---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No country without a revolution or a…"
description: "\"“No country without a revolution or a military defeat and subsequent occupation has ever experienced such a sharp a shift in the distribution of earnin..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbf/lester-thurow-32621_american-workers_no-country-without-a-revolution-or-a-mil_1995939.jpg"
---

#  No country without a revolution or a military defeat and…

![“No country without a revolution or a military defeat and subsequent occupation has ever experienced such a sharp a shift in the distribution of earnings as America has in the last generation. At no other time have median wages of American men fallen for more than two decades. Never before have a…” quote by Lester Thurow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbf/lester-thurow-32621_american-workers_no-country-without-a-revolution-or-a-mil_1995939.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbf/lester-thurow-32621_american-workers_no-country-without-a-revolution-or-a-mil_1995939.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbf/lester-thurow-32621_american-workers_no-country-without-a-revolution-or-a-mil_1995939.jpg)

> ““No country without a revolution or a military defeat and subsequent occupation has ever experienced such a sharp a shift in the distribution of earnings as America has in the last generation. At no other time have median wages of American men fallen for more than two decades. Never before have a majority of American workers suffered real wage reductions while the per capita domestic product was advancing. Beside falling real wages, America's other economic problems pale into insignificance. The remedies lie in major public and private investments in research and development and in creating skilled workers to insure that tomorrow's high-wage, brain-power industries generate much of their employment in the United States. Yet if one looks at the weak policy proposals of both Democrats and Republicans, ‘it is a tale, told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.””

[Lester Thurow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-thurow/)

## About This Quote

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

America’s wage stagnation stems from lack of investment in R&D and skilled labor, despite overall growth.

**In simple terms:** Wages fall while the economy grows due to insufficient innovation investment.

Key Takeaway

Invest in research and skill development to raise wages.

Themes

economics inequality policy labor innovation

Mood

analytical concerned

Type

policy economic critical

When to use this quote

- government budgeting
- corporate R&D
- education reform
- workforce training

Key Concepts

macroeconomics public policy human capital

Questions to Reflect On

- What policies could effectively boost R&D?
- How can workers gain the skills needed for high‑wage jobs?

A Different Perspective

Political gridlock may stall necessary investments.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[America Economic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america-economic-488761/) [American workers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-workers/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Full Of Sound And Fury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/full-of-sound-and-fury/) [Inequality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inequality/) [Research and development](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research-and-development/) [Sound And Fury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound-and-fury/) [Wage Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wage-brain-3485059/) [Wages America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wages-america-1607157/) [Wages American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wages-american-1375451/)

## Related quotes

> [Life ... is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-a-tale-told-by-an-idiot-full-of-sound-and-fury-signifying/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Men would no longer be victims of nature or of their own largely irrational societies: reason would triumph; universal harmonious cooperation, true history, would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah-berlin/men-would-no-longer-be-victims-of-nature-or-of-their-own-largely/)

[Isaiah Berlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaiah-berlin/)

> [“I'm living in this world. I'm what, a slacker? A "twentysomething"? I'm in the margins. I'm not building a wall but making a brick.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-linklater/i-m-living-in-this-world-i-m-what-a-slacker-a-twentysomething-i-m-in/)

[Richard Linklater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-linklater/)

> [“they are no more than unconscious players in the egoic game, a game that looks so important yet is ultimately devoid of true purpose.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/they-are-no-more-than-unconscious-players-in-the-egoic-game-a-game/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [“Political reform need not go hand in hand with economic liberalisation. I do not believe that if you are libertarian, full of diverse opinions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/political-reform-need-not-go-hand-in-hand-with-economic-2/)

[Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/)

> [“My life is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury. It means nothing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hewson/my-life-is-a-tale-told-by-an-idiot-full-of-sound-and-fury-it-means/)

[David Hewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hewson/)

> [As I have said before, the daily machinations of the stock market are like a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-bogle/as-i-have-said-before-the-daily-machinations-of-the-stock-market-are/)

[John C. Bogle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-bogle/)

> [Life is not only full of sound and fury. It also has butterflies, flowers, art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-simon/life-is-not-only-full-of-sound-and-fury-it-also-has-butterflies/)

[Claude Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-simon/)

> [“Modern culture rejects this belief in a great cosmic plan. We are not actors in any larger-than-life drama. Life has no script, no playwright,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/modern-culture-rejects-this-belief-in-a-great-cosmic-plan-we-are-not/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“True eloquence is irresistible. It charms by its images of beauty, it enforces an argument by its vehement simplicity. Orators whose speeches are "full…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-ellery-bergh/true-eloquence-is-irresistible-it-charms-by-its-images-of-beauty-it/)

[Albert Ellery Bergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-ellery-bergh/)

> [Political reform need not go hand in hand with economic liberalization.. I hold unconventional views about this.. I do not believe if you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/political-reform-need-not-go-hand-in-hand-with-economic/)

[Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/)

> [For all its bluster, the BDS campaign is most notable, I think, for its lack of success. Trade is booming; tourism is soaring. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sajid-javid/for-all-its-bluster-the-bds-campaign-is-most-notable-i-think-for-its/)

[Sajid Javid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sajid-javid/)

> [“Twittering just seemed to be people telling other people what they were doing--getting in the shower, making coffee. Who on earth wanted to know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/twittering-just-seemed-to-be-people-telling-other-people-what-they/)

[Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/)

> [This life, which had been the tomb of his virtue and of his honour, is but a walking shadow; a poor player, that struts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/this-life-which-had-been-the-tomb-of-his-virtue-and-of-his-honour-is/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day, To the last syllable of recorded time; And all our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/to-morrow-and-to-morrow-and-to-morrow-creeps-in-this-petty-pace-from/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

## More by Lester Thurow

> [A competitive world offers two possibilities. You can lose. Or, if you want to win, you can change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-thurow/a-competitive-world-offers-two-possibilities-you-can-lose-or-if-you/)

[Lester Thurow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-thurow/)

> [“Probably no country has ever had as large a shift in the distribution of wealth \[as what we've seen in the U.S. in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-thurow/probably-no-country-has-ever-had-as-large-a-shift-in-the-distribution/)

[Lester Thurow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-thurow/)

> [We've believed for 50 years that the Japanese are small Americans who wanted to be like us. They are not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-thurow/we-ve-believed-for-50-years-that-the-japanese-are-small-americans-who/)

[Lester Thurow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-thurow/)

> [Change requires individuals who recognize that new things can be done and who take the initiative to get them done ... The existing bureaucracies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-thurow/change-requires-individuals-who-recognize-that-new-things-can-be-done/)

[Lester Thurow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-thurow/)

> [Natural resources have dropped out of the competitive equation. In fact, a lack of natural resources may even be an advantage. Because the industries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-thurow/natural-resources-have-dropped-out-of-the-competitive-equation-in/)

[Lester Thurow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-thurow/)

> [Technology and Ideology are shaking the foundations of 21st century capitalism. Technology is making skills and knowledge the only sources of sustainable strategic advantage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-thurow/technology-and-ideology-are-shaking-the-foundations-of-21st-century/)

[Lester Thurow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-thurow/)

> [The old foundations of success are gone ... The world's wealthiest man, Bill Gates, owns nothing tangible: no land, no gold or oil, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-thurow/the-old-foundations-of-success-are-gone-the-world-s-wealthiest-man/)

[Lester Thurow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-thurow/)

> [AT&T invented the cellular telephone, but saw no future in it. It takes entrepreneurs, who are angels of destruction, to take advantage of things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-thurow/at-t-invented-the-cellular-telephone-but-saw-no-future-in-it-it-takes/)

[Lester Thurow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-thurow/)

> [There is nothing antithetical in American history, culture, or traditions to teamwork. Teams were important in America's history - wagon trains conquered the West,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-thurow/there-is-nothing-antithetical-in-american-history-culture-or/)

[Lester Thurow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-thurow/)

> [One of the peculiarities of economics is that it still rests on a behavioral assumption-rational utility maximization-that has long since been rejected by sociologists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-thurow/one-of-the-peculiarities-of-economics-is-that-it-still-rests-on-a/)

[Lester Thurow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-thurow/)

> [If a group of people has no sense where they came from-it is difficult for them to have a sense where they should go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-thurow/if-a-group-of-people-has-no-sense-where-they-came-from-it-is/)

[Lester Thurow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-thurow/)

> [Economists are always recommending the elimination of this or that market imperfection ... no astrophysicist recommends the elimination of planets that he does not like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-thurow/economists-are-always-recommending-the-elimination-of-this-or-that/)

[Lester Thurow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-thurow/)

> [Without entrepreneurs, economies become poor and weak. The old will not exist, the new can't enter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-thurow/without-entrepreneurs-economies-become-poor-and-weak-the-old-will-not/)

[Lester Thurow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-thurow/)

> [Major investment decisions have become too important to be left to the private sector.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-thurow/major-investment-decisions-have-become-too-important-to-be-left-to/)

[Lester Thurow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-thurow/)

[Explore all 15 Lester Thurow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-thurow/)

## More American workers quotes

> [Less than 8 percent of private sector workers belonged to a union in 2004, and, overall, only 12.5 percent of American workers carry a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-chavez/less-than-8-percent-of-private-sector-workers-belonged-to-a-union-in/)

[Linda Chavez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-chavez/)

> [During three decades from 1947 to 1977, the nation implemented what might be called a basic bargain with American workers. Employers paid them enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reich/during-three-decades-from-1947-to-1977-the-nation-implemented-what/)

[Robert Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reich/)

> [I am all in favor of growing the American economy and engaging in trade with the world, but not at the expense of American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-yoho/i-am-all-in-favor-of-growing-the-american-economy-and-engaging-in/)

[Ted Yoho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-yoho/)

> [We will end the politics of profit. We will end the rule of special interests. We will end the raiding of our jobs by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-will-end-the-politics-of-profit-we-will-end-the-rule-of-special/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [The TPP is another corporate-backed agreement that is the latest in a series of trade policies which have cost us millions of decent-paying jobs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-tpp-is-another-corporate-backed-agreement-that-is-the-latest-in-a/)

[Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/)

> [“The country built on the virtue and the character and the strength of the American workingman circa 1955–65 was the ideal he meant to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/the-country-built-on-the-virtue-and-the-character-and-the-strength-of/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

> [American workers are first rate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-dodd/american-workers-are-first-rate/)

[Christopher Dodd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-dodd/)

> [Apparently, union bosses are so distraught about declining enrollments they will stoop to exploiting illegal workers. There is no doubt that this would hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamar-s-smith/apparently-union-bosses-are-so-distraught-about-declining-enrollments/)

[Lamar S. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamar-s-smith/)

> [The Trump administration is dedicated to helping build, certify, and defend the Made in America brand so that American products can reach every shore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-huckabee-sanders/the-trump-administration-is-dedicated-to-helping-build-certify-and/)

[Sarah Huckabee Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-huckabee-sanders/)

> [Globalization has delivered many benefits for international donors, but it's the job of politicians to represent the people - and to put American workers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/globalization-has-delivered-many-benefits-for-international-donors/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [While there are many illegal immigrants in America who are good people, many, many, this doesn't change the fact that most illegal immigrants are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/while-there-are-many-illegal-immigrants-in-america-who-are-good/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [Besides taking jobs from American workers, illegal immigration creates huge economic burdens on our health care system, our education system, our criminal justice system,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-c-ting/besides-taking-jobs-from-american-workers-illegal-immigration-creates/)

[Jan C. Ting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-c-ting/)

> [Through good times and bad, American workers and their families have been able to rely on Social Security to provide guaranteed protection against the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sander-levin/through-good-times-and-bad-american-workers-and-their-families-have/)

[Sander Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sander-levin/)

> [American workers have faced serious difficulties in the labor market since the first oil shock in 1973. Since that time, the pace of productivity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/american-workers-have-faced-serious-difficulties-in-the-labor-market/)

[Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/)

> [Getting fired can produce a particularly bountiful payday for a CEO. Indeed, he can 'earn' more in that single day, while cleaning out his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/getting-fired-can-produce-a-particularly-bountiful-payday-for-a-ceo/)

[Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/)

[Browse all 130 American workers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-workers/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“No country without a revolution or a military defeat and subsequent occupation has ever experienced such a sharp a shift in the distribution of earnings as America has in the last generation. At no other time have median wages of American men fallen for more than two decades. Never before have a majority of American workers suffered real wage reductions while the per capita domestic product was advancing. Beside falling real wages, America's other economic problems pale into insignificance. The remedies lie in major public and private investments in research and development and in creating skilled workers to insure that tomorrow's high-wage, brain-power industries generate much of their employment in the United States. Yet if one looks at the weak policy proposals of both Democrats and Republicans, ‘it is a tale, told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Lester Thurow"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-thurow/no-country-without-a-revolution-or-a-military-defeat-and-subsequent/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "American workers"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-thurow/no-country-without-a-revolution-or-a-military-defeat-and-subsequent/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbf/lester-thurow-32621_american-workers_no-country-without-a-revolution-or-a-mil_1995939.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbf/lester-thurow-32621_american-workers_no-country-without-a-revolution-or-a-mil_1995939.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbf/lester-thurow-32621_american-workers_no-country-without-a-revolution-or-a-mil_1995939.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“No country without a revolution or a military defeat and subsequent occupation has ever experienced such a…” — Lester Thurow",
                "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": "Lester Thurow",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-thurow/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“No country without a revolution or...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-thurow/no-country-without-a-revolution-or-a-military-defeat-and-subsequent/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-thurow/no-country-without-a-revolution-or-a-military-defeat-and-subsequent/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```