--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The bourgeoisie, wherever it has got the…" description: "\"“The bourgeoisie, wherever it has got the upper hand, has put an end to all feudal, patriarchal, idyllic relations. It has pitilessly torn asunder the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81e/karl-marx-399_bourgeoisie_the-bourgeoisie-wherever-it-has-got-the_217352.jpg" --- # The bourgeoisie, wherever it has got the upper hand, has… ![“The bourgeoisie, wherever it has got the upper hand, has put an end to all feudal, patriarchal, idyllic relations. It has pitilessly torn asunder the motley feudal ties that bound man to his 'natural superiors,' and has left remaining no other nexus between man and man than naked self-interest…” quote by Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81e/karl-marx-399_bourgeoisie_the-bourgeoisie-wherever-it-has-got-the_217352.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81e/karl-marx-399_bourgeoisie_the-bourgeoisie-wherever-it-has-got-the_217352.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81e/karl-marx-399_bourgeoisie_the-bourgeoisie-wherever-it-has-got-the_217352.jpg) > ““The bourgeoisie, wherever it has got the upper hand, has put an end to all feudal, patriarchal, idyllic relations. It has pitilessly torn asunder the motley feudal ties that bound man to his 'natural superiors,' and has left remaining no other nexus between man and man than naked self-interest, callous 'cash payment.' It has drowned the most heavenly ecstasies of religious fervor, of chivalrous enthusiasm, of philistine sentimentalism, in the icy water of egotistical calculation. It has resolved personal worth into exchange value, and in place of the numberless indefeasible chartered freedoms, has set up that single, unconscionable freedom—Free Trade. In one word, for exploitation, veiled by religious and political illusions, it has substituted naked, shameless, direct, brutal exploitation. The bourgeoisie has stripped of its halo every occupation hitherto honored and looked up to with reverent awe. It has converted the physician, the lawyer, the priest, the poet, the man of science, into its paid wage laborers. The bourgeoisie has torn away from the family its sentimental veil, and has reduced the family relation to a mere money relation.”” [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Marx argues that capitalism replaces traditional social bonds with market-driven self‑interest, turning all relations into transactions and eroding communal values. **In simple terms:** Capitalism turns human relations into market transactions. Key Takeaway Recognize how market forces shape personal and social values. Themes capitalism class struggle alienation materialism family profession Mood critical analytical skeptical Type political philosophical critical When to use this quote - political analysis - economic policy - social critique - family dynamics - professional ethics Key Concepts commodity fetishism false consciousness exploitation ideology social relations Questions to Reflect On - How does market logic affect your personal relationships? - Can economic freedom coexist with communal values? A Different Perspective Marx’s view may overlook positive aspects of market efficiency and individual agency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bourgeoisie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bourgeoisie/) [Capitalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capitalism/) [Communism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communism/) [Exploitation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exploitation/) [Free trade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-trade/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Personal worth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-worth/) [Upper hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/upper-hand/) ## Related quotes > [“The bourgeoisie, wherever it has got the upper hand, has put an end to all feudal, patriarchal, idyllic relations. It has pitilessly torn asunder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/the-bourgeoisie-wherever-it-has-got-the-upper-hand-has-put-an-end-to-3/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [The bourgeoisie, wherever it has got the upper hand, has put an end to all feudal, patriarchal, idyllic relations. It has pitilessly torn asunder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/the-bourgeoisie-wherever-it-has-got-the-upper-hand-has-put-an-end-to-2/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [ “It \[bourgeoisie\] has resolved personal worth into exchange value, and in place of the numberless indefeasible chartered freedoms, has set up that single, unconscionable… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/it-bourgeoisie-has-resolved-personal-worth-into-exchange-value-and-in/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [It has drowned the most heavenly ecstasies of religious fervour, of chivalrous enthusiasm, of Philistine sentimentalism, in the icy water of egotistical calculation. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/it-has-drowned-the-most-heavenly-ecstasies-of-religious-fervour-of/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [The bourgeoisie of the whole world, which looks complacently upon the wholesale massacre after the battle, is convulsed by horror at the desecration of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/the-bourgeoisie-of-the-whole-world-which-looks-complacently-upon-the/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [“The bourgeoisie cannot exist without constantly revolutionising the instruments of production, and thereby the relations of production, and with them the whole relations of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/the-bourgeoisie-cannot-exist-without-constantly-revolutionising-the/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [“The bourgeoisie cannot exist without constantly revolutionizing the instruments of production, and thereby the relations of production, and with them the whole relations of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/the-bourgeoisie-cannot-exist-without-constantly-revolutionizing-the/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [“Each step in the development of the bourgeoisie was accompanied by a corresponding political advance in that class. An oppressed class under the sway…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/each-step-in-the-development-of-the-bourgeoisie-was-accompanied-by-a/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [“In proportion as the bourgeoisie, i.e., capital, is developed, in the same proportion is the proletariat, the modern working class, developed—a class of labourers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/in-proportion-as-the-bourgeoisie-i-e-capital-is-developed-in-the-same/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [What the bourgeoisie therefore produces, above all, are its own grave-diggers. Its fall and the victory of the proletariat are equally inevitable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/what-the-bourgeoisie-therefore-produces-above-all-are-its-own-grave/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [The executive of the modern state is but a committee for managing the common affairs of the whole bourgeoisie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/the-executive-of-the-modern-state-is-but-a-committee-for-managing-the/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [“The bourgeoisie has subjected the country to the rule of the towns. It has created enormous cities, has greatly increased the urban population as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/the-bourgeoisie-has-subjected-the-country-to-the-rule-of-the-towns-it/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [All freed, fast-frozen relations, with their train of ancient and venerable prejudices and opinions, are swept away, all new-formed ones become antiquated before they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/all-freed-fast-frozen-relations-with-their-train-of-ancient-and/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [The need of a constantly expanding market for its products chases the bourgeoisie over the entire surface of the globe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/the-need-of-a-constantly-expanding-market-for-its-products-chases-the/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [The burgeoisie, by the rapid improvement of all instruments of production, by the immensely facilitated means of communication, draws all nations into civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/the-burgeoisie-by-the-rapid-improvement-of-all-instruments-of/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) ## More by Karl Marx > [“Economists have a singular method of procedure. There are only two kinds of institutions for them, artificial and natural. The institutions of feudalism are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/economists-have-a-singular-method-of-procedure-there-are-only-two/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [As the variable capital always stays in the hands of the capitalist in some form or other, it cannot be claimed in any way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/as-the-variable-capital-always-stays-in-the-hands-of-the-capitalist/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [Money degrades all the gods of man and converts them into commodities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/money-degrades-all-the-gods-of-man-and-converts-them-into-commodities/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [As a beast of toil an ox is fixed capital. If he is eaten, he no longer functions as an instrument of labour, nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/as-a-beast-of-toil-an-ox-is-fixed-capital-if-he-is-eaten-he-no-longer/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [Communism... is the genuine resolution of the antagonism between man and nature and between man and man; it is the true resolution of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/communism-is-the-genuine-resolution-of-the-antagonism-between-man-and/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [It is not the consciousness of men that determines their being, but, on the contrary, their social being that determines their consciousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/it-is-not-the-consciousness-of-men-that-determines-their-being-but-on/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [Philosophy is to the real world as masturbation is to sex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/philosophy-is-to-the-real-world-as-masturbation-is-to-sex/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [“Go on, get out! Last words are for fools who haven't said enough!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/go-on-get-out-last-words-are-for-fools-who-haven-t-said-enough/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [“If you love without evoking love in return - if through the vital expression of yourself as a loving person you fail to become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/if-you-love-without-evoking-love-in-return-if-through-the-vital/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [Do not be deluded by the abstract word Freedom. Whose freedom? Not the freedom of one individual in relation to another, but freedom of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/do-not-be-deluded-by-the-abstract-word-freedom-whose-freedom-not-the/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [The burgeoisie, by the rapid improvement of all instruments of production, by the immensely facilitated means of communication, draws all nations into civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/the-burgeoisie-by-the-rapid-improvement-of-all-instruments-of/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [Ideas do not exist separately from language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/ideas-do-not-exist-separately-from-language/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [So in Jewry we recognise a contemporary universal anti-social phenomenon, which has reached its present pitch through a process of, historical development in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/so-in-jewry-we-recognise-a-contemporary-universal-anti-social/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [The class struggle necessarily leads to the dictatorship of the proletariat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/the-class-struggle-necessarily-leads-to-the-dictatorship-of-the/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [If this labourer were in possession of his own means of production, and was satisfied to live as a labourer, he need not work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/if-this-labourer-were-in-possession-of-his-own-means-of-production/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) [Explore all 571 Karl Marx quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) ## More Bourgeoisie quotes > [Dictatorship is rule based directly upon force and unrestricted by any laws. The revolutionary dictatorship of the proletariat is rule won and maintained by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-lenin/dictatorship-is-rule-based-directly-upon-force-and-unrestricted-by/) [Vladimir Lenin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-lenin/) > [The burgeoisie, by the rapid improvement of all instruments of production, by the immensely facilitated means of communication, draws all nations into civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/the-burgeoisie-by-the-rapid-improvement-of-all-instruments-of/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [“What imperialists actually wanted was expansion of political power without the foundation of the body politic. Imperialist expansion had been touched off by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/what-imperialists-actually-wanted-was-expansion-of-political-power/) [Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/) > [Common sense, in so far as it exists, is all for the bourgeoisie. Nonsense is the privilege of the aristocracy. The worries of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-jean-nathan/common-sense-in-so-far-as-it-exists-is-all-for-the-bourgeoisie/) [George Jean Nathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-jean-nathan/) > [“Arnold Harberger, Milton Friedman & Co. Inc., your modest proposal of partial equilibrium for the general good is not without its own internal contradictions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andr-gunder-frank/arnold-harberger-milton-friedman-co-inc-your-modest-proposal-of/) [André Gunder Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andr-gunder-frank/) > [I'm more of a warrior than you'll ever be. I believe in the class war. I believe in the battle of the sexes. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/i-m-more-of-a-warrior-than-you-ll-ever-be-i-believe-in-the-class-war/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [It is a very good thing, and a significant one too, to exterminate the bourgeoisie and capitalism in China.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mao-zedong/it-is-a-very-good-thing-and-a-significant-one-too-to-exterminate-the/) [Mao Zedong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mao-zedong/) > [The need of a constantly expanding market for its products chases the bourgeoisie over the entire surface of the globe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/the-need-of-a-constantly-expanding-market-for-its-products-chases-the/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [I can't agree that what we're seeing is a matter of the American bourgeoisie confronting workers everywhere. It's more like the international plutocracy eliminating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-hertzberg/i-can-t-agree-that-what-we-re-seeing-is-a-matter-of-the-american/) [Hendrik Hertzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-hertzberg/) > [It is a tribute to the peculiar horror of contemporary life that it makes the worst features of earlier times -- the stupefaction of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lasch/it-is-a-tribute-to-the-peculiar-horror-of-contemporary-life-that-it/) [Christopher Lasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lasch/) > [A system of licensing and registration is the perfect device to deny gun ownership to the bourgeoisie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-lenin/a-system-of-licensing-and-registration-is-the-perfect-device-to-deny/) [Vladimir Lenin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-lenin/) > [“I cannot do even one sit-up / Sit-ups are so bourgeoisie.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/i-cannot-do-even-one-sit-up-sit-ups-are-so-bourgeoisie/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [What has happened in the last generation is that Tijuana has become a new Third World capital - much to the chagrin of Mexico…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/what-has-happened-in-the-last-generation-is-that-tijuana-has-become-a/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [All freed, fast-frozen relations, with their train of ancient and venerable prejudices and opinions, are swept away, all new-formed ones become antiquated before they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/all-freed-fast-frozen-relations-with-their-train-of-ancient-and/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [The courage to be as oneself within the atmosphere of Enlightenment is the courage to affirm oneself as a bridge from a lower to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tillich/the-courage-to-be-as-oneself-within-the-atmosphere-of-enlightenment/) [Paul Tillich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tillich/) [Browse all 162 Bourgeoisie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bourgeoisie/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The bourgeoisie, wherever it has got the upper hand, has put an end to all feudal, patriarchal, idyllic relations. It has pitilessly torn asunder the motley feudal ties that bound man to his 'natural superiors,' and has left remaining no other nexus between man and man than naked self-interest, callous 'cash payment.' It has drowned the most heavenly ecstasies of religious fervor, of chivalrous enthusiasm, of philistine sentimentalism, in the icy water of egotistical calculation. It has resolved personal worth into exchange value, and in place of the numberless indefeasible chartered freedoms, has set up that single, unconscionable freedom—Free Trade. In one word, for exploitation, veiled by religious and political illusions, it has substituted naked, shameless, direct, brutal exploitation. The bourgeoisie has stripped of its halo every occupation hitherto honored and looked up to with reverent awe. It has converted the physician, the lawyer, the priest, the poet, the man of science, into its paid wage laborers. The bourgeoisie has torn away from the family its sentimental veil, and has reduced the family relation to a mere money relation.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Karl Marx" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/the-bourgeoisie-wherever-it-has-got-the-upper-hand-has-put-an-end-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bourgeoisie" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/the-bourgeoisie-wherever-it-has-got-the-upper-hand-has-put-an-end-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81e/karl-marx-399_bourgeoisie_the-bourgeoisie-wherever-it-has-got-the_217352.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81e/karl-marx-399_bourgeoisie_the-bourgeoisie-wherever-it-has-got-the_217352.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81e/karl-marx-399_bourgeoisie_the-bourgeoisie-wherever-it-has-got-the_217352.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The bourgeoisie, wherever it has got the upper hand, has put an end to all feudal, patriarchal, idyllic…” — Karl Marx", "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": "Karl Marx", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The bourgeoisie, wherever it has got...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/the-bourgeoisie-wherever-it-has-got-the-upper-hand-has-put-an-end-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/the-bourgeoisie-wherever-it-has-got-the-upper-hand-has-put-an-end-to/#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 } } ] } ```