Janet Yellen Quotes

I worry about growing income inequality. But I worry even more that the discussion is too narrowly focused. I worry that our outrage at the top 1 percent is distracting us from the problem that we should really care about: how to create opportunities and ensure a reasonable standard of living for the bottom 20 percent.

Unequal wealth distribution is a risk factor for inequality that must be attacked by policies.

The only way to have a better world and end poverty is by closing the gap between the top and the bottom.

You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.

So when the only domestic social policy is tax cuts that mostly benefit the wealthiest Americans, we say, 'Where is faith being put into action here?'

Rising inequality is not a law of nature - it's not even a law of economics. It is a consequence of political and economic arrangements, and those arrangements can be changed.

You are not going to lift everybody out of poverty through the kindness of wealthy people.

If we are serious about breaking cycles of poverty, we have to change this (economy).

We do not accept that ours will ever be a nation of haves and have-nots. We must always be a nation of haves and soon-to-haves.

One of the great political and economic challenges of our time is figuring out the balance between wealth that benefits society and wealth that distorts.

Poverty must be reduced not only for reasons of moral and justice, but also of security.

Economic growth doesn't mean anything if it leaves people out.

The Clinton administration cared a lot about the middle class and the poor. But it also cared a lot - too much, in retrospect - about the rich.

I don't mind the rich getting richer, but the poor shouldn't be getting poorer, and there should be more people moving into the middle class.

Does inequality in the distribution of income increase or decrease in the course of a country's economic growth?

Richness in the world is a result of other people's poverty. We should begin to shorten the abyss between haves and have-nots.

Rising inequality is toxic to growth. High levels of inequality exclude people - both as innovators and customers - diminishing both innovation and demand.

Government has a responsibility to the have-nots.

Economic growth has the marvelous quality of stilling discontent while maintaining privilege

For the first time in America's history, poverty is on the run.

Preventing poverty beats curing it.

There never can be equality of rewards or possessions so long as the human plan contains varied talents and differing degrees of industry and thrift, but ours ought to be a country free from the great blotches of distressed poverty.

In the first phase of economic development you have rising inequality.

There may not be as many rich individuals, but there will be far less poor.

I would change the tax system markedly. The market system is wonderful but you have to take care of the poople who are left behind and do not profit from it.