--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Capitalism is the same everywhere. In…" description: "\"“Capitalism is the same everywhere. In order to survive and prosper it needs a permanent situation of partial scarcity: it needs it to maintain its pri..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a58/errico-malatesta-20817_capitalism_capitalism-is-the-same-everywhere-in-ord_335852.jpg" --- # Capitalism is the same everywhere. In order to survive and… ![“Capitalism is the same everywhere. In order to survive and prosper it needs a permanent situation of partial scarcity: it needs it to maintain its prices and to create hungry masses to work under any conditions.” quote by Errico Malatesta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a58/errico-malatesta-20817_capitalism_capitalism-is-the-same-everywhere-in-ord_335852.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a58/errico-malatesta-20817_capitalism_capitalism-is-the-same-everywhere-in-ord_335852.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a58/errico-malatesta-20817_capitalism_capitalism-is-the-same-everywhere-in-ord_335852.jpg) > ““Capitalism is the same everywhere. In order to survive and prosper it needs a permanent situation of partial scarcity: it needs it to maintain its prices and to create hungry masses to work under any conditions.”” [Errico Malatesta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errico-malatesta/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Capitalism relies on engineered scarcity to keep prices high and labor cheap, creating perpetual demand for workers. **In simple terms:** Capitalism needs scarcity to keep prices and labor cheap. Key Takeaway Recognize how scarcity shapes markets. Themes economics politics labor scarcity power Mood critical analytical Type economic political When to use this quote - policy analysis - labor negotiations - consumer advocacy - social activism Key Concepts Marxism market dynamics class struggle Questions to Reflect On - How does artificial scarcity affect everyday life? - Can markets function without creating “hungry masses”? A Different Perspective If scarcity is reduced, prices may fall and labor conditions could improve, challenging the model. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Capitalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capitalism/) [Economics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economics/) [Scarcity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scarcity/) ## Related quotes > [Obama had to save the banks, sure, but he didn't have to save the bankers and the shareholders and the bondholders. We broke the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stiglitz/obama-had-to-save-the-banks-sure-but-he-didn-t-have-to-save-the/) [Joseph Stiglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stiglitz/) > [“The great source of both the misery and disorders of human life, seems to arise from over-rating the difference between one permanent situation and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-smith/the-great-source-of-both-the-misery-and-disorders-of-human-life-seems-2/) [Adam Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-smith/) > [Capitalism has created a situation called scarcity. And that scarcity is not natural, it's socially induced. Along with that sense of scarcity, or feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-bookchin/capitalism-has-created-a-situation-called-scarcity-and-that-scarcity/) [Murray Bookchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-bookchin/) > [Anarchists are opposed to violence; everyone knows that. The main plank of anarchism is the removal of violence from human relations. It is life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errico-malatesta/anarchists-are-opposed-to-violence-everyone-knows-that-the-main-plank/) [Errico Malatesta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errico-malatesta/) > [“It is not in vain that the strategic criterion of placing only short runs on the market prevails in order simultaneously to create a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrique-badia/it-is-not-in-vain-that-the-strategic-criterion-of-placing-only-short/) Enrique Badia > [I like great directors who are scarce. Prolific ones are nice too but for me, there's something about the scarcity that makes it all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-brody/i-like-great-directors-who-are-scarce-prolific-ones-are-nice-too-but/) [Adam Brody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-brody/) > [There is only one important resource which has shown a trend of increasing scarcity rather than increasing abundance. That resource is the most important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-simon/there-is-only-one-important-resource-which-has-shown-a-trend-of/) [Julian Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-simon/) > [The destruction of aquatic ecosystem health, and the increasing water scarcity, are in my opinion the most pressing environmental problems facing human kind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maude-barlow/the-destruction-of-aquatic-ecosystem-health-and-the-increasing-water/) [Maude Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maude-barlow/) > [“Poverty is a mindset: It creates that sense of scarcity. You then become accustomed to it such that your life is hinged on protecting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-bimpong/poverty-is-a-mindset-it-creates-that-sense-of-scarcity-you-then/) Oscar Bimpong > [Scarcity drives up demand, and the short golf season in Minnesota makes residents of that state mad for the sport. It's the same reason…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-rushin/scarcity-drives-up-demand-and-the-short-golf-season-in-minnesota/) [Steve Rushin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-rushin/) > [In the ages marked by scarcity and want, may I myself appear as drink and sustenance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shantideva/in-the-ages-marked-by-scarcity-and-want-may-i-myself-appear-as-drink/) [Shantideva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shantideva/) > [“For an example of how perception of a limited supply can increase sales, look no further than Amazon.com. My recent search for a DVD…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nir-eyal/for-an-example-of-how-perception-of-a-limited-supply-can-increase/) [Nir Eyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nir-eyal/) > [Why precisely do we want to change land ownership? The answer seems to me to be quite clear: to inhibit land speculation, to inhibit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-f-schumacher/why-precisely-do-we-want-to-change-land-ownership-the-answer-seems-to/) [E. F. Schumacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-f-schumacher/) > [“Sometimes I think it's only post-scarcity that evil exists. Before that, it could always be put down to want or fear. It was possible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-stanley-robinson/sometimes-i-think-it-s-only-post-scarcity-that-evil-exists-before/) [Kim Stanley Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-stanley-robinson/) > [There is a scarcity of friendship, but not of friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-fuller/there-is-a-scarcity-of-friendship-but-not-of-friends/) [Thomas Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-fuller/) ## More by Errico Malatesta > [The only limit to the oppression of government is the power with which the people show themselves capable of opposing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errico-malatesta/the-only-limit-to-the-oppression-of-government-is-the-power-with/) [Errico Malatesta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errico-malatesta/) > [Anarchists are opposed to violence; everyone knows that. The main plank of anarchism is the removal of violence from human relations. It is life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errico-malatesta/anarchists-are-opposed-to-violence-everyone-knows-that-the-main-plank/) [Errico Malatesta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errico-malatesta/) > [The question may seem embarrassing, but it can be answered in a few words. For two people to live in peace they must both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errico-malatesta/the-question-may-seem-embarrassing-but-it-can-be-answered-in-a-few/) [Errico Malatesta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errico-malatesta/) > [The basic function of the government everywhere in all times, whatever title it adopts and whatever its origin and organisation may be, is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errico-malatesta/the-basic-function-of-the-government-everywhere-in-all-times-whatever/) [Errico Malatesta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errico-malatesta/) > [“In all times and in all places, whatever may be the name that the government takes, whatever has been its origin, or its organization,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errico-malatesta/in-all-times-and-in-all-places-whatever-may-be-the-name-that-the/) [Errico Malatesta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errico-malatesta/) > [Impossibility never prevented anything from happening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errico-malatesta/impossibility-never-prevented-anything-from-happening/) [Errico Malatesta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errico-malatesta/) > [“Communism made through the will of a government instead of through the direct and voluntary work of groups of workers does not really appeal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errico-malatesta/communism-made-through-the-will-of-a-government-instead-of-through/) [Errico Malatesta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errico-malatesta/) > [Experience through freedom is the only means to arrive at the truth and the best solutions; and there is no freedom if there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errico-malatesta/experience-through-freedom-is-the-only-means-to-arrive-at-the-truth/) [Errico Malatesta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errico-malatesta/) > [We follow ideas and not men, and rebel against this habit of embodying a principle in a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errico-malatesta/we-follow-ideas-and-not-men-and-rebel-against-this-habit-of-embodying/) [Errico Malatesta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errico-malatesta/) > [“The methods from which the different non-anarchist parties expect, or say they do, the greatest good of one and all can be reduced to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errico-malatesta/the-methods-from-which-the-different-non-anarchist-parties-expect-or/) [Errico Malatesta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errico-malatesta/) > [And by anarchist spirit I mean that deeply human sentiment, which aims at the good of all, freedom and justice for all, solidarity and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errico-malatesta/and-by-anarchist-spirit-i-mean-that-deeply-human-sentiment-which-aims/) [Errico Malatesta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errico-malatesta/) > [If you say that you reject violence when it exceeds the limits imposed by the needs of defense, they accuse you of pacifism, without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errico-malatesta/if-you-say-that-you-reject-violence-when-it-exceeds-the-limits/) [Errico Malatesta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errico-malatesta/) > [Not whether we accomplish anarchism today, tomorrow, or within ten centuries, but that we walk towards anarchism today, tomorrow, and always.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errico-malatesta/not-whether-we-accomplish-anarchism-today-tomorrow-or-within-ten/) [Errico Malatesta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errico-malatesta/) > [ The person who thinks with \[their\] own brain is to be preferred to the one who blindly approves everything… Better an error consciously committed… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errico-malatesta/the-person-who-thinks-with-their-own-brain-is-to-be-preferred-to-the/) [Errico Malatesta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errico-malatesta/) > [Intolerance of oppression, the desire to be free and develop one personality to its full limits, is not enough to make one an anarchist.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errico-malatesta/intolerance-of-oppression-the-desire-to-be-free-and-develop-one/) [Errico Malatesta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errico-malatesta/) [Explore all 27 Errico Malatesta quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errico-malatesta/) ## More Capitalism quotes > [Don't let's lose sight of what creates wealth. It is open markets, it is capitalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/don-t-let-s-lose-sight-of-what-creates-wealth-it-is-open-markets-it/) [Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/) > [Crony capitalism is essentially a condition in which... public officials are giving favours to people in the private sector in payment of political favours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/crony-capitalism-is-essentially-a-condition-in-which-public-officials/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [ Neither Italian fascism nor German national "socialism" have anything in common with such a \[Soviet socialistic\] society, primarily because private ownership of factories, plants,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/neither-italian-fascism-nor-german-national-socialism-have-anything/) [Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/) > [Corporations have nothing to do with values, and they know it, and sometimes say it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kierans/corporations-have-nothing-to-do-with-values-and-they-know-it-and/) [Eric Kierans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kierans/) > [Both fact and logic seem to me to support the view that savings invested in privately owned economic tools of production amount to an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-a-harper/both-fact-and-logic-seem-to-me-to-support-the-view-that-savings/) F. A. Harper > [The free market is ugly and stupid, like going to the mall; the unfree market is just as ugly and just as stupid, except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-free-market-is-ugly-and-stupid-like-going-to-the-mall-the-unfree/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Capitalism, communism ... it's all garbage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mstislav-rostropovich/capitalism-communism-it-s-all-garbage/) [Mstislav Rostropovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mstislav-rostropovich/) > [There are no two countries with the same style of economic mechanism, with the same capitalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatoly-chubais/there-are-no-two-countries-with-the-same-style-of-economic-mechanism/) [Anatoly Chubais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatoly-chubais/) > [It is more than a little ironic that "capital accumulation" once a rather tendentious Marxian view of a supposed capitalist obsession, should have become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kuttner/it-is-more-than-a-little-ironic-that-capital-accumulation-once-a/) [Robert Kuttner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kuttner/) > [Historically, usury was defined as any interest whatever on an unproductive loan.Our whole banking system I have ever abhorred, I continue to abhor, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/historically-usury-was-defined-as-any-interest-whatever-on-an/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [Socialism is humanity's second nature. All politicians do is turn human vice into votes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/socialism-is-humanity-s-second-nature-all-politicians-do-is-turn/) [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) > [“Scholars have long debated whether capital markets lead to appropriate levels of saving and investment for future generations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-l-weimer/scholars-have-long-debated-whether-capital-markets-lead-to/) David L. Weimer > [“A car is one of the most interesting inventions, but driving is one of the most boring activities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/a-car-is-one-of-the-most-interesting-inventions-but-driving-is-one-of/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) [Browse all 3,832 Capitalism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capitalism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Capitalism is the same everywhere. In order to survive and prosper it needs a permanent situation of partial scarcity: it needs it to maintain its prices and to create hungry masses to work under any conditions.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Errico Malatesta" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errico-malatesta/capitalism-is-the-same-everywhere-in-order-to-survive-and-prosper-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Capitalism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errico-malatesta/capitalism-is-the-same-everywhere-in-order-to-survive-and-prosper-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a58/errico-malatesta-20817_capitalism_capitalism-is-the-same-everywhere-in-ord_335852.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a58/errico-malatesta-20817_capitalism_capitalism-is-the-same-everywhere-in-ord_335852.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a58/errico-malatesta-20817_capitalism_capitalism-is-the-same-everywhere-in-ord_335852.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Capitalism is the same everywhere. In order to survive and prosper it needs a permanent situation of partial…” — Errico Malatesta", "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": "Errico Malatesta", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errico-malatesta/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Capitalism is the same everywhere. In...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errico-malatesta/capitalism-is-the-same-everywhere-in-order-to-survive-and-prosper-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errico-malatesta/capitalism-is-the-same-everywhere-in-order-to-survive-and-prosper-it/#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 } } ] } ```