--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The acquisition by dishonest means and…" description: "\"“The acquisition by dishonest means and cunning,' said Levin, feeling that he was incapable of clearly defining the borderline between honesty and dish..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eeb/leo-tolstoy-55_anna-karenina_the-acquisition-by-dishonest-means-and-c_731501.jpg" --- # The acquisition by dishonest means and cunning,' said… ![“The acquisition by dishonest means and cunning,' said Levin, feeling that he was incapable of clearly defining the borderline between honesty and dishonesty. 'Like the profits made by banks,' he went on. 'This is evil, I mean, the acquisition of enormous fortunes without work, as it used to be…” quote by Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eeb/leo-tolstoy-55_anna-karenina_the-acquisition-by-dishonest-means-and-c_731501.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eeb/leo-tolstoy-55_anna-karenina_the-acquisition-by-dishonest-means-and-c_731501.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eeb/leo-tolstoy-55_anna-karenina_the-acquisition-by-dishonest-means-and-c_731501.jpg) > ““The acquisition by dishonest means and cunning,' said Levin, feeling that he was incapable of clearly defining the borderline between honesty and dishonesty. 'Like the profits made by banks,' he went on. 'This is evil, I mean, the acquisition of enormous fortunes without work, as it used to be with the spirit monopolists. Only the form has changed. Le roi est mort, vive le roi! Hardly were the monopolies abolished before railways and banks appeared: just another way of making money without work.”” [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote criticizes wealth gained through exploitation and financial manipulation, likening modern banks to old monopolies that profit without labor. **In simple terms:** Wealth without work is immoral. Key Takeaway Question systems that profit without effort. Themes ethics economics justice power history Mood critical contemplative Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - business regulation - public policy - personal finance - education - activism Key Concepts exploitation monopoly capitalism morality inequality Questions to Reflect On - Can profit ever be ethical? - How do we distinguish fair gain from exploitation? A Different Perspective It overlooks the role of innovation and risk in creating value. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anna-karenina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anna-karenina-2/) [Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/banks/) [Corruption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corruption/) [Dishonesty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dishonesty/) [Earnings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earnings/) [Labor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labor/) [Leo-tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leo-tolstoy-2/) [Making money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-money/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Monopolies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monopolies/) [Profits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profits/) [Railways](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/railways/) [Wealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [“But that's the whole aim of civilization: to make everything a source of enjoyment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/but-that-s-the-whole-aim-of-civilization-to-make-everything-a-source/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“All the diversity, all the charm, and all the beauty of life are made up of light and shade.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/all-the-diversity-all-the-charm-and-all-the-beauty-of-life-are-made/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“Just think! This whole world of ours is only a speck of mildew sprung up on a tiny planet, yet we think we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/just-think-this-whole-world-of-ours-is-only-a-speck-of-mildew-sprung/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“Blessed are the peacemakers; theirs is the kingdom of heaven”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/blessed-are-the-peacemakers-theirs-is-the-kingdom-of-heaven/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“Sou amigo da divisão do trabalho. Pessoas que não fazem nada devem fazer pessoas, enquanto as demais devem contribuir para a instrução e a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/sou-amigo-da-divis-o-do-trabalho-pessoas-que-n-o-fazem-nada-devem/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“Todas as mulheres são mais materialistas do que os homens. Nós fazemos do amor algo enorme, mas elas sempre se mantém ‘terre-à-terre’.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/todas-as-mulheres-s-o-mais-materialistas-do-que-os-homens-n-s-fazemos/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“Besides, Oblonsky was fond of a pleasant joke, and sometimes liked to perplex a simple-minded man by observing that if you're going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/besides-oblonsky-was-fond-of-a-pleasant-joke-and-sometimes-liked-to/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“He understood that feeling of Levin's so well, knew that for Levin all the girls in the world were divided into two classes: one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/he-understood-that-feeling-of-levin-s-so-well-knew-that-for-levin-all/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“The aim of civilization is to enable us to get enjoyment out of everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/the-aim-of-civilization-is-to-enable-us-to-get-enjoyment-out-of/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“I think love, both kinds of love, which you remember Plato defines in his "Symposium" - both kinds of love serve a touchstone for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-think-love-both-kinds-of-love-which-you-remember-plato-defines-in/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“If he had a reason for preferring Liberalism to the Conservatism of many in his set, it was not that he considered Liberalism more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/if-he-had-a-reason-for-preferring-liberalism-to-the-conservatism-of/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Most think that they are above being supported by the town; but it oftener happens that they are not above supporting themselves by dishonest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/most-think-that-they-are-above-being-supported-by-the-town-but-it/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“Remember that there is only one important time and that is now. The present moment is the only time over which we have dominion.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/remember-that-there-is-only-one-important-time-and-that-is-now-the/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“Just imagine the existence of a man - let us call him A - who has left youth far behind, and of a woman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/just-imagine-the-existence-of-a-man-let-us-call-him-a-who-has-left/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“Society in itself is no great harm, but unsatisfied social aspirations are a bad and ugly business. We must certainly accept, and we will.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/society-in-itself-is-no-great-harm-but-unsatisfied-social-aspirations/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) ## More by Leo Tolstoy > [These joys were so trifling as to be as imperceptible as grains of gold among the sand, and in moments of depression she saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/these-joys-were-so-trifling-as-to-be-as-imperceptible-as-grains-of/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [The only significance of life consists in helping to establish the kingdom of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/the-only-significance-of-life-consists-in-helping-to-establish-the/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“I already love in you your beauty, but I am only beginning to love in you that which is eternal and ever precious –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-already-love-in-you-your-beauty-but-i-am-only-beginning-to-love-in/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Energy rests upon love; and come as it will, there's no forcing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/energy-rests-upon-love-and-come-as-it-will-there-s-no-forcing-it/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“If you only knew what those society women are, and women in general! My father is right. Selfish, vain, stupid, trivial in everything—that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/if-you-only-knew-what-those-society-women-are-and-women-in-general-my/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [To evoke in oneself a feeling one has once experienced, and having evoked it in oneself, then by means of movements, lines, colors, sounds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-evoke-in-oneself-a-feeling-one-has-once-experienced-and-having/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [To speak of it would be giving importance to that which has none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-speak-of-it-would-be-giving-importance-to-that-which-has-none/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Once we're thrown off our habitual paths, we think all is lost, but it's only here that the new and the good begins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/once-we-re-thrown-off-our-habitual-paths-we-think-all-is-lost-but-it/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“He knew she was there by the rapture and the terror that seized on his heart. She was standing talking to a lady at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/he-knew-she-was-there-by-the-rapture-and-the-terror-that-seized-on/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Rest, nature, books, music...such is my idea of happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/rest-nature-books-music-such-is-my-idea-of-happiness/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“He was not to blame for being born with an irrepressible charachter and a mind some how constrained.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/he-was-not-to-blame-for-being-born-with-an-irrepressible-charachter/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [I ask one thing only: I ask for the right to hope, to suffer as I do. But if even that cannot be, command…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-ask-one-thing-only-i-ask-for-the-right-to-hope-to-suffer-as-i-do/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [The idea shared by many that life is a vale of tears is just as false as the idea shared by the great majority,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/the-idea-shared-by-many-that-life-is-a-vale-of-tears-is-just-as-false/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [To say that a work of art is good, but incomprehensible to the majority of men, is the same as saying of some kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-say-that-a-work-of-art-is-good-but-incomprehensible-to-the/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [True life is lived when tiny changes occur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/true-life-is-lived-when-tiny-changes-occur/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) [Explore all 1,754 Leo Tolstoy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) ## More Anna-karenina quotes > [“Lord have mercy! Pardon and help us!" he repeated the words that suddenly and unexpectedly sprang to his lips. And he, an unbeliever, repeated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/lord-have-mercy-pardon-and-help-us-he-repeated-the-words-that/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“Everything was made bright by her. She was the smile that shed light all around her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/everything-was-made-bright-by-her-she-was-the-smile-that-shed-light/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“Anna had been preparing herself for this meeting, had thought what she would say to him, but she did not succeed in saying anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/anna-had-been-preparing-herself-for-this-meeting-had-thought-what-she/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“But that's the whole aim of civilization: to make everything a source of enjoyment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/but-that-s-the-whole-aim-of-civilization-to-make-everything-a-source/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“I think love, both kinds of love, which you remember Plato defines in his "Symposium" - both kinds of love serve a touchstone for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-think-love-both-kinds-of-love-which-you-remember-plato-defines-in/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“With 6 children Darya Alexandrovna could not be calm. One got sick, another might get sick, a third lacked something, a fourth showed signs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/with-6-children-darya-alexandrovna-could-not-be-calm-one-got-sick/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“The aim of civilization is to enable us to get enjoyment out of everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/the-aim-of-civilization-is-to-enable-us-to-get-enjoyment-out-of/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“Se você tiver qualquer pensamento para mim que você vai me dar de volta a minha paz!'' ''Não pode haver paz para nós, só…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liev-tolst-i/se-voc-tiver-qualquer-pensamento-para-mim-que-voc-vai-me-dar-de-volta/) Liev Tolstói > [“I didn’t know you were going. What are you coming for?" she said, letting fall the hand with which she had grasped the doorpost.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-didn-t-know-you-were-going-what-are-you-coming-for-she-said-letting/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“Levin tried to drink a little coffee, and put a piece of roll into his mouth, but his mouth could do nothing with it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/levin-tried-to-drink-a-little-coffee-and-put-a-piece-of-roll-into-his/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“He understood that feeling of Levin's so well, knew that for Levin all the girls in the world were divided into two classes: one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/he-understood-that-feeling-of-levin-s-so-well-knew-that-for-levin-all/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“Besides, Oblonsky was fond of a pleasant joke, and sometimes liked to perplex a simple-minded man by observing that if you're going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/besides-oblonsky-was-fond-of-a-pleasant-joke-and-sometimes-liked-to/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“I see that my presence is burdensome to you. Painful as it was for me to become convinced of it, I see that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-see-that-my-presence-is-burdensome-to-you-painful-as-it-was-for-me/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“Todas as mulheres são mais materialistas do que os homens. Nós fazemos do amor algo enorme, mas elas sempre se mantém ‘terre-à-terre’.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/todas-as-mulheres-s-o-mais-materialistas-do-que-os-homens-n-s-fazemos/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“When they returned to Filigree Street, Mori refused even to go upstairs. Instead he hid under a quilt in the parlour with Thaniel's never-read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-pulley/when-they-returned-to-filigree-street-mori-refused-even-to-go/) [Natasha Pulley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-pulley/) [Browse all 36 Anna-karenina quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anna-karenina-2/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The acquisition by dishonest means and cunning,' said Levin, feeling that he was incapable of clearly defining the borderline between honesty and dishonesty. 'Like the profits made by banks,' he went on. 'This is evil, I mean, the acquisition of enormous fortunes without work, as it used to be with the spirit monopolists. Only the form has changed. Le roi est mort, vive le roi! Hardly were the monopolies abolished before railways and banks appeared: just another way of making money without work.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Leo Tolstoy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/the-acquisition-by-dishonest-means-and-cunning-said-levin-feeling/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Anna-karenina" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/the-acquisition-by-dishonest-means-and-cunning-said-levin-feeling/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eeb/leo-tolstoy-55_anna-karenina_the-acquisition-by-dishonest-means-and-c_731501.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eeb/leo-tolstoy-55_anna-karenina_the-acquisition-by-dishonest-means-and-c_731501.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eeb/leo-tolstoy-55_anna-karenina_the-acquisition-by-dishonest-means-and-c_731501.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The acquisition by dishonest means and cunning,' said Levin, feeling that he was incapable of clearly…” — Leo Tolstoy", "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": "Leo Tolstoy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The acquisition by dishonest means and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/the-acquisition-by-dishonest-means-and-cunning-said-levin-feeling/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/the-acquisition-by-dishonest-means-and-cunning-said-levin-feeling/#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 } } ] } ```