Kevin Hassett Quotes

Powerful Kevin Hassett for Daily Growth

About Kevin Hassett

Kevin A. Hassett is an American economist, author, and columnist who has made significant contributions to economic policy analysis and commentary. Born on August 8, 1964, in Washington D.C., Hassett grew up in a family that valued education and public service. His father was a lawyer, and his mother worked for the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Hassett earned his Bachelor's degree in Economics from Brown University in 1986 and completed his Ph.D. in economics at Harvard University in 1994. His academic work focused on taxation, the effects of tax cuts on economic growth, and the impact of government regulations on businesses. Throughout his career, Hassett has held various positions in academia, think tanks, and government agencies. He served as a senior economist for President George H.W. Bush's Council of Economic Advisers and was a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). In 2017, he was appointed as the Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers under President Donald J. Trump. As an author, Hassett has written numerous articles and op-eds for publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Forbes. He is also the co-author of two books: "Debacle: Obama's Bankruptcy Plan and Restoring American Prosperity" (2010) and "The Waugh Wire: One Hundred Days to a New President" (2009). Throughout his career, Hassett has been known for advocating for lower taxes and deregulation as means of promoting economic growth. His influence on economic policy debates has been significant, particularly during his time in government service under the Trump administration.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Growth is like compound interest; it's the most powerful force in the world."

The quote emphasizes that growth, much like compound interest, has an exponential effect over time. This means that small initial investments or efforts can lead to substantial results if consistently reinvested or built upon. Therefore, consistent focus on growth, be it personal, professional, or economical, can lead to significant achievements and make it one of the most powerful forces in the world.


"The more you have, the more you make."

The quote by Kevin Hassett, "The more you have, the more you make," highlights a common economic principle known as increasing returns to scale. This means that as you increase your inputs (like resources or capital), your outputs (income, profit, or production) also tend to increase at an accelerating rate. Essentially, it suggests that wealth or success can lead to further wealth and success due to the potential for compounding effects in an economy. However, it's important to note that this principle is not always universally applicable and doesn't account for factors like diminishing returns, economic inequality, or externalities that can impact wealth accumulation differently for different individuals or groups.


"When it comes to economics, there are no free lunches."

This quote by Kevin Hassett emphasizes that in economics, nothing is ever completely free; any apparent benefit or gain always has associated costs or trade-offs. Every action, policy, or decision that seems advantageous will have some kind of consequence or impact, often on other areas or parties involved. Thus, careful consideration and analysis are required to weigh the pros and cons before making economic decisions.


"We live in an era of stagnant productivity growth and stagnant median wages."

This quote highlights two significant economic trends in contemporary society. "Stagnant productivity growth" refers to a period where output per hour worked, or the efficiency of production, does not increase significantly. This can be due to various factors such as decreased innovation, lack of investment in technology, or reduced workforce skills. On the other hand, "stagnant median wages" indicates that although a country's total income may grow, the earnings of the average worker do not. This disparity between economic growth and individual income can lead to increased income inequality. In essence, Hassett is suggesting that we are in an era where both productivity and wages are failing to advance as they have in the past, posing challenges for societal progress and prosperity.


"If you want to know what's going on with the economy, look at who's hiring."

This quote suggests that the health and direction of an economy can be understood by observing employment trends. If companies are hiring, it indicates a strong economy where businesses are confident enough to expand their workforce. Conversely, if companies are laying off workers or not hiring, it may indicate economic downturn or uncertainty. Therefore, job market activity is a crucial indicator of an economy's overall health and performance.


Historically, figuring out what to do to the tax code has been almost as contentious a political issue as judicial appointments.

- Kevin Hassett

Been, Code, Appointments, Judicial

Economists have the same occupational hazard as baseball managers and football coaches: Every person on the street knows their job better than they do.

- Kevin Hassett

Football, Better, Coaches, Occupational

There is no tax policy that better describes how out of touch America's liberals are with the rest of the country than the estate tax. According to the Left, government seizure of a large share of the wealth of an American taxpayer is a moral imperative that serves social justice. Most Americans disagree, big time.

- Kevin Hassett

Big, Country, According, Seizure

Today we hear that the gains from economic growth accrue to the highest-income earners while the standard of living of the poor and middle America stagnates and the gap between the richest and the poorest grows ever wider. That portrait of the country is wrong.

- Kevin Hassett

Country, Standard, Wider, Earner

Liberalized trade - in broadly multilateral, regional, or bilateral agreements - is a key ingredient in the recipe for prosperity... An absolute prerequisite for long-term economic growth is full participation in the global economy and trading system.

- Kevin Hassett

Participation, Trading, Economic

If you want to help the poor, help the poor, and with your own time and money. Liberals prefer to do it with someone else's, which is why they love the estate tax.

- Kevin Hassett

Love, Which, Prefer, Estate Tax

The problem is that there is no reliable source of information left, no way to accumulate trusted accounts of the plusses and minuses of any given political choice.

- Kevin Hassett

Political, Source, Given, Accounts

For an American, as mad you may be about whatever the EPA or the IRS does, just imagine if you only had a one twenty-eighth vote over what it does. You were in this place with this big bureaucracy that sets rules, and you only have a small vote. You'd feel like you've given up your sovereignty, wouldn't you?

- Kevin Hassett

Small, Big, About, IRS

The term 'business cycle' is imprecise. Economic fluctuations affect everyone, not just businesses, and they are, unlike astral cycles, anything but regular.

- Kevin Hassett

Business, Everyone, Affect, Businesses

The most real characters in a great play are those who are so meticulously drawn that the audience could predict how many pairs of shoes they might have in their closet or how many close friends they had in grade school. Have any of our public figures been as fully developed in the media?

- Kevin Hassett

Play, Been, Close Friends, Grade School

Too often, politics is like bad theater. The mass media simplifies stories and personalities into their most basic, digestible and familiar bits. Listeners prefer songs they have heard before, after all.

- Kevin Hassett

Politics, Bad, Prefer, Personalities

When a totally offensive tax hits a few million people, Washington is prepared to look the other way. But when everyone is harmed, self preservation kicks in, and Washington gets going.

- Kevin Hassett

Other, Everyone, Offensive, Kicks

The fact is that any carbon legislation is designed to make us not use coal. So if you're a state that has a lot of coal, you're going to get hammered.

- Kevin Hassett

Fact, Going, Hammered, Legislation

Lunchroom economic conversations are inevitably graced with at least one statement from an old-timer along the lines of, 'In my day, we walked 10 miles in the snow just to get to the recession.' In fact, the nature of recessions hasn't changed much over the years.

- Kevin Hassett

Fact, Least, In Fact, At Least One

If you look at the geographic variation in long-term unemployment, it's really striking. There are pockets where employers don't want to go, but for some reason, in part because of adequate safety nets, people don't want to leave.

- Kevin Hassett

Reason, Some, Adequate, Variation

There are folks who we have a moral responsibility to help, who are going to cost the taxpayers lots of money in the future, so there's a strong argument for us to help them with current cash.

- Kevin Hassett

Strong, Argument, Cost, Cash

What we should do, if you want to give more money to the people who are currently unemployed, just give them the money. Give them a lump sum of cash. Don't make them stay unemployed for another three months in order to get the checks.

- Kevin Hassett

Three, Another, Sum, Cash

I prefer to listen to people who change their mind now and then.

- Kevin Hassett

Change, Mind, Prefer, Now And Then

I think that one of the things that we have to recognize is that the longer somebody doesn't have a job, the harder it is to get a new job. You know, the reality is that if you're out of job, and you're looking for a job, then the new employer's going to say, 'Well, why, you know, don't you have a job now? What's wrong with you?'

- Kevin Hassett

I Think, One Of The Things, Harder

Given the importance of Washington, outsiders probably have an unrealistic perspective on how large the city is. The fact is, Washington D.C. is a small town, and most everyone knows most everyone else. That person of the other party who you despise will someday be at your daughter's birthday party.

- Kevin Hassett

Birthday, Small, Other, Outsiders

We've created the class of folks who are unemployed for longer than a year that it's very, very difficult to reconnect to society.

- Kevin Hassett

Year, Very, Created, Folks

One of my favorite indicators of the near-term trend for the economy is auto sales, since folks tend to buy a car when they are feeling optimistic about their financial circumstances.

- Kevin Hassett

Circumstances, Trend, Auto, Folks

If the U.S. doubled its total immigration and prioritized bringing in new workers, it could add more than half a percentage point a year to expected GDP growth.

- Kevin Hassett

Immigration, New, Add, Workers

Socialized medicine allows a nation to exclude a U.S. product from its market if the U.S. firm does not make generous enough price concessions. Accordingly, what has developed is a system within which U.S. firms make large profits on new drugs in the U.S. market, but very low profits on sales everywhere else.

- Kevin Hassett

Nation, Very, Developed, Generous

Taxes can set the level of activity around which the economy fluctuates, but they have very little effect on the fluctuations themselves.

- Kevin Hassett

Very, Set, Which, Effect

If someone builds a fortune, it belongs to him, not the government. An entitled government undermines liberty.

- Kevin Hassett

Fortune, Someone, Entitled, Builds

I am actually an open borders kind of guy.

- Kevin Hassett

I Am, Kind, Actually, Borders

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