John Major Quotes

Difficult economic conditions require us to face difficult economic choices.

If by carelessness in controlling inflation and imposing controls on our general economy we are unable to meet these temporary but vital calls upon us, we will be courting real disaster.

I reject the advice of those who think the only way to fight inflation is to throw millions of people out of work .... I guarantee you that I will not fight inflation with your jobs.

Attempting to control inflation or protect the dollar by throwing legions of people out of work and shutting down shifts in our factories and mines is a hopeless policy.

Whip Inflation Now

The benefit of appointing a hawkish central banker is the increased inflation-fighting credibility that such an appointment brings.

By the time I became chairman and there was more of a feeling of urgency, there was a willingness to accept more forceful measures to try to deal with the inflation.

It is the policy of the federal government to use all resources at its disposal to make our financial system stronger.

In a normal time, I don't think economic policy makes a large difference one way or another. But in times of crisis it makes all the difference in the world.

The more we can do to address fiscal austerity, the better our markets will do, and there is a real political shift to doing that.

It is better to implement reforms in times of economic strength.

… bad times make for good policies, and good times make for bad policies.

The central focus of what we are doing at the Fed is to keep inflation from accelerating - and preferably decelerating.

Clinton took very tough decisions on the economy.

When I took over, the economy had almost collapsed. I told Malawians we needed to pass through difficult times. Two days ago I even cut my own salary by 30% to show we are making sacrifices.

We cannot cut our way to prosperity.

People forget how difficult it is to stop inflation or get it under control… I worry about it all the time.

Political leaders cannot survive as advocates of near-permanent austerity on the basis of directives imposed from abroad.

The surpluses of the [19]90s were the result of a growing economy. They were not the result of government policy.

We should be humble about our ability to stimulate the economy with monetary policy.

The country needed someone credible to fight inflation and Volker was the man for the job…. He understood that the government had to establish credibility in order to give policy makers flexibility when they needed it.

There is one policy for recession or depression and another for good times.

Europe needs to make its first, second and third economic priorities economic development.

During the 1970s, inflation expectations rose markedly because the Federal Reserve allowed actual inflation to ratchet up persistently in response to economic disruptions - a development that made it more difficult to stabilize both inflation and employment.

While deficits are often inflationary and always pernicious, curing them by raising taxes is equivalent to curing an illness by shooting the patient.