--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The genius of our ruling class is that it…" description: "\"The genius of our ruling class is that it has kept a majority of the people from ever questioning the inequity of a system where most people drudge alo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e6/gore-vidal-466_class_the-genius-of-our-ruling-class-is-that-i_1757557.jpg" --- # The genius of our ruling class is that it has kept a… ![“The genius of our ruling class is that it has kept a majority of the people from ever questioning the inequity of a system where most people drudge along, paying heavy taxes for which they get nothing in return.” quote by Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e6/gore-vidal-466_class_the-genius-of-our-ruling-class-is-that-i_1757557.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e6/gore-vidal-466_class_the-genius-of-our-ruling-class-is-that-i_1757557.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e6/gore-vidal-466_class_the-genius-of-our-ruling-class-is-that-i_1757557.jpg) > “The genius of our ruling class is that it has kept a majority of the people from ever questioning the inequity of a system where most people drudge along, paying heavy taxes for which they get nothing in return.” [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The elite maintain power by preventing the masses from recognizing systemic unfairness, keeping them occupied and overtaxed without benefit. **In simple terms:** Power is kept by keeping people unaware of unfairness. Key Takeaway Question and challenge systemic inequities. Themes power inequality politics social control class Mood critical defiant thought‑provoking Type philosophical political analytical When to use this quote - labor movements - tax reform - public education - community organizing - media literacy Key Concepts critical theory social critique political economy Questions to Reflect On - How does awareness change power dynamics? - What can individuals do to expose systemic inequities? A Different Perspective The quote may overgeneralize and ignore agency among the oppressed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Inequity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inequity/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Questioning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/questioning/) [Ruling class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ruling-class/) [Taxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taxes/) ## Related quotes > [You know, I've been around the ruling class all my life, and I've been quite aware of their total contempt for the people of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/you-know-i-ve-been-around-the-ruling-class-all-my-life-and-i-ve-been/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [No reform ever came from the bottom, and it was always people who understood how the ruling class worked who turned out to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/no-reform-ever-came-from-the-bottom-and-it-was-always-people-who/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [How to get people to vote against their interests and to really think against their interests is very clever. It's the cleverest ruling class…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/how-to-get-people-to-vote-against-their-interests-and-to-really-think/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [As Brooks Adams put it, the sole problem of our ruling class is whether to coerce or to bribe the powerless majority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/as-brooks-adams-put-it-the-sole-problem-of-our-ruling-class-is/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Nothing is more calculated to make a demagogue popular than a constantly reiterated demand for heavy taxes on the rich. Capital levies and high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/nothing-is-more-calculated-to-make-a-demagogue-popular-than-a/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [All taxation is an evil, but heavy taxes, indiscriminately levied on every everything are one of the greatest curses that can afflict a people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-taxation-is-an-evil-but-heavy-taxes-indiscriminately-levied-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The taxes of government are heavy enough, but not so heavy as the taxes we lay upon ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orville-dewey/the-taxes-of-government-are-heavy-enough-but-not-so-heavy-as-the/) [Orville Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orville-dewey/) > [Taxes are the source of life for the bureaucracy, the army and the court, in short, for the whole apparatus of the executive power.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/taxes-are-the-source-of-life-for-the-bureaucracy-the-army-and-the/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [Consequently, citizen legislators, rotating back to their communities after a short period of public service—considered an indispensable and routine characteristic and design of representative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/consequently-citizen-legislators-rotating-back-to-their-communities/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Chuck Schumer is the face of the ruling class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-long/chuck-schumer-is-the-face-of-the-ruling-class/) [Wendy Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-long/) > [David Rockefeller is the most conspicuous representative today of the ruling class, a multinational fraternity of men who shape the global economy and manage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-moyers/david-rockefeller-is-the-most-conspicuous-representative-today-of-the/) [Bill Moyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-moyers/) > [I am running to fix the economy, restore the constitutional system of checks and balances and to end this game of crony capitalism by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-brat/i-am-running-to-fix-the-economy-restore-the-constitutional-system-of/) [Dave Brat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-brat/) > [But in view of the constitution, in the eye of the law, there is in this country no superior, dominant, ruling class of citizens.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-marshall-harlan/but-in-view-of-the-constitution-in-the-eye-of-the-law-there-is-in/) [John Marshall Harlan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-marshall-harlan/) > [The ruling class doesn't care about public safety. Having made it very difficult for States and localities to police themselves, having left ordinary citizens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-wallop/the-ruling-class-doesn-t-care-about-public-safety-having-made-it-very/) [Malcolm Wallop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-wallop/) > [The structure of the Swiss ruling class is rock-hard, and unchanged since the time of Napoleon. They sit on their mountains and lecture the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-ziegler/the-structure-of-the-swiss-ruling-class-is-rock-hard-and-unchanged/) [Jean Ziegler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-ziegler/) ## More by Gore Vidal > [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/) > [Many people in the United States happen to believe that United States policy is wrong in Vietnam and the Vietcong are correct in wanting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/many-people-in-the-united-states-happen-to-believe-that-united-states/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [“It is curious how little interested we are in the sexual desires of those who do not attract us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/it-is-curious-how-little-interested-we-are-in-the-sexual-desires-of/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [This separation was absolute in our original Republic. But the sky-godders do not give up easily. In the 1950s they actually got the phrase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/this-separation-was-absolute-in-our-original-republic-but-the-sky/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/style-is-knowing-who-you-are-what-you-want-to-say-and-not-giving-a/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [The oligarchs think that the people are both dangerous and stupid. Their point is moot. But we do know that the oligarchs are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-oligarchs-think-that-the-people-are-both-dangerous-and-stupid/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [It is curious how often one prefers his enemies to his friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/it-is-curious-how-often-one-prefers-his-enemies-to-his-friends/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [As societies grow decadent, the language grows decadent, too. Words are used to disguise, not to illuminate, action: you liberate a city by destroying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/as-societies-grow-decadent-the-language-grows-decadent-too-words-are/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Rome ... at its most decadent, had never thought of hiring an actor to go through the motions of being an emperor while the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/rome-at-its-most-decadent-had-never-thought-of-hiring-an-actor-to-go/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [History is nothing but gossip about the past, with the hope that it might be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/history-is-nothing-but-gossip-about-the-past-with-the-hope-that-it/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [The malady of civilized man is his knowledge of death. The good artist, like the wise man, addresses himself to life and invests with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-malady-of-civilized-man-is-his-knowledge-of-death-the-good-artist/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Sex is a continuum. You go through different phases along life's way... and if you don't, you've been sort of cheated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/sex-is-a-continuum-you-go-through-different-phases-along-life-s-way/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [All I want is that Americans still be able to read the alphabet in a hundred years. I am not very ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/all-i-want-is-that-americans-still-be-able-to-read-the-alphabet-in-a/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [I do not admire 'the people,' as such. No one really does. Their folk wisdom is usually false, their instincts predatory. Even their sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/i-do-not-admire-the-people-as-such-no-one-really-does-their-folk/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [“One of the problems of a society as tightly controlled as ours is that we get so little information about what those of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/one-of-the-problems-of-a-society-as-tightly-controlled-as-ours-is/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) [Explore all 539 Gore Vidal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) ## More Class quotes > [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [If I had to guess and put a name on it, I'd say that at some point, the drug war was as much a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/if-i-had-to-guess-and-put-a-name-on-it-i-d-say-that-at-some-point-the/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [I grew up in the middle class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-scaramucci/i-grew-up-in-the-middle-class/) [Anthony Scaramucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-scaramucci/) > [It must be assumed and established as a principle, that the right of private property must be regarded as sacred. Wherefore, the law ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-xiii/it-must-be-assumed-and-established-as-a-principle-that-the-right-of/) [Pope Leo XIII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-xiii/) > [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/) > [I certainly don't think that the heirs of the American Revolution were a particularly noble class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/i-certainly-don-t-think-that-the-heirs-of-the-american-revolution/) [H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/) > [You’re crazy,” said her best friend, Angela, as the bell rang to signal five minutes before the first class on the first day back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/you-re-crazy-said-her-best-friend-angela-as-the-bell-rang-to-signal/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [“Poor people do not go on holiday; they go home.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/poor-people-do-not-go-on-holiday-they-go-home/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [Because there are three classes of intellects: one which comprehends by itself; another which appreciates what others comprehend; and a third which neither comprehends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/because-there-are-three-classes-of-intellects-one-which-comprehends/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [Right now, for many Americans, class is being foregrounded like never before because of the economic situation. It doesn't mean that race doesn't matter,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/right-now-for-many-americans-class-is-being-foregrounded-like-never/) [Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/) > [But I don't think the Democratic Party is at eye level with the middle class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-i-don-t-think-the-democratic-party-is-at-eye-level-with-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm not a dancer. Never took a dance class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrishell-stause/i-m-not-a-dancer-never-took-a-dance-class/) [Chrishell Stause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrishell-stause/) > [Most startups are not just built for the person who is using them. When you do that, every now and then you get really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmett-shear/most-startups-are-not-just-built-for-the-person-who-is-using-them/) [Emmett Shear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmett-shear/) > [The structure of the Swiss ruling class is rock-hard, and unchanged since the time of Napoleon. They sit on their mountains and lecture the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-ziegler/the-structure-of-the-swiss-ruling-class-is-rock-hard-and-unchanged/) [Jean Ziegler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-ziegler/) > [We are not going back to the failed policies of the past. We are fighting for the middle class!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pelosi/we-are-not-going-back-to-the-failed-policies-of-the-past-we-are/) [Nancy Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pelosi/) [Browse all 7,637 Class quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The genius of our ruling class is that it has kept a majority of the people from ever questioning the inequity of a system where most people drudge along, paying heavy taxes for which they get nothing in return.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gore Vidal" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-genius-of-our-ruling-class-is-that-it-has-kept-a-majority-of-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Class" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-genius-of-our-ruling-class-is-that-it-has-kept-a-majority-of-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e6/gore-vidal-466_class_the-genius-of-our-ruling-class-is-that-i_1757557.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e6/gore-vidal-466_class_the-genius-of-our-ruling-class-is-that-i_1757557.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e6/gore-vidal-466_class_the-genius-of-our-ruling-class-is-that-i_1757557.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The genius of our ruling class is that it has kept a majority of the people from ever questioning the…” — Gore Vidal", "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": "Gore Vidal", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The genius of our ruling class...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-genius-of-our-ruling-class-is-that-it-has-kept-a-majority-of-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-genius-of-our-ruling-class-is-that-it-has-kept-a-majority-of-the/#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 } } ] } ```