--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We rarely hear, it has been said, of the…" description: "\"We rarely hear, it has been said, of the combinations [that is, unions or colluding organizations] of masters, though frequently of those of workmen. B..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/792/adam-smith-1040_accounts_we-rarely-hear-it-has-been-said-of-the-c_2469442.jpg" --- # We rarely hear, it has been said, of the combinations… ![“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/i/792/adam-smith-1040_accounts_we-rarely-hear-it-has-been-said-of-the-c_2469442.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/792/adam-smith-1040_accounts_we-rarely-hear-it-has-been-said-of-the-c_2469442.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/792/adam-smith-1040_accounts_we-rarely-hear-it-has-been-said-of-the-c_2469442.jpg) > “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 everywhere in a sort of tacit, but constant and uniform combination, not to raise the wages of labor above their actual price.” [Adam Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Masters (employers) subtly collaborate to keep wages low, while worker unions are more visible; this hidden alliance maintains labor price. **In simple terms:** Employers collude to suppress wages, unnoticed. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge hidden employer collusion. Themes economics labor power class Mood analytical critical Type economic political When to use this quote - business negotiations - policy making - union organizing Key Concepts wage suppression collective bargaining market dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How can workers expose hidden employer alliances? - What policies could disrupt this wage‑keeping? A Different Perspective Legal constraints can limit anti‑collusion actions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accounts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accounts/) [Combination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/combination/) [Combine Ignorant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/combine-ignorant-744727/) [Constant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constant/) [Economics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economics/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Ignorant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorant/) [Imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagine/) [Labor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labor/) [Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/masters/) [Masters Frequently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/masters-frequently-744725/) [Masters Rarely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/masters-rarely-744723/) [Organization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organization/) [Raises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/raises/) [Rarely Combine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rarely-combine-744724/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Subjects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subjects/) [Tacit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tacit/) [Uniforms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uniforms/) [Unions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unions/) [Unions Colluding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unions-colluding-744726/) [Wages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wages/) [Wealth of nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth-of-nations/) [Workmen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/workmen/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Nobody but a beggar chooses to depend chiefly upon the benevolence of his fellow-citizens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-smith/nobody-but-a-beggar-chooses-to-depend-chiefly-upon-the-benevolence-of/) [Adam Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-smith/) > [The annual labour of every nation is the fund which originally supplies it with all the necessaries and conveniencies of life which it annually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-smith/the-annual-labour-of-every-nation-is-the-fund-which-originally/) [Adam Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-smith/) > [“All for ourselves, and nothing for other people, seems, in every age of the world, to have been the vile maxim of the masters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-smith/all-for-ourselves-and-nothing-for-other-people-seems-in-every-age-of/) [Adam Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-smith/) > [Every tax ought to be so contrived as both to take out and to keep out of the pockets of the people as little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-smith/every-tax-ought-to-be-so-contrived-as-both-to-take-out-and-to-keep/) [Adam Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-smith/) > [Whenever the legislature attempts to regulate differences between masters and their workmen, its counsellors are always the masters. 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