where things are, and why, is essential to rational decision making

The 1st question the effective decision-maker asks is: 'Is this a generic situation or an exception?'

When men are brought face to face with their opponents, forced to listen and learn and mend their ideas, they cease to be children and savages and begin to live like civilized men. Then only is freedom a reality, when men may voice their opinions because they must examine their opinions.