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CELEBRATED economic commentator and former Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe advisor Eric Bloch might have passed on but he has left behind a treasure chest of economic wisdom.

Below are some of Bloch’s quotable quotes about the economy.

“Employers cannot pay that which they do not have.” – May 24, 2011

“That workers crave substantial wage increases is unsurprising because wages are far below the workers’ essential needs. In most instances, wages do not suffice to meet the fundamental living requirements of the workers and their immediate families.” – May 24, 2011

“As a consequence of the gargantuan levels of unemployment, and due to the impacts of HIV/Aids and innumerable other health constraints, most income earners have not only responsibilities for their immediate families, but also for innumerable other dependents. It is little wonder, therefore, that workers consistently seek improvement in their incomes.” – May 24, 2011

“It is better to earn little, than to earn nothing. When demands are pitched at employers at unsustainable levels businesses collapse and the workers are rendered unemployed, and therefore wholly devoid of income.” – May 24, 2011

“Wage demands beyond employer means not only halt Zimbabwe’s economic recovery, but will reverse it. That will result in even greater poverty. It will result on more becoming dependent upon the few fortunate enough to have some income, even if that income is inadequate.” – May 24, 2011

“Because workers and the trade unions obdurately disregard the realities and instead intensify their demands and confrontation, they are suicidal destroying themselves, concurrently with their destroying Zimbabwe and its economy.” – May 24, 2011

“What is disturbing the industry and other businesses is that the power goes at any time of the day and this does not enable the industry to plan. Production is affected.” – February 10, 2006

“The foreign currency gap appears to have narrowed, but it is because of the time of the month. Nobody is importing right now and there has been a drop in demand for foreign currency but it will pick up as industry opens for business.” – January 5, 2006

“Greater expectations of foreign currency generation from the manufacturing and the mining sectors will help narrow the gap but not close it.” – January 5, 2006

“Concerns, however, remain on the level of the national debt, inflation and lack of investment.” – January 18, 2006

“They (IMF) will be very concerned with the upsurge of inflation. The other problem will be that the government still maintains 18 products under price controls.” – January 22. 2006

“There are going to be major demands for wage increases and thus causing further inflation.” – May 10, 2006

“I have been speaking to both locals and foreigners at the fair and they believe that although there is a lot wrong with the economy at the moment, change will come eventually and they want to have a presence in Zimbabwe when it does.” – Date unknown

“There is no doubt the government will have to borrow to finance the salaries and this is destructive economically.” – September 9, 2005

“As one of his advisors, I don’t agree with anybody who says (Gideon) Gono should leave the central bank because if he does so, it will unfortunately be contrary to the interests of Zimbabweans. The man is a genius and there are a lot of things he needs to work on before he leaves the central bank.” – May 31, 2009

“Expectations of future significant upturn cannot be founded on misplaced optimism and wishful thinking, but on recognition of innumerable relevant precedents and even more so on awareness of the extraordinarily great resources available to Zimbabwe to fuel and maintain that economic recovery and growth. Those resources will guarantee the country the foundation to stimulate not only a return to economic viability, but also development.” – December 26, 2013

“Zimbabwe is bestowed with huge economic potential greater than the majority of countries in Africa. This is to such an extent that if the potential is intensively pursued, Zimbabwe’s economy could well be the fifth largest on the continent by 2020, with poverty seriously alleviated.” – December 26, 2013

“Although for many decades agriculture was Zimbabwe’s economic mainstay, and can and should be restored as the mainstay of the economy, it is only one area of the many sectors of great opportunity for development and growth. Others include mining, manufacturing, tourism and commerce.” – December 26, 2013

“The public’s lack of confidence in the banking sector after the collapse and failure of many banks has minimised deposits which in turn curb banks’ lending.” – August 23, 2012

“The problems of manufacturing industries, agriculture, the fiscus and others prove the economy continues to be grossly emaciated and to say Zimbabwe has attained economic recovery, such recovery is of so little real extent that to a substantial degree, the recovery remains a myth.” – August 23, 2012

“For the country to achieve real economic growth, we need to have substantial foreign direct investment. Currently, the banks do not have the money to lend the private sector. Most companies in the country are under-capitalised and we need to see money coming into the industry by way of investments.” – 2011

“A functional credit bureau would enable businesses to effectively assess counterparty risks and hence improve the efficiency of their credit processes. It also allows for the accurate pricing of risk and therefore will allow for the wider availability of credit and a greater volume of sales in the credit retail industries.” – November 16, 2012

“Almost every parastatal is sustaining massive, unmanageable debt, and virtually all are operating with vast losses.” – September 03, 2004