Alex Tabarrok

Notable Quotes



People get used to more complex forms of entertainment, and they become bored by simpler forms. Television has become more complex in order to feed our demand.

From Alex Tabarrok

Well-roundedness comes not from sitting in a classroom but from experiencing the larger world.

From Alex Tabarrok

Our obsessive focus on college schooling has blinded us to basic truths. College is a place, not a magic formula. It matters what subjects students study, and subsidies should focus on the subjects that matter the most - not to the students, but to everyone else.

From Alex Tabarrok

Going to college is neither necessary nor sufficient to be well-educated.

From Alex Tabarrok

The obsessive focus on a college degree has served neither taxpayers nor students well. Only 35 percent of students starting a four-year degree program will graduate within four years, and less than 60 percent will graduate within six years. Students who haven't graduated within six years probably never will.

From Alex Tabarrok

College has been oversold. It has been oversold to students who end up dropping out or graduating with degrees that don't help them very much in the job market. It also has been oversold to the taxpayers, who foot the bill for subsidies that do nothing to encourage innovation and economic growth.

From Alex Tabarrok

People used to think that more population was bad for growth. In this view, people are stomachs - they eat, leaving less for everyone else. But once we realize the importance of ideas in the economy, people become brain - they innovate, creating more for everyone else.

From Alex Tabarrok

The only way to thrive is to innovate. It's that simple.

From Alex Tabarrok

It used to be that almost all innovation came from the U.S. and a small number of other developed countries. That's no longer the case, and as China and India grow, it's changing even more. Expect a lot more Chinese and Indian Nobel prizes in the future.

From Alex Tabarrok

It would be really great if I discovered a cure for cancer, but it would only be a little bit less great if my neighbor did. So I am pretty happy when my neighbor becomes wealthier, better educated and more innovative. I feel the same about China and India.

From Alex Tabarrok

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