--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only countervailing force against…" description: "\"The only countervailing force against organized money at the top, is organized people at the bottom.\" — Cornel West" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/756/cornel-west-708_bottom_the-only-countervailing-force-against-or_2681193.jpg" --- # The only countervailing force against organized money at… ![“The only countervailing force against organized money at the top, is organized people at the bottom.” quote by Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/756/cornel-west-708_bottom_the-only-countervailing-force-against-or_2681193.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/756/cornel-west-708_bottom_the-only-countervailing-force-against-or_2681193.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/756/cornel-west-708_bottom_the-only-countervailing-force-against-or_2681193.jpg) > “The only countervailing force against organized money at the top, is organized people at the bottom.” [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Grassroots organization can counteract elite financial power, emphasizing collective action. **In simple terms:** People can oppose top‑down money. Key Takeaway Mobilize community for economic equity. Themes economic justice grassroots power structures Mood motivational urgent Type activist inspirational When to use this quote - political organizing - policy advocacy - education - media Key Concepts collective action wealth inequality activism Questions to Reflect On - What strategies empower bottom‑up movements? - How can individuals contribute? A Different Perspective Change requires sustained effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [In a democracy there are only two types of power: there's organized people and organized money, and organized money only wins when people aren't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-todd-jealous/in-a-democracy-there-are-only-two-types-of-power-there-s-organized/) [Benjamin Todd Jealous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-todd-jealous/) > [To secure respect to a neutral flag requires a naval force organized and ready to vindicate it from insult or aggression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/to-secure-respect-to-a-neutral-flag-requires-a-naval-force-organized/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [America is now the dominant force and the only countervailing force is Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-benn/america-is-now-the-dominant-force-and-the-only-countervailing-force/) [Tony Benn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-benn/) > [“Organized people are just too lazy to look for stuff.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerri-nelson/organized-people-are-just-too-lazy-to-look-for-stuff/) Kerri Nelson > [Organized people are just too lazy to go looking for what they want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/organized-people-are-just-too-lazy-to-go-looking-for-what-they-want/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Organized money hates me--and I welcome their hatred!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/organized-money-hates-me-and-i-welcome-their-hatred/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [People have different styles: Some are filers and some are pilers. The people who pile things often know exactly where things are, and they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-levitin/people-have-different-styles-some-are-filers-and-some-are-pilers-the/) [Daniel Levitin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-levitin/) > [Organized people are just too lazy to look for things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/organized-people-are-just-too-lazy-to-look-for-things/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“Perhaps it was because she had an accounting and finance background. These were usually neat, organized people, and Jones fit that description to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-stelljes/perhaps-it-was-because-she-had-an-accounting-and-finance-background/) Roger Stelljes > [Organized people are just too lazy to go look for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate/organized-people-are-just-too-lazy-to-go-look-for-it/) [Nate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate/) > [“But the truth is, there's little even the most organized people can do to prepare themselves for having children. They can buy all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-senior/but-the-truth-is-there-s-little-even-the-most-organized-people-can-do/) [Jennifer Senior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-senior/) > [I am one of the most organized people I have ever met, and even with all my planning, I still feel like I'm constantly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hollis/i-am-one-of-the-most-organized-people-i-have-ever-met-and-even-with/) [Rachel Hollis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hollis/) > [A great read; an exciting, frightening account of organized crime today. But like all important works of nonfiction, it goes further… This book is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/le-ly-hayslip/a-great-read-an-exciting-frightening-account-of-organized-crime-today/) [Le Ly Hayslip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/le-ly-hayslip/) > [In my opinion, most organized religion does neither agentic service nor relational nurturance very well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/in-my-opinion-most-organized-religion-does-neither-agentic-service/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [Technology means the systematic application of scientific or other organized knowledge to practical tasks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/technology-means-the-systematic-application-of-scientific-or-other/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) ## More by Cornel West > [There has certainly been ugly, right-wing hatred targeting Barack Obama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/there-has-certainly-been-ugly-right-wing-hatred-targeting-barack-obama/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [What is accurately portrayed is the rich humanity not just of Martin Luther King but of the movement, which was a multiracial movement. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/what-is-accurately-portrayed-is-the-rich-humanity-not-just-of-martin/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [I feel as if I have been blessed to undergo a transformation from 'gangster' to 'redeemed sinner with gangster proclivities.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-feel-as-if-i-have-been-blessed-to-undergo-a-transformation-from/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [“Like King, we need to put on our cemetery clothes and be coffin-ready for the next great democratic battle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/like-king-we-need-to-put-on-our-cemetery-clothes-and-be-coffin-ready/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [ “You can't really move forward until you look back. \[From Remaking America panel discussion at George Washington University\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/you-can-t-really-move-forward-until-you-look-back-from-remaking/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [When we think of globalization we are thinking in part of structures and institutions that have been developed over time and that have allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/when-we-think-of-globalization-we-are-thinking-in-part-of-structures/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [The challenge artists face today is whether to be an underground, unheard genius, or to dilute their art for the marketplace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-challenge-artists-face-today-is-whether-to-be-an-underground/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [The need of black conservatives to gain the respect of their white peers deeply shapes certain elements of their conservatism. In this regard, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-need-of-black-conservatives-to-gain-the-respect-of-their-white/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [For me, musicians are poets. Beethoven describes himself as a poet of tones, just like Coltrane's a poet of tempo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/for-me-musicians-are-poets-beethoven-describes-himself-as-a-poet-of/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [I don't draw any distinctions between forms of bigotry or forms of ideology that lose sight of the humanity of people. I can't stand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-don-t-draw-any-distinctions-between-forms-of-bigotry-or-forms-of/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Barack Obama has domesticated the left in such a way that we feel as if we have no alternative but him...I refuse to accept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/barack-obama-has-domesticated-the-left-in-such-a-way-that-we-feel-as/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Larry Summers, I think, he had a long history of arrogance and relative ignorance about poor people's culture and working people's culture and so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/larry-summers-i-think-he-had-a-long-history-of-arrogance-and-relative/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [The greatest gift you can give someone is the gift of inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-greatest-gift-you-can-give-someone-is-the-gift-of-inspiration/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [You can see it in terms of the obsession on Wall Street with not just profits but greed, more profit, more profit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/you-can-see-it-in-terms-of-the-obsession-on-wall-street-with-not-just/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Anybody who takes Martin Luther King seriously has got to go beyond the standard understanding of who he was, has to connect those dots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/anybody-who-takes-martin-luther-king-seriously-has-got-to-go-beyond/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) [Explore all 400 Cornel West quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) ## More Bottom quotes > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Filmmaking, like sex, isn't a polite enterprise. It involves a lot of mess and the bottom line is, if somebody ain't screaming, you're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-woods/filmmaking-like-sex-isn-t-a-polite-enterprise-it-involves-a-lot-of/) [James Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-woods/) > [I was terrible student. I was capable, but I never like being told what to do, so I was always in the bottom class…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-lilley/i-was-terrible-student-i-was-capable-but-i-never-like-being-told-what/) [Chris Lilley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-lilley/) > [The contempt for law and the contempt for the human consequences of lawbreaking go from the bottom to the top of American society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-contempt-for-law-and-the-contempt-for-the-human-consequences-of/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [I plead with my Moonlight fans to give this show a chance if they let me give it a chance. I can’t do Moonlight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-o-loughlin/i-plead-with-my-moonlight-fans-to-give-this-show-a-chance-if-they-let/) [Alex O'Loughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-o-loughlin/) > [Well, the bottom line is that I'm extremely pleased with 'The Stupids.' I'm pleased that it's coming out, and it should look good. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-landis/well-the-bottom-line-is-that-i-m-extremely-pleased-with-the-stupids-i/) [John Landis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-landis/) > [Search for the seed of good in every adversity. Master that principle and you will own a precious shield that will guard you well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/search-for-the-seed-of-good-in-every-adversity-master-that-principle/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [I would have had a clause in my contract; I would've definitely put some fine print in my contract that said, "If the president…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-budden/i-would-have-had-a-clause-in-my-contract-i-would-ve-definitely-put/) [Joe Budden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-budden/) > [Of course the Dharma-body of the Buddha was the hedge at the bottom of the garden. At the same time, and no less obviously,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/of-course-the-dharma-body-of-the-buddha-was-the-hedge-at-the-bottom/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [When I hit bottom, I can attack the problem and get to where I want to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-rodman/when-i-hit-bottom-i-can-attack-the-problem-and-get-to-where-i-want-to/) [Dennis Rodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-rodman/) > [If I had lost the popular vote but won the electoral college and in my first day as president the intelligence community came to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/if-i-had-lost-the-popular-vote-but-won-the-electoral-college-and-in/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [The bottom line, in the professional level, no matter where you go, there's going to be competition. That's what it is. At the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-tolzien/the-bottom-line-in-the-professional-level-no-matter-where-you-go/) [Scott Tolzien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-tolzien/) > [Life is a climb and it's a struggle getting to the top but the drop to the bottom can be quick and so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/life-is-a-climb-and-it-s-a-struggle-getting-to-the-top-but-the-drop/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [One thing you learned as a Cubs fan: when you bought you ticket, you could bank on seeing the bottom of the ninth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-garagiola/one-thing-you-learned-as-a-cubs-fan-when-you-bought-you-ticket-you/) [Joe Garagiola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-garagiola/) > [The political satirist usually votes against their own interests, but the bottom line is that it doesn't really matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizz-winstead/the-political-satirist-usually-votes-against-their-own-interests-but/) [Lizz Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizz-winstead/) Browse all 2,558 Bottom quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The only countervailing force against organized money at the top, is organized people at the bottom.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cornel West" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-only-countervailing-force-against-organized-money-at-the-top-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bottom" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-only-countervailing-force-against-organized-money-at-the-top-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/756/cornel-west-708_bottom_the-only-countervailing-force-against-or_2681193.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/756/cornel-west-708_bottom_the-only-countervailing-force-against-or_2681193.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/756/cornel-west-708_bottom_the-only-countervailing-force-against-or_2681193.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The only countervailing force against organized money at the top, is organized people at the bottom.” — Cornel West", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Cornel West", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The only countervailing force against organized...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-only-countervailing-force-against-organized-money-at-the-top-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-only-countervailing-force-against-organized-money-at-the-top-is/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```