--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There must be something rotten in the…" description: "\"There must be something rotten in the very core of a social system which increases its wealth without diminishing its misery\" — Karl Marx" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49a/karl-marx-399_core_there-must-be-something-rotten-in-the-ve_2825999.jpg" --- # There must be something rotten in the very core of a… ![“There must be something rotten in the very core of a social system which increases its wealth without diminishing its misery” quote by Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49a/karl-marx-399_core_there-must-be-something-rotten-in-the-ve_2825999.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49a/karl-marx-399_core_there-must-be-something-rotten-in-the-ve_2825999.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49a/karl-marx-399_core_there-must-be-something-rotten-in-the-ve_2825999.jpg) > “There must be something rotten in the very core of a social system which increases its wealth without diminishing its misery” [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. A social system that grows wealth while increasing misery is fundamentally flawed. **In simple terms:** Wealth growth with rising misery signals systemic rot. Key Takeaway Address inequality to fix systemic issues. Themes economics inequality social critique Mood critical analytical Type political philosophical When to use this quote - policy reform - social movements Key Concepts capitalist exploitation class struggle Questions to Reflect On - What mechanisms cause wealth to coexist with poverty? - How can societies reduce systemic misery? A Different Perspective May lack nuance on wealth distribution. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Misery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misery/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Social systems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-systems/) [Wealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth/) ## Related quotes > [Herein lies the real value of education. Advanced education may or may not make men and women more efficient; but it enriches personality, increases…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lyon-phelps/herein-lies-the-real-value-of-education-advanced-education-may-or-may-3/) [William Lyon Phelps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lyon-phelps/) > [If the population curve is on an exponential growth, and the resources are on an exponential decline, what happens first is you get increases…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neill-blomkamp/if-the-population-curve-is-on-an-exponential-growth-and-the-resources/) [Neill Blomkamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neill-blomkamp/) > [Trade increases the wealth and glory of a country; but its real strength and stamina are to be looked for among the cultivators of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-pitt/trade-increases-the-wealth-and-glory-of-a-country-but-its-real/) [William Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-pitt/) > [Herein lies the real value of education. Advanced education may or may not make men and women more efficient; but it enriches personality, increases…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lyon-phelps/herein-lies-the-real-value-of-education-advanced-education-may-or-may/) [William Lyon Phelps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lyon-phelps/) > [The redeeming feature of war is that it puts a nation to the test. As exposure to the atmosphere reduces all mummies to instant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/the-redeeming-feature-of-war-is-that-it-puts-a-nation-to-the-test-as/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [Socialism is a fundamentally different social system where the world's resources are not controlled by a greedy, undemocratic oligarchy. This is not the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kshama-sawant/socialism-is-a-fundamentally-different-social-system-where-the-world/) [Kshama Sawant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kshama-sawant/) > [This war is not as in the past; whoever occupies a territory also imposes on it his own social system. Everyone imposes his own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/this-war-is-not-as-in-the-past-whoever-occupies-a-territory-also-2/) [Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/) > [This war is not as in the past: whoever occupies a territory also imposes his own social system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/this-war-is-not-as-in-the-past-whoever-occupies-a-territory-also/) [Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/) > [Education must be a great equaliser in our society. It must be the tool to level the differences that our various social systems have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajiv-gandhi/education-must-be-a-great-equaliser-in-our-society-it-must-be-the/) [Rajiv Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajiv-gandhi/) > [I believe there are huge numbers of people in this country who would be willing to have radical changes in our economic and social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/i-believe-there-are-huge-numbers-of-people-in-this-country-who-would/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [The American system demands success, and in order to succeed we must first believe that we can. Yet our society, with its intolerance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/the-american-system-demands-success-and-in-order-to-succeed-we-must/) [Michael Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-korda/) > [“As things stand the "intellectuals" only come out to lick the bones left over by the tyrant.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nilantha-ilangamuwa/as-things-stand-the-intellectuals-only-come-out-to-lick-the-bones/) [Nilantha Ilangamuwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nilantha-ilangamuwa/) > [In all social systems there must be a class to do the menial duties, to perform the drudgery of life. That is, a class…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-henry-hammond/in-all-social-systems-there-must-be-a-class-to-do-the-menial-duties/) [James Henry Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-henry-hammond/) > [Only art is capable of dismantling the repressive effects of a senile social system that continues to totter along the deathline: to dismantle in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-beuys/only-art-is-capable-of-dismantling-the-repressive-effects-of-a-senile/) [Joseph Beuys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-beuys/) > [I think that consumerism is intrinsically a pretty flawed social system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-elkington/i-think-that-consumerism-is-intrinsically-a-pretty-flawed-social/) [John Elkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-elkington/) ## 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 Core quotes > [I guess at it's very core love is connection that just makes so much sense you wonder how you used to live before you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-stone/i-guess-at-it-s-very-core-love-is-connection-that-just-makes-so-much/) [Benjamin Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-stone/) > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [The language we share is at the core of our identity as citizens, and our ticket to full participation in American political life. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/the-language-we-share-is-at-the-core-of-our-identity-as-citizens-and/) [S. I. Hayakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-i-hayakawa/) > [We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. Experiencing the innermost core of our existence is very embarrassing to a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-have-a-fear-of-facing-ourselves-that-is-the-obstacle-experiencing/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [Mass adulation from the multitudes does not penetrate your soul or your core.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosie-o-donnell/mass-adulation-from-the-multitudes-does-not-penetrate-your-soul-or/) [Rosie O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosie-o-donnell/) > [I think we all have a core that's ecstatic, that knows and that looks up in wonder. We all know that there are marvelous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coleman-barks/i-think-we-all-have-a-core-that-s-ecstatic-that-knows-and-that-looks/) [Coleman Barks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coleman-barks/) > [A classic is like a hidden treasure. Its core is buried under so many layers of varnish that it can be reached only by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-louis-barrault/a-classic-is-like-a-hidden-treasure-its-core-is-buried-under-so-many/) [Jean-Louis Barrault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-louis-barrault/) > [I was taking all prints and I brought them to the Magnum meetings, trying the old Josef Koudelka trick: Give them to photographers, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-van-agtmael/i-was-taking-all-prints-and-i-brought-them-to-the-magnum-meetings/) [Peter van Agtmael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-van-agtmael/) > [Love is the supreme form of communication. In the hierarchy of needs, love stands as the supreme developing agent of the humanity of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-montagu/love-is-the-supreme-form-of-communication-in-the-hierarchy-of-needs/) [Ashley Montagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-montagu/) > [I think if something resonates, even if it's surreal, it's because it is relatable and I think that that's a core issue for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kaufman/i-think-if-something-resonates-even-if-it-s-surreal-it-s-because-it/) [Charlie Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kaufman/) > [Consider the core of the mind to be a wagon, with will-power to be carried about in it. Push it to a place where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/takuan-soho/consider-the-core-of-the-mind-to-be-a-wagon-with-will-power-to-be/) [Takuan Soho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/takuan-soho/) > [Sports have always been a huge part of my life and my conversations. It is a thrill and an honor to be a part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-sanders/sports-have-always-been-a-huge-part-of-my-life-and-my-conversations/) [Summer Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-sanders/) > [Most of us think of pride as self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin, but the heart,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/most-of-us-think-of-pride-as-self-centeredness-conceit-boastfulness/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [Don't underestimate the power of your vision to change the world. Whether that world is your office, your community, an industry or a global…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-hood/don-t-underestimate-the-power-of-your-vision-to-change-the-world/) [Leroy Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-hood/) Browse all 1,833 Core quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There must be something rotten in the very core of a social system which increases its wealth without diminishing its misery", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Karl Marx" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/there-must-be-something-rotten-in-the-very-core-of-a-social-system/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Core" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/there-must-be-something-rotten-in-the-very-core-of-a-social-system/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49a/karl-marx-399_core_there-must-be-something-rotten-in-the-ve_2825999.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49a/karl-marx-399_core_there-must-be-something-rotten-in-the-ve_2825999.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49a/karl-marx-399_core_there-must-be-something-rotten-in-the-ve_2825999.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There must be something rotten in the very core of a social system which increases its wealth without…” — 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": "There must be something rotten in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/there-must-be-something-rotten-in-the-very-core-of-a-social-system/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/there-must-be-something-rotten-in-the-very-core-of-a-social-system/#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 } } ] } ```