Quotes from John Perkins

For me, the lessons were irrefutable. Iran illustrated beyond any doubt that the United States was a nation laboring to deny the truth of its role in the world. It seemed incomprehensible that we could have been so misinformed about the shah and the tide of hatred that had surged against him.

This story must be told. We live in a time of terrible crisis—and tremendous opportunity. The story of this particular economic hit man is the story of how we got to where we are and why we currently face crises that seem insurmountable.

We cannot bring ourselves to bite the hand of the master who feeds us.

Fear and debt. The two most powerful tools of empire... Most everybody thinks military might is the driver of empire, but war's important because it--and the threat of it--instills fear. People are terrified into parting with their money. They take on more debt... Whether we owe money or favors, debt shackles us. That's why the economic hit man approach is so effective. More so than war.

A system based on corrupting public figures does not take kindly to public figures who refuse to be corrupted

The modern slave trader assures himself (or herself) that the desperate people are better off earning one dollar a day than no dollars at all, and that they are receiving the opportunity to become integrated into the larger world community.

Read Civilization on Trial and The World and the West.

If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace." Those

The rich get richer and the poor grow poorer. Yet, from a statistical standpoint, this is recorded as economic progress.

Cuando se recompensa la codicia humana, ésta se convierte en un poderoso inductor de corrupción.

How many decisions- including ones of great historical significance that impact millions of people- are made by men and women who are driven by personal motives rather than by a desire to do the right thing?

Always be. Never try to become. You can be anything you want, just don't work at becoming. Remember to be it.

The goats were replaced by two hundred bright yellow American trash compactor trucks, provided under a $200 million contract with Waste Management, Inc.

These companies reap huge profits, a few local elite business owners benefit from the improved infrastructure, and everyone else suffers because funds are diverted from health services, education, and other public sectors to pay interest on the loans. The debts are so large they can't be repaid. The lower-income countries default on their loans. This process is sometimes referred to as debt-trap diplomacy.

President Carter attempted to negotiate the release of the hostages. When this failed, he authorized a military rescue mission, launched in April 1980. It was a disaster, and it turned out to be the hammer that would drive the final nail into Carter's presidential coffin.

Joined by retired Democratic senator George Mitchell and former Senate aide Charlie Scheeler, DLA Piper sought to protect the avaricious interests of its clients, including one of the retailers identified with the factory collapse (Gap), at the expense of the people and economy of Bangladesh.1

The coincidences of your life, and the choices you have made in response to them, have brought you to this point . . .