--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Between 2013 and 2015, the wealthiest 14…" description: "\"Between 2013 and 2015, the wealthiest 14 people saw their wealth increase by $157 billion. This is their wealth increase, got it? Not what they are wor..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33e/bernie-sanders-233_american-people_between-2013-and-2015-the-wealthiest-14_2309388.jpg" --- # Between 2013 and 2015, the wealthiest 14 people saw their… ![“Between 2013 and 2015, the wealthiest 14 people saw their wealth increase by $157 billion. This is their wealth increase, got it? Not what they are worth. Increase. That $157 billion is more wealth than is owned by the bottom 40 percent of the American people. One family, the Walton family, owns…” quote by Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33e/bernie-sanders-233_american-people_between-2013-and-2015-the-wealthiest-14_2309388.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33e/bernie-sanders-233_american-people_between-2013-and-2015-the-wealthiest-14_2309388.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33e/bernie-sanders-233_american-people_between-2013-and-2015-the-wealthiest-14_2309388.jpg) > “Between 2013 and 2015, the wealthiest 14 people saw their wealth increase by $157 billion. This is their wealth increase, got it? Not what they are worth. Increase. That $157 billion is more wealth than is owned by the bottom 40 percent of the American people. One family, the Walton family, owns more wealth than the bottom 40 percent.” [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Wealth concentration shows a tiny elite gaining vastly more than the majority, highlighting extreme inequality. **In simple terms:** A few rich people get far richer than most people. Key Takeaway Address inequality and consider wealth redistribution. Themes inequality wealth distribution economic disparity political activism Mood concerned urgent critical Type political analytical inspirational When to use this quote - Policy debates - public protests - tax reform discussions - educational campaigns Key Concepts Capitalism wealth concentration social justice Questions to Reflect On - How does extreme wealth concentration affect democracy? - What policies could reduce the gap? A Different Perspective The data may be outdated and does not account for wealth fluctuations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-people/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Wealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth/) ## Related quotes > [In my view, there is no justice when the 15 wealthiest people in this country in the last two years, saw their wealth increase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/in-my-view-there-is-no-justice-when-the-15-wealthiest-people-in-this/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [During the last two years the wealthiest 14 Americans saw their wealth increase by $157 billion. This is truly unbelievable. This $157 billion INCREASE…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/during-the-last-two-years-the-wealthiest-14-americans-saw-their/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [This is what oligarchy looks like: Today, the top one-tenth of 1 percent owns almost as much wealth as the bottom 90 percent. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/this-is-what-oligarchy-looks-like-today-the-top-one-tenth-of-1/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [“There is no justice, and I want you to hear this clearly, when the top one-tenth of 1 percent—not 1 percent, the top one-tenth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/there-is-no-justice-and-i-want-you-to-hear-this-clearly-when-the-top/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [It's immoral and wrong that the top 1 percent of the USA owns almost as much wealth as the bottom 90 percent. We should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/it-s-immoral-and-wrong-that-the-top-1-percent-of-the-usa-owns-almost/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [The United States is dangerously close to being a plutocracy. A third of the private wealth is owned by less than 5 percent of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-payne/the-united-states-is-dangerously-close-to-being-a-plutocracy-a-third/) [Robert Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-payne/) > [Mark Zuckerberg recently announced that he will donate $45 billion of his wealth to philanthropy. Two years ago, my husband and I decided to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhang-xin/mark-zuckerberg-recently-announced-that-he-will-donate-45-billion-of/) [Zhang Xin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhang-xin/) > [Whoever will give sadaqa, his wealth will increase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junaid-jamshed/whoever-will-give-sadaqa-his-wealth-will-increase/) [Junaid Jamshed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junaid-jamshed/) > [The art of wealth-getting which consists in household management, on the one hand, has a limit; the unlimited acquisition of wealth is not its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-art-of-wealth-getting-which-consists-in-household-management-on/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Poverty doesn't come because of the decrease of wealth but because of the increase of desires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/poverty-doesn-t-come-because-of-the-decrease-of-wealth-but-because-of/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [There are two ways to increase your wealth. Increase your means or decrease your wants. The best is to do both at the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/there-are-two-ways-to-increase-your-wealth-increase-your-means-or/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“One percent of the nation owns a third of the wealth. The rest of the wealth is distributed in such a way as to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/one-percent-of-the-nation-owns-a-third-of-the-wealth-the-rest-of-the/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [“Power and wealth increase in direct proportion to a man's distance from the material objects from which wealth and power are ultimately derived.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/power-and-wealth-increase-in-direct-proportion-to-a-man-s-distance/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [God owns all the wealth in the world!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/god-owns-all-the-wealth-in-the-world/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [“Land was wealth 300 years ago. So the person who owned the land owned the wealth. Then, it was factories and production, and America…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-t-kiyosaki/land-was-wealth-300-years-ago-so-the-person-who-owned-the-land-owned/) [Robert T. Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-t-kiyosaki/) ## More by Bernie Sanders > [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. These great lovers of America who made their money in this country-when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-rich-people-are-apparently-leaving-america-they-re-giving-up/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [As the longest serving Independent in the history of the United States Congress, as somebody who came into office by defeating an incumbent Democratic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/as-the-longest-serving-independent-in-the-history-of-the-united/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [What Wall Street and credit card companies are doing is really not much different from what gangsters and loan sharks do who make predatory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/what-wall-street-and-credit-card-companies-are-doing-is-really-not/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [What we have got to do immediately is to say that racism and xenophobia is totally unacceptable and we will stand with the 1…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/what-we-have-got-to-do-immediately-is-to-say-that-racism-and/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [In 1999, Hoffmann-LaRoche paid a $500 million criminal fine for leading a worldwide conspiracy to fix prices for certain vitamins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/in-1999-hoffmann-laroche-paid-a-500-million-criminal-fine-for-leading/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [We need a strategy. And the goal is to bring millions of people together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/we-need-a-strategy-and-the-goal-is-to-bring-millions-of-people/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [We are living at a time where a handful of people have wealth beyond comprehension - huge yachts, jet planes, tens of billions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/we-are-living-at-a-time-where-a-handful-of-people-have-wealth-beyond/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [The deficit crisis is real and must be addressed. But it cannot be solved on the backs of the weak and vulnerable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-deficit-crisis-is-real-and-must-be-addressed-but-it-cannot-be/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [I want to break up the Wall Street banks. Hillary Clinton doesn't. I want to raise the minimum wage to 15 bucks an hour.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/i-want-to-break-up-the-wall-street-banks-hillary-clinton-doesn-t-i/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [The Palestinian people's needs must be respected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-palestinian-people-s-needs-must-be-respected/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [Hillary Clinton wants to see that all Americans have the right to choose a public option in their health care exchange.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/hillary-clinton-wants-to-see-that-all-americans-have-the-right-to/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [If you want to know if your food contains gluten, aspartame, high fructose corn syrup, trans-fats or MSG, you simply read the ingredients listed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/if-you-want-to-know-if-your-food-contains-gluten-aspartame-high/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [It reminds me in some ways of the debate taking place in this country and around the world in the late 1930s. There were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/it-reminds-me-in-some-ways-of-the-debate-taking-place-in-this-country/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [I am sure that there are some single payer advocates who think the only thing worth fighting for is single payer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/i-am-sure-that-there-are-some-single-payer-advocates-who-think-the/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [The case to be made is that we have got to get people involved - continue to get people involved in the political process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-case-to-be-made-is-that-we-have-got-to-get-people-involved/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) [Explore all 853 Bernie Sanders quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) ## More American people quotes > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-as-much-as-government-can-do-and-must-do-it-is-ultimately-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Given a choice between two bald political candidates, the American people will vote for the less bald of the two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-gold/given-a-choice-between-two-bald-political-candidates-the-american/) Victor Gold > [When the American people saw the LA riots and crowds of Blacks cheering O.J. Simpson (who was acquitted by the almost all Black jury),…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duke/when-the-american-people-saw-the-la-riots-and-crowds-of-blacks/) [David Duke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duke/) > [In any event, it is one thing to assert, then or now, that the Iraq war was ill-advised. It is quite another to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-silberman/in-any-event-it-is-one-thing-to-assert-then-or-now-that-the-iraq-war/) [Laurence Silberman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-silberman/) > [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. We have to take risks and it's important that we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/well-look-cia-is-an-agency-that-has-to-collect-intelligence-do/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [I don't know a politician who enjoys fundraising. The system is such that the American people have lost faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/i-don-t-know-a-politician-who-enjoys-fundraising-the-system-is-such/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [Probably the greatest single obstacle to the progress and happiness of the American people lies in the willingness of so many men to invest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-rockefeller/probably-the-greatest-single-obstacle-to-the-progress-and-happiness/) [John D. Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-rockefeller/) > [If a financial institution has business operations in the United States, hires people in the United States, if they are clogged with illiquid assets,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-paulson/if-a-financial-institution-has-business-operations-in-the-united/) [Henry Paulson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-paulson/) > [The American people reject the idea of giving Washington a blank check to increase the debt limit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-roby/the-american-people-reject-the-idea-of-giving-washington-a-blank/) [Martha Roby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-roby/) > [The coronavirus has yet again exposed the strong contrast between President Trump - who is working ardently for the American people - and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kayleigh-mcenany/the-coronavirus-has-yet-again-exposed-the-strong-contrast-between/) [Kayleigh McEnany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kayleigh-mcenany/) > [The American people demand results, not rhetoric, especially when it comes to national security issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-hayworth/the-american-people-demand-results-not-rhetoric-especially-when-it/) [J. D. Hayworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-hayworth/) > [Hillary Clinton truly is sincere, but she has to connect more with the American people in terms of what she believes in and how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pelosi/hillary-clinton-truly-is-sincere-but-she-has-to-connect-more-with-the/) [Nancy Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pelosi/) > [The American people are incredibly generous and even playful when you open yourself up and feed the media beast until it goes away satisfied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystal-ball/the-american-people-are-incredibly-generous-and-even-playful-when-you/) [Krystal Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krystal-ball/) [Browse all 2,233 American people quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-people/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Between 2013 and 2015, the wealthiest 14 people saw their wealth increase by $157 billion. 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