That Which Is Seen, and That Which Is Not Seen (in Essays on Political Economy, 1874 ed.)writing · 1850DirectVerified quotation — claim 01“In the department of economy, an act, a habit, an institution, a law, gives birth not only to an effect, but to a series of effects. Of these effects, the first only is immediate; it manifests itself simultaneously with its cause--it is seen. The others unfold in succession--they are not seen: it is well for us if they are foreseen.” — Frédéric Bastiat · trans. anonymous (Provost & Co. edition), 1874Verified quotation — claim 01“Between a good and a bad economist this constitutes the whole difference--the one takes account of the visible effect; the other takes account both of the effects which are seen and also of those which it is necessary to foresee.” — Frédéric Bastiat · trans. anonymous (Provost & Co. edition), 1874Verified quotation — claim 01“Stop there! your theory is confined to that which is seen; it takes no account of that which is not seen.” — Frédéric Bastiat · trans. anonymous (Provost & Co. edition), 1874
Sources supporting claim 01
Economic Sophisms (First and Second Series, trans. Patrick James Stirling)writing · 1845–1848; trans. 1873DirectNo passage is mapped to this claim. Sources are listed for provenance; a quotation appears only when it has been verified for the specific claim.