Alfred Marshall (1842-1924) was a British economist best known for his textbook, Principles of Economics (1890). There are 2 quotes listed below.
1. "Nature's action is complex: and nothing is gained in the long run by pretending that it is simple, and trying to describe it in a series of elementary propositions." (Principles of Economics, 1890)
2. "There has always been a temptation to classify economic goods in clearly defined groups, about which a number of short and sharp propositions could be made, to gratify at once the student's desire for logical precision, and the popular liking for dogmas that have the air of being profound and are yet easily handled. But great mischief seems to have been done by yielding to this temptation, and drawing broad artificial lines of division where Nature has made none." (Principles of Economics, 1890)
(original version from April 2017)
