Jan Tinbergen

“The best that can be said about the future is that it is uncertain.”

“The problem of an optimal international division of labor is of old standing, but it is renewed with every change in the economic and political organization of the world.”

“Policy-makers should have a number of policy instruments at their disposal that is at least equal to the number of their policy objectives.”

“Life is a game of chess. To win you have to make a move. Knowing which move to make comes with insight and knowledge and by learning the lessons that are accumulated along the way.”

“A more equal distribution of income would be a very important step towards a more just social order.”

“The contrast between the rich and the poor is a matter of life and death.”

“The most important contribution of the quantitative approach to economic policy is that it shows the interrelationships between various policy aims and instruments.”