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Bernard Lietaer

27 quotes

“Money is like an iron ring we've put through our noses. We've forgotten that we designed it, and it's now leading us around. I think it's time to figure out where we want to go--in my opinion toward sustainability and community--and then design a money system that gets us there.”
Bernard Lietaer (1942–2019) first seen 1997 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quoted in Beyond Greed and Scarcity, YES! A Journal of Positive Futures , (Spring 1997)
“While economic textbooks claim that people and corporations are competing for markets and resources... in reality they are competing for money - using markets and resources to do so. So designing new money systems really amounts to redesigning the target that orients much human effort.”
Bernard Lietaer (1942–2019) first seen 1997 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quoted in Beyond Greed and Scarcity, YES! A Journal of Positive Futures , (Spring 1997)
“Money is created when banks lend it into existence. When a bank provides you with a $100,000 mortgage, it creates only the principal, which you spend and which then circulates in the economy. The bank expects you to pay back $200,000 over the next 20 years, but it doesn't create the second $100,000 - the interest. Instead, the bank sends you out into the tough world to battle against everybody else to bring back the second $100,000.”
Bernard Lietaer (1942–2019) first seen 1997 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quoted in Beyond Greed and Scarcity, YES! A Journal of Positive Futures , (Spring 1997)
“Economic injustice is one of the most intractable problems that humanity has had because, actually economic justice has never really existed in most societies... in a long history of mankind, 5,000 years. There have been a couple of exceptions where I believe it has happened... and we can see why they were exceptions. That's what's going to get interesting. So here's my plan, first i'm going to give you the context...”
Bernard Lietaer (1942–2019) first seen 2017 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Keynote | Bernard Lietaer: Economic Justice – Theory to Practice (video presentation), International Student Week in Ilmenau (May 2017)
“Deep in our hearts, we all want to leave a better world for our children and we cherish the hope that we may experience this for ourselves in our own lifetime. However, there is growing concern that many of the challenges we now face are unrelenting and more and more people question our ability to address them effectively. Indeed, despite some breakthroughs and the valiant efforts in the public and private sectors, the challenges to our planet and society are growing both in scope and severity with each passing decade.”
Bernard Lietaer (1942–2019) said by 2019 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In this new Millennium, we are being challenged by four megatrends that are converging upon us over the next twenty years, namely:”
Bernard Lietaer (1942–2019) said by 2019 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Why have our efforts, the countless billions of pounds and dollars spent all over the world, the many treaties enacted and initiatives taken, not stopped the destruction of our environment, nor effectively addressed a myriad of social issues? Is it possible that our attentions and efforts are misdirected? Or are the challenges and issues facing our world today being fueled by an even deeper systematic problem? The short answer to this last question is yes.”
Bernard Lietaer (1942–2019) said by 2019 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The Future of Money is a compendium report about solutions already implemented by thousands of people around the world, who have had the courage to first identify, then directly address the underlying mechanism of their problems. Their initiatives to date are small-scale, but I see them as seedlings which - if allowed to grow - have the potential to provide effective and permanent solutions by which conditions for mankind and other living systems may improve dramatically within our own lifetimes.”
Bernard Lietaer (1942–2019) said by 2019 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Money or lack thereof, is a fundamental component of our lives. It is not, however, just the lack of money that is precipitating present trends or preventing us from addressing current challenges. Rather, it is the limited functionality of our money and monetary system that is a major force behind our present disorders. Many of the problems we face, and the solutions we seek, reside within the architecture of our current monetary system and in our understanding of, and our agreements around, money.”
Bernard Lietaer (1942–2019) said by 2019 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We allocate a great portion of our physical, emotional, and mental energy to getting, keeping, and spending money - but how many of us really know what money is or where it comes from? Money is created when banks lend it into existence.”
Bernard Lietaer (1942–2019) said by 2019 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In pre-Victorian England the world was oblivious of pollution, greenhouse effects and overpopulation. Nationalism, competition, endless growth and colonisation were encouraged. These values are what shaped the monetary and banking systems we inherited.”
Bernard Lietaer (1942–2019) said by 2019 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There are three reasons why I believe the current, ongoing monetary initiatives have a better chance of success than ever before: First and foremost, these money innovations are not attacking the official money system. What they do instead is complement the conventional money system, providing new tools that can operate in parallel with it, without replacing it. That is why I call them 'complementary currencies', and not, 'alternative' ones.”
Bernard Lietaer (1942–2019) said by 2019 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Part One of The Future of Money elucidates the mysteries of the current official currency system. Part Two widens the view to encompass and feature newly emerging money systems. Therefore, this book deals with money in the world outside of us, describing how different money systems shape society.”
Bernard Lietaer (1942–2019) said by 2019 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When we think about money, we tend to take for granted its basic characteristics, which have remained unchanged for centuries. We are not likely to visit the hidden assumptions embedded in our familiar money system, and we are even less likely to re-examine them in search of solutions.”
Bernard Lietaer (1942–2019) said by 2019 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Part One brings our hidden assumptions about money to the surface. In doing so, it also brings to light new potentials for our interactions with money. It is not about how to make, invest or spend money. There are already plenty of books about all of that. It is about the concept of money, and how different money systems shape different societies.”
Bernard Lietaer (1942–2019) said by 2019 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“People concerned with sustainability in general – with issues like climate change, environmental degradation, food and water shortages, population growth and energy use – tend not to worry about the money system. Nor do they tend to look for solutions that involve monetary innovations. Even those economists who are also concerned about sustainability in principle are seldom aware that our money system systematically encourages unsustainable behaviour patterns that may end up threatening human survival on this planet.”
Bernard Lietaer (1942–2019) said by 2019 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“This Report shows that the current money system is both a crucial part of the overall sustainability ‘problem’ and a vital part of any solution. It makes clear that awareness of this ‘Missing Link’ is an absolute imperative for economists, environmentalists and anyone else trying to address sustainability at a national, regional or global level. Aiming for sustainability without restructuring our money system is a naive approach, doomed to failure.”
Bernard Lietaer (1942–2019) said by 2019 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The money system is bad for social and environmental sustainability. But this Report also proves – perhaps more surprisingly – that the money system is bad for the money system itself. Unless we fundamentally restructure it, we cannot achieve monetary stability. Indeed, this Report also demonstrates that monetary stability itself is possible if, and only if, we apply systemic biomimicry – that is to say, if we complement the prevailing monetary monopoly with what we call a ‘monetary ecosystem’.”
Bernard Lietaer (1942–2019) said by 2019 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Here’s our systemic solution in a nutshell:”
Bernard Lietaer (1942–2019) said by 2019 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Greece continues to use the euro for all international business: tourism, shipping, exports and imports, etc. Taxes are levied in euros on profits made in these activities, and used to service the country’s national debt.”
Bernard Lietaer (1942–2019) said by 2019 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In addition, any Greek city/region wanting to participate can issue its own local currency (generically called ‘Civics’ in the case study in chapter VIII). Civics are used to pay for important local, social and environmental programs. In our example, 1 Civic is issued to anyone who completes 1 hour of approved service to the community. Projects for which Civics are paid should be decided democratically and locally.”
Bernard Lietaer (1942–2019) said by 2019 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The issuing city/region requires payment from each household of, say, 10 Civics/quarter...”
Bernard Lietaer (1942–2019) said by 2019 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Greed and competition are not a result of immutable human temperament... greed and fear of scarcity are in fact being continuously created and amplified as a direct result of the kind of money we are using. For example, we can produce more than enough food to feed everybody, and there is definitely enough work for everybody in the world, but there is clearly not enough money to pay for it all. The scarcity is in our national currencies. In fact, the job of central banks is to create and maintain that currency scarcity. The direct consequence is that we have to fight with each other in order to survive.”
Bernard Lietaer (1942–2019) first seen 1997 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quoted in Beyond Greed and Scarcity, YES! A Journal of Positive Futures , (Spring 1997)
“Your money's value is determined by a global casino of unprecedented proportions: $2 trillion are traded per day in foreign exchange markets, 100 times more than the trading volume of all the stockmarkets of the world combined. Only 2% of these foreign exchange transactions relate to the "real" economy reflecting movements of real goods and services in the world, and 98% are purely speculative. This global casino is triggering the foreign exchange crises which shook Mexico in 1994-5, Asia in 1997 and Russia in 1998. These emergencies are the dislocation symptoms of the old Industrial Age money system.”
Bernard Lietaer (1942–2019) first seen 2001 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Bernard Lietaer, The Future of Money (2001).
“However, is this what best serves our world today? I submit that those aspects of our monetary system that met the objectives of another time and age are now inadequate for the challenges facing us during an Information Age. This is particularly true in light of the fact that working solutions are already underway, with thousands of communities around the world taking their own money initiatives. They are creating new wealth, while solving social problems without taxation or regulation. They are empowering self-organising communities, while increasing overall economic and social stability. Finally, they enable the creation of very necessary social capital without attaching the established capital formation process.”
Bernard Lietaer (1942–2019) said by 2019 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“This is not a book on economics or economic theory. I am not an economist. My expertise lies in international finance and money systems. This is why I have adopted here a whole systems approach to money. Whole systems take into account a broader, more comprehensive arena than economics does; it integrates not only economic interactions but also their most important side effects. This includes specifically in our case the effects of different money systems on the quality of human interactions, on society at large, and on ecological systems. In essence, money is a lifeblood flowing through ourselves, our society, our global human community, and should be acknowledged and treated consciously.”
Bernard Lietaer (1942–2019) said by 2019 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Dealing with the Eurozone Crisis... Another Way? As we go to press, the Greek electorate – after two years of drastic austerity measures – has voted clearly against the cuts, the bailout and the political mainstream. Chaos in the eurozone seems one step closer. So we take this opportunity to outline how just one of the proposals from this book can be applied now, in Greece, Spain or any other country facing this kind of crisis. It’s a solution that mainstream financiers and media avoid discussing, but it’s elegant and simple. It would work, and the necessary (Open Source) software is available now. Current monetary orthodoxy says that 100% of the Greek (or any other) economy must be either ‘in’ or ‘out’ of the eurozone. Everybody knows that either option will entail even higher unemployment and yet more misery. But it doesn’t have to be that way! The core principle of complementary currencies, as set out here, is that they run alongside the main currency, increasing resilience and flexibility for the entire socio-economic system.”
Bernard Lietaer (1942–2019) said by 2019 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source