Way back in 1933 George Bernard Shaw said that "If all the economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion." But apparently he was not the first person to use that expression. At least, according to people who research these types of quotes. The funny thing is that these people don't seem able to agree on who said what when.

Another funny thing is that by the time I graduated as an economist, I was convinced that George Bernard Shaw had not used the word conclusion, but the word agreement. ("If all the economists were laid end to end, they would not reach agreement.") I had been exposed to conclusions aplenty. But agreements? Few.

Which is why I find myself in an economy that is in a mild recession as it continues to grow. (Maybe you don't agree, because you've reached a different conclusion.)