Matt Ridley Quotes

We act like a zero-sum society, when in reality there is a lot of non zero-sum fat to be skimmed off to everyone's mutual advantage.

We believe that economics does not necessarily have to be a zero-sum game; it can be a win-win proposition for everyone involved so long as they have the tools in which to succeed.

My guiding principle is that prosperity can be shared. We can create wealth together. The global economy is not a zero-sum game.

People should give up the old concepts of 'you lose. I win', or zero-sum game, and establish a new concept of peaceful development and win-win cooperation. If China develops well, it will benefit the whole world and benefit the United States. If the United States develops well, it will also benefit the world and China.

Even if the members of different communities find each other physically and/or behaviorally strange, irritating, or annoying, and do not want to associate as neighbors, they may still engage in mutually beneficial trade if they reside spatially separated from each other.

The key insight of Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations is misleadingly simple: if an exchange between two parties is voluntary, it will not take place unless both believe they will benefit from it. Most economic fallacies derive from the neglect of this simple insight, from the tendency to assume that there is a fixed pie, that one party can gain only at the expense of another.

Exchange is creation.

The only people who steal are thieves, and that's a very small percentage of civilization. Most people want to have some way to make the economic transaction valid. They want to return the favor, if you will... return the benefit and reciprocate.

As economic globalization gathers momentum, China and the United States have become highly interdependent economically. Such economic relations would not enjoy sustained, rapid growth if they were not based on mutual benefit or if they failed to deliver great benefits to the United States.

Free trade is a two way street.

Trade agreements are what you make of them.

Our system will prevail but it must be tested by talk and trade.

Most actions do not aim at anybody’s defeat or loss. They aim at an improvement in conditions.

Negotiations can resolve differences, cooperation can replace confrontation and development can create a win-win scenario.

The great and overriding role of all alliances must be that of reciprocal interest.

The win-win situation is the basis for America's entire business world. Instead of wasting our time attempting to defeat each other, let's find a way that will make both of us gain and go home satisfied. In Israel, it doesn't work because the only meaning of victory is seeing your rival's body lying trampled on the floor.

We should keep on going along the path of globalization. Globalization is good... when trade stops, war comes.

I do believe that international trade agreements benefit both nations, always.

If you look at the developments in the international scene over the past many years, we haven't been able to resolve many problems and many crises, because we have approached them from a zero-sum perspective. My gain has always been defined as somebody else's loss, and through that, we never resolve problems.

Whenever a partnership is formed, there has to be a benefit to the partners; otherwise, they don't form it.

What's interesting about collaborations is the possibility for one plus one to equal three.

Trade brings freedom and well-being for all.

We need to remember that trade is a great peacemaker that enriches people and increases international understanding and ties between nations.

Help another and you will be the one who benefits most

Trade is the natural enemy of all violent passions. Trade loves moderation, delights in compromise, and is most careful to avoid anger. It is patient, supple, and insinuating, only resorting to extreme measures in cases of absolute necessity.