There can never be such a thing as a free market, because it is human nature to cheat, monopolize, and buy off others so as to corner the market. – Jane Smiley
I think that the Cold War was an exceptional and unnecessary piece of cruelty. – Jane Smiley
In the traditional urban novel, there is only survival or not. The suburban idea, the conformist idea, that agony can be seen to and cured by doctors or psychoanalysis or self-knowledge is nowhere to be found in the city. Talking is a way of life, but it is not a cure. Same with religion. – Jane Smiley
English majors understand human nature better than economists do. – Jane Smiley