--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's one other interesting thing about…" description: "\"There's one other interesting thing about Western democracy. It didn't arrive at the end point that Karl Marx thought it would that wealth would become..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9e/john-shelby-spong-1488_democracy_there-s-one-other-interesting-thing-abou_447749.png" --- # There's one other interesting thing about Western… ![“There's one other interesting thing about Western democracy. It didn't arrive at the end point that Karl Marx thought it would that wealth would become more and more concentrated in the hands of the few, that eventually the few would be killed by the many who were deprived, and that a different…” quote by John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9e/john-shelby-spong-1488_democracy_there-s-one-other-interesting-thing-abou_447749.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9e/john-shelby-spong-1488_democracy_there-s-one-other-interesting-thing-abou_447749.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9e/john-shelby-spong-1488_democracy_there-s-one-other-interesting-thing-abou_447749.png) > “There's one other interesting thing about Western democracy. It didn't arrive at the end point that Karl Marx thought it would that wealth would become more and more concentrated in the hands of the few, that eventually the few would be killed by the many who were deprived, and that a different kind of government would then develop. What happened in Western democracy is that we began to understand that a democratic system can't work if half of the people are starving and the other half are dieting.” [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Western democracy evolved to address inequality, recognizing that a starving populace cannot sustain a fair system. **In simple terms:** Democracy must ensure basic needs for all. Key Takeaway Prioritize equity to sustain democracy. Themes democracy inequality social justice Mood concerned analytical Type political philosophical When to use this quote - policy making - community organizing - education reform Key Concepts economic disparity political theory human rights Questions to Reflect On - How can wealth be redistributed fairly? - What policies prevent extreme inequality? A Different Perspective Economic concentration can still undermine democracy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Dieting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dieting/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Wealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth/) [Western](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/western/) ## Related quotes > [Democracy, which began by liberating man politically, has developed a dangerous tendency to enslave him through the tyranny of majorities and the deadly power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-lewisohn/democracy-which-began-by-liberating-man-politically-has-developed-a/) Ludwig Lewisohn > [We were on the way to democracy. 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We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/we-began-to-temper-western-democracy-with-what-i-d-call-a-social/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [Because I understand the Constitution, I understand democratic ideals and our parliamentary system, it's an easy transition to then say 'OK, what are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslyn-lewis/because-i-understand-the-constitution-i-understand-democratic-ideals/) [Leslyn Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslyn-lewis/) > [I think to understand how the democratic process works is the most important thing, so people don't get frightened by it, and get put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-benn/i-think-to-understand-how-the-democratic-process-works-is-the-most/) [Tony Benn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-benn/) > [Few businessmen are capable of being in politics, they don't understand the democratic process, they have neither the tolerance or the depth it takes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/few-businessmen-are-capable-of-being-in-politics-they-don-t/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [I got an excellent opportunity to learn and understand democratic values early on. 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But it wouldn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-balint/commentary-would-come-to-life-in-1945-amid-widespread-predictions/) Benjamin Balint > [“But no one who has not wrestled with Communism as a philosophy, and Communists as political opponents, can really understand the values of Western…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-crossman/but-no-one-who-has-not-wrestled-with-communism-as-a-philosophy-and/) [Richard Crossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-crossman/) > [For a privileged minority, Western democracy provides the leisure, the facilities, and the training to seek the truth lying hidden behind the veil of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/for-a-privileged-minority-western-democracy-provides-the-leisure-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) ## More by John Shelby Spong > [The way that I see Christianity is that its role is to enhance the life of every person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-way-that-i-see-christianity-is-that-its-role-is-to-enhance-the/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [The Sins of Scripture is an interesting title; most people don't put sins and scripture together in the same title. 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