Combination Quote by Adam Smith
“Masters are always and everywhere in a sort of tacit, but constant and uniform combination, not to raise the wages of labor.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The Wealth of Nations, 1776
The quote critiques that masters (employers) maintain a subtle, pervasive system that keeps labor wages low.
In simple terms: Employers subtly keep wages low.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and challenge hidden wage suppression.
Themes
economics
labor
inequality
power dynamics
capitalism
Mood
critical
analytical
concerned
Type
sociopolitical
economic
critical
When to use this quote
- Workplace negotiations
- policy reform
- union organizing
- salary reviews
- economic analysis
Key Concepts
Wage suppression
class structure
market dynamics
Questions to Reflect On
- How does hidden power affect wage fairness?
- What can workers do to expose and counteract subtle wage suppression?
A Different Perspective
May overlook other factors influencing wages such as productivity or skill levels.
![“We rarely hear, it has been said, of the combinations [that is, unions or colluding organizations] of masters, though frequently of those of workmen. But whoever imagines, upon this account, that masters rarely combine, is as ignorant of the world as of the subject. Masters are always and…” quote by Adam Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/792/adam-smith-1040_accounts_we-rarely-hear-it-has-been-said-of-the-c_2469442.jpg)
![“Geometry, which should only obey Physics, when united with it sometimes commands it. If it happens that the question which we wish to examine is too complicated for all the elements to be able to enter into the analytical comparison we wish to make, we separate the more inconvenient [elements], we…” quote by Jean le Rond d'Alembert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0d9/jean-le-rond-d-alembert-26487_able_geometry-which-should-only-obey-physics_6945.jpg)
