---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The precariat is the first class in…"
description: "\"The precariat is the first class in history to be losing acquired rights - cultural, civil, social, economic, and political.\" — Guy Standing"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c45/guy-standing-4017_class_the-precariat-is-the-first-class-in-hist_3042013.jpg"
---

#  The precariat is the first class in history to be losing…

![“The precariat is the first class in history to be losing acquired rights - cultural, civil, social, economic, and political.” quote by Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c45/guy-standing-4017_class_the-precariat-is-the-first-class-in-hist_3042013.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c45/guy-standing-4017_class_the-precariat-is-the-first-class-in-hist_3042013.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c45/guy-standing-4017_class_the-precariat-is-the-first-class-in-hist_3042013.jpg)

> “The precariat is the first class in history to be losing acquired rights - cultural, civil, social, economic, and political.”

[Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/)

## About This Quote

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

The precariat, lacking stable rights, represents a new historically significant class facing systemic insecurity.

**In simple terms:** Precariat lacks stable rights.

Key Takeaway

Advocate for secure rights for precarious workers.

Themes

labor rights precarity

Mood

urgent empathetic

Type

political motivational

When to use this quote

- policy reform
- union organizing
- social activism
- education

Key Concepts

sociology economics

Questions to Reflect On

- What rights are most urgent?
- How can society protect the precariat?

A Different Perspective

Complex causes beyond class label.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [First class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-class/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/)

## Related quotes

> [I'm a huge advocate for human rights and cultural rights. I stand up for minorities and will always continue to do so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/finn-jones/i-m-a-huge-advocate-for-human-rights-and-cultural-rights-i-stand-up/)

[Finn Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/finn-jones/)

> [“But why? Why do you care about our class’s history?" "I just do. Besides, I need something to put on my art-school applications besides…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-standiford/but-why-why-do-you-care-about-our-class-s-history-i-just-do-besides-i/)

[Natalie Standiford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-standiford/)

> [Demographically, I'm a hippie from San Francisco and I'm not culturally inclined to be sympathetic to states' rights. My cultural heritage is FDR and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/demographically-i-m-a-hippie-from-san-francisco-and-i-m-not/)

[Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/)

> [The idea of cultural relativism is nothing but an excuse to violate human rights. Human rights is the fruit of various civilizations. I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirin-ebadi/the-idea-of-cultural-relativism-is-nothing-but-an-excuse-to-violate/)

[Shirin Ebadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirin-ebadi/)

> [Asa Briggs was a historian of class history, so he felt obligated to bring in his driver. That's the English class thing that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-osborne/asa-briggs-was-a-historian-of-class-history-so-he-felt-obligated-to/)

[Lawrence Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-osborne/)

> [We are the only class in history that has been left to fight its battles alone, unaided by the ruling powers. White labor and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/we-are-the-only-class-in-history-that-has-been-left-to-fight-its/)

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

> [I feel blessed that I had an opportunity to be in the Big Ten for four years as a player and be in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-alford/i-feel-blessed-that-i-had-an-opportunity-to-be-in-the-big-ten-for/)

[Steve Alford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-alford/)

> [On the first one, X-Men: First Class, it would be James McAvoy, Nicholas Hoult and I. I'd basically inhale, there would be a red…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-till/on-the-first-one-x-men-first-class-it-would-be-james-mcavoy-nicholas/)

[Lucas Till](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-till/)

> [I'll go through life either first class or third, but never in second.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-coward/i-ll-go-through-life-either-first-class-or-third-but-never-in-second/)

[Noel Coward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-coward/)

> [I'm lucky because I do get to fly first-class now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-winehouse/i-m-lucky-because-i-do-get-to-fly-first-class-now/)

[Amy Winehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-winehouse/)

> [Funerals and weddings were commonplace, and nothing could have been so interesting to them as the coming of the end of the world ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-eggleston/funerals-and-weddings-were-commonplace-and-nothing-could-have-been-so/)

[Edward Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-eggleston/)

> [If I were to organize somebody's diet I would first of all ensure they were getting enough protein, make sure it is the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorian-yates/if-i-were-to-organize-somebody-s-diet-i-would-first-of-all-ensure/)

[Dorian Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorian-yates/)

> [Damn, ain't it funny how time pass? Only nigga in first class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wiz-khalifa/damn-ain-t-it-funny-how-time-pass-only-nigga-in-first-class/)

[Wiz Khalifa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wiz-khalifa/)

> [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/)

> [“On November 2, 1899, eight members of the United States Navy were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for extraordinary heroism and service beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-hank-bracker-the-exciting-story-of-cuba/on-november-2-1899-eight-members-of-the-united-states-navy-were/)

[Captain Hank Bracker, The Exciting Story of Cuba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/captain-hank-bracker-the-exciting-story-of-cuba/)

## More by Guy Standing

> [“The ethical and philosophical justifications for basic income – social justice, freedom and economic security – have been well established. They are embedded in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/the-ethical-and-philosophical-justifications-for-basic-income-social/)

[Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/)

> [What we can say with confidence is that the technological revolution is worsening inequality, due mostly to mechanisms that limit free markets. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/what-we-can-say-with-confidence-is-that-the-technological-revolution/)

[Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/)

> [“While there are reasons to be sceptical about the predicted technological dystopia that has prompted many high-tech plutocrats to come out in support of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/while-there-are-reasons-to-be-sceptical-about-the-predicted/)

[Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/)

> [“Selective paternalism, for those on low incomes or for other groups needing state assistance, is perhaps even worse than general paternalism, since the minority…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/selective-paternalism-for-those-on-low-incomes-or-for-other-groups/)

[Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/)

> [A democratically governed national fracking fund should be set up, perhaps similar to what Norway and Alaska have. Areas of drilling should be rented…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/a-democratically-governed-national-fracking-fund-should-be-set-up/)

[Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/)

> [Many low-income people in the U.S.A. charged with a crime opt to plead guilty to a lesser offence because they cannot afford to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/many-low-income-people-in-the-u-s-a-charged-with-a-crime-opt-to-plead/)

[Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/)

> [People in the precariat rely very heavily on money wages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/people-in-the-precariat-rely-very-heavily-on-money-wages/)

[Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/)

> [“Ironically, opponents of basic income on the grounds that it would lead to a dismantling of the welfare state tend to support some variant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/ironically-opponents-of-basic-income-on-the-grounds-that-it-would/)

[Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/)

> [Globalisation began what should be called the Great Convergence, creating a globalising labour market in which wages in emerging market economies slowly converge with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/globalisation-began-what-should-be-called-the-great-convergence/)

[Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/)

> [“Although reducing poverty, economic insecurity, malnutrition and ill-health should be the primary driving forces, an additional factor is the stress being placed on societies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/although-reducing-poverty-economic-insecurity-malnutrition-and-ill/)

[Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/)

> [“The first basic income pilot in a developing country was implemented in the small Namibian village of Otjivero-Omitara in 2008–9, covering about 1,000 people.40…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/the-first-basic-income-pilot-in-a-developing-country-was-implemented/)

[Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/)

> [“Leaving aside instrumental reasons for supporting a basic income, the thrill lies in the potential to advance full freedom and social justice, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/leaving-aside-instrumental-reasons-for-supporting-a-basic-income-the/)

[Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/)

> [“Reformers must be able to pre-empt the expected jibes over lack of ‘reciprocity’, affordability, inducement to laziness, ‘something for nothing’ and cash for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/reformers-must-be-able-to-pre-empt-the-expected-jibes-over-lack-of/)

[Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/)

> [“The importance of ethical governance, exemplified by the Norwegian Pension Fund, is highlighted by a deplorable UK government proposal in 2016 to set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/the-importance-of-ethical-governance-exemplified-by-the-norwegian/)

[Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/)

> [If the scale of gas is anything like the claims made by its advocates, it has major implications for the economy and British society.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/if-the-scale-of-gas-is-anything-like-the-claims-made-by-its-advocates/)

[Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/)

[Explore all 117 Guy Standing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/)

## 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 precariat is the first class in history to be losing acquired rights - cultural, civil, social, economic, and political.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Guy Standing"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/the-precariat-is-the-first-class-in-history-to-be-losing-acquired/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Class"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/the-precariat-is-the-first-class-in-history-to-be-losing-acquired/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c45/guy-standing-4017_class_the-precariat-is-the-first-class-in-hist_3042013.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c45/guy-standing-4017_class_the-precariat-is-the-first-class-in-hist_3042013.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c45/guy-standing-4017_class_the-precariat-is-the-first-class-in-hist_3042013.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The precariat is the first class in history to be losing acquired rights - cultural, civil, social…” — Guy Standing",
                "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": "Guy Standing",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The precariat is the first class...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/the-precariat-is-the-first-class-in-history-to-be-losing-acquired/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/the-precariat-is-the-first-class-in-history-to-be-losing-acquired/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
