---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Capitalism places every man in…"
description: "\"Capitalism places every man in competition with his fellows for a share of the available wealth. A few people accumulate big piles, but most do not. Th..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/655/donald-barthelme-2980_available_capitalism-places-every-man-in-competiti_161438.png"
---

#  Capitalism places every man in competition with his…

![“Capitalism places every man in competition with his fellows for a share of the available wealth. A few people accumulate big piles, but most do not. The sense of community falls victim to this struggle.” quote by Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/655/donald-barthelme-2980_available_capitalism-places-every-man-in-competiti_161438.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/655/donald-barthelme-2980_available_capitalism-places-every-man-in-competiti_161438.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/655/donald-barthelme-2980_available_capitalism-places-every-man-in-competiti_161438.png)

> “Capitalism places every man in competition with his fellows for a share of the available wealth. A few people accumulate big piles, but most do not. The sense of community falls victim to this struggle.”

[Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Capitalism creates perpetual competition for resources, concentrating wealth while eroding communal bonds and shared responsibility.

**In simple terms:** Competition for wealth harms community.

Key Takeaway

Balance personal ambition with collective well‑being.

Themes

economics competition community inequality

Mood

critical reflective

Type

political philosophical

When to use this quote

- business
- politics
- everyday life

Key Concepts

resource allocation social cohesion

Questions to Reflect On

- How can societies foster cooperation within competitive markets?
- What policies reduce wealth concentration?

A Different Perspective

Market forces can intensify inequality, limiting social mobility.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Available](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/available/) [Bigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) [Capitalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capitalism/) [Capitalism Places](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capitalism-places-1770002/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Competition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competition/) [Economics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economics/) [Every man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-man/) [Fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall/) [Fellows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fellows/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Accumulate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-accumulate-1770003/) [Share](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/share/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) [Victim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/victim/) [Wealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth/) [Wealth People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth-people-1590563/)

## Related quotes

> [God's people are not to accumulate stuff for tomorrow but to share indiscriminately with the scandalous and holy confidence that God will provide for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-claiborne/god-s-people-are-not-to-accumulate-stuff-for-tomorrow-but-to-share/)

[Shane Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-claiborne/)

> [I would like to say something just about the Mexican people. It is a population that has a wealth, such great wealth, a people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/i-would-like-to-say-something-just-about-the-mexican-people-it-is-a/)

[Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/)

> [The structural changes of globalization and automation that has created concentrated wealth among some people who have had the right skills and the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ro-khanna/the-structural-changes-of-globalization-and-automation-that-has/)

[Ro Khanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ro-khanna/)

> [While one can't always begrudge the wealth of people who have at least produced something of value, the rich of the financial world don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/while-one-can-t-always-begrudge-the-wealth-of-people-who-have-at/)

[Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/)

> [Government is, at every level, a means to gather in the labor and wealth of the people, and then instruct the people about new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-baxter/government-is-at-every-level-a-means-to-gather-in-the-labor-and/)

[Jeff Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-baxter/)

> [Do not be proud of wealth, people, relations and friends, or youth. All these are snatched by time in the blink of an eye.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adi-shankara/do-not-be-proud-of-wealth-people-relations-and-friends-or-youth-all/)

[Adi Shankara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adi-shankara/)

> [A recent poll showed that nearly half the American public believes that the government should redistribute wealth. That so many people are so willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/a-recent-poll-showed-that-nearly-half-the-american-public-believes/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [We've had the most massive creation of wealth for people a lot younger than those who formerly got wealth in the history of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/we-ve-had-the-most-massive-creation-of-wealth-for-people-a-lot/)

[Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/)

> [The more princes abstain from touching the wealth of their people, the greater will be their resources in the wants of the state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pulcheria/the-more-princes-abstain-from-touching-the-wealth-of-their-people-the/)

[Pulcheria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pulcheria/)

> [There's accountability in the mutual fund industry. And they've been tremendous engines of wealth for people and they're going to continue to be so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cramer/there-s-accountability-in-the-mutual-fund-industry-and-they-ve-been/)

[Jim Cramer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cramer/)

> [If our economic system is to survive, there has to be a better distribution of wealth ... we can't have a system where some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/if-our-economic-system-is-to-survive-there-has-to-be-a-better/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [I noticed that difference early on, like if you were successful in rock 'n' roll, that was a really bad thing, you almost had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-z/i-noticed-that-difference-early-on-like-if-you-were-successful-in/)

[Jay-Z](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-z/)

> [When you socially neglect a people, when you economically abandon a people, when you transfer wealth from them to the well-to-do, what are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/when-you-socially-neglect-a-people-when-you-economically-abandon-a/)

[Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/)

> [If you look at anyone who has achieved great success and wealth, people like Warren Buffett, Oprah Winfrey, or Lance Armstrong, they have all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/if-you-look-at-anyone-who-has-achieved-great-success-and-wealth/)

[Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/)

> [Where the army is, prices are high; when prices rise the wealth of the people is exhausted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/where-the-army-is-prices-are-high-when-prices-rise-the-wealth-of-the/)

[Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/)

## More by Donald Barthelme

> [And I sat there getting drunker and drunker and more in love and more in love...And you can never touch a girl in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/and-i-sat-there-getting-drunker-and-drunker-and-more-in-love-and-more/)

[Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/)

> [“The story ends. It was written for several reasons. Nine of them are secrets. The tenth is that one should never cease considering human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/the-story-ends-it-was-written-for-several-reasons-nine-of-them-are/)

[Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/)

> [“INTERVIEWER Why don’t you write tragedy? BARTHELME I’m fated to deal in mixtures, slumgullions, which preclude tragedy, which require a pure line. It’s a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/interviewer-why-don-t-you-write-tragedy-barthelme-i-m-fated-to-deal/)

[Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/)

> [“Do I want to be loved in spite of?Do you? Does anyone? But aren't we all to some degree? Aren't there important parts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/do-i-want-to-be-loved-in-spite-of-do-you-does-anyone-but-aren-t-we/)

[Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/)

> [“Our becoming is done.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/our-becoming-is-done/)

[Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/)

> [“Of course we had hoped that he would take up his sword as part of the President's war on poetry. The time is ripe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/of-course-we-had-hoped-that-he-would-take-up-his-sword-as-part-of-the/)

[Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/)

> [“You came and fell upon me, I was sitting in the wicker chair. The wicker exclaimed as your weight fell upon me. You were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/you-came-and-fell-upon-me-i-was-sitting-in-the-wicker-chair-the/)

[Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/)

> [“Mother, have you noticed that this society we’re in tends to be a little…repressive?” “What does that mean, Eugenie? What does that mean, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/mother-have-you-noticed-that-this-society-we-re-in-tends-to-be-a/)

[Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/)

> [I keep wondering if, say, there is intelligent life on other planets, the scientists argue that something like two percent of the other planets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/i-keep-wondering-if-say-there-is-intelligent-life-on-other-planets/)

[Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/)

> [“This muck heaves and palpitates. It is multi-directional and has a mayor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/this-muck-heaves-and-palpitates-it-is-multi-directional-and-has-a/)

[Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/)

> [“They were heading I judged for the Sixth Precinct. Had I had the black hat with me, and sufficient men and horses and lariats…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/they-were-heading-i-judged-for-the-sixth-precinct-had-i-had-the-black/)

[Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/)

> [“art is a meditation upon external reality rather than a representation of external reality”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/art-is-a-meditation-upon-external-reality-rather-than-a/)

[Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/)

> [“the hinder portion scalding-house good eating Curve B in addition to the usual baths and ablutions military police sumptuousness of the washhouse risking misstatements…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/the-hinder-portion-scalding-house-good-eating-curve-b-in-addition-to/)

[Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/)

> [Any genuine work of art generates new work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/any-genuine-work-of-art-generates-new-work/)

[Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/)

> [I don't think you can talk about progress in art - movement, but not progress. You can speak of a point on a line…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/i-don-t-think-you-can-talk-about-progress-in-art-movement-but-not/)

[Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/)

[Explore all 142 Donald Barthelme quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/)

## More Available quotes

> [I wrote when I was a young teen, but I didn't put an eye on the available markets until I was seventeen. The next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-wrote-when-i-was-a-young-teen-but-i-didn-t-put-an-eye-on-the/)

[Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/)

> [One of the worst things to come out of the Consumer Protection Board's misleading claims is the impression that government resources are to hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-lesko/one-of-the-worst-things-to-come-out-of-the-consumer-protection-board/)

[Matthew Lesko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-lesko/)

> [Tell the truth about your wound, and then you will get a truthful picture of the remedy to apply to it. Don't pack whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarissa-pinkola-estes/tell-the-truth-about-your-wound-and-then-you-will-get-a-truthful/)

[Clarissa Pinkola Estes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarissa-pinkola-estes/)

> [No actor wants to choose - they just want all of the options available to them all the time; we tend to be pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-jacobs/no-actor-wants-to-choose-they-just-want-all-of-the-options-available/)

[Gillian Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-jacobs/)

> [Never belong to a crowd; Never belong to a nation; Never belong to a religion; Never belong to a race. Belong to the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/never-belong-to-a-crowd-never-belong-to-a-nation-never-belong-to-a/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [I used practically all the money I had available.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-ebbers/i-used-practically-all-the-money-i-had-available/)

[Bernard Ebbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-ebbers/)

> [But we need to be very clear: because of our decades of collective denial, no gradual, incremental options are now available to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/but-we-need-to-be-very-clear-because-of-our-decades-of-collective/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [There was no mistake in us making abortion legal and available on demand. That was what we call progress. Just like it was no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/there-was-no-mistake-in-us-making-abortion-legal-and-available-on/)

[Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/)

> [I m Single , Eligible But Not Available .. Limited Edition :D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faisal-khan-neal/i-m-single-eligible-but-not-available-limited-edition-d/)

[Faisal Khan Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faisal-khan-neal/)

> [I do worry because it takes all types to make our culture, to make our art. We need it to be available to all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-mcintosh/i-do-worry-because-it-takes-all-types-to-make-our-culture-to-make-our/)

[Neve McIntosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neve-mcintosh/)

> [So-called Western Civilization, as practised in half of Europe, some of Asia and a few parts of North America, is better than anything else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/so-called-western-civilization-as-practised-in-half-of-europe-some-of/)

[P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/)

> [The internal peace of every country depends upon the knowledge that force is available to uphold law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-grey-1st-viscount-grey-of-fallodon/the-internal-peace-of-every-country-depends-upon-the-knowledge-that/)

[Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-grey-1st-viscount-grey-of-fallodon/)

> [It is truly amazing that, with much less neuroscientific knowledge available, Hayek's model comes closer, in some respects, to being neurophysiologically verifiable than those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-fuster/it-is-truly-amazing-that-with-much-less-neuroscientific-knowledge/)

[Joaquin Fuster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-fuster/)

> [While it's wonderful that investors have access to all the data now available to them, it has become a full-time job to sift through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-bartiromo/while-it-s-wonderful-that-investors-have-access-to-all-the-data-now/)

[Maria Bartiromo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-bartiromo/)

> [I'm in production year round. I work long hours. I have a dog and a wife. There's not a lot of available time for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ira-glass/i-m-in-production-year-round-i-work-long-hours-i-have-a-dog-and-a/)

[Ira Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ira-glass/)

[Browse all 2,134 Available quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/available/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Capitalism places every man in competition with his fellows for a share of the available wealth. A few people accumulate big piles, but most do not. The sense of community falls victim to this struggle.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Donald Barthelme"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/capitalism-places-every-man-in-competition-with-his-fellows-for-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Available"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/capitalism-places-every-man-in-competition-with-his-fellows-for-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/655/donald-barthelme-2980_available_capitalism-places-every-man-in-competiti_161438.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/655/donald-barthelme-2980_available_capitalism-places-every-man-in-competiti_161438.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/655/donald-barthelme-2980_available_capitalism-places-every-man-in-competiti_161438.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Capitalism places every man in competition with his fellows for a share of the available wealth. A few…” — Donald Barthelme",
                "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": "Donald Barthelme",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Capitalism places every man in competition...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/capitalism-places-every-man-in-competition-with-his-fellows-for-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/capitalism-places-every-man-in-competition-with-his-fellows-for-a/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
