---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is certain that many intellectuals…"
description: "\"It is certain that many intellectuals envy the higher income of prosperous businessmen and that these feelings drive them toward socialism. They belie..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da0/ludwig-von-mises-364_authority_it-is-certain-that-many-intellectuals-en_1097844.jpg"
---

#  It is certain that many intellectuals envy the higher…

![“It is certain that many intellectuals envy the higher income of prosperous businessmen and that these feelings drive them toward socialism. They believe that the authorities of a socialist commonwealth would pay them higher salaries than those that they earn under capitalism.” quote by Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da0/ludwig-von-mises-364_authority_it-is-certain-that-many-intellectuals-en_1097844.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da0/ludwig-von-mises-364_authority_it-is-certain-that-many-intellectuals-en_1097844.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da0/ludwig-von-mises-364_authority_it-is-certain-that-many-intellectuals-en_1097844.jpg)

> “It is certain that many intellectuals envy the higher income of prosperous businessmen and that these feelings drive them toward socialism. They believe that the authorities of a socialist commonwealth would pay them higher salaries than those that they earn under capitalism.”

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

## About This Quote

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

Intellectuals envy wealthy businessmen and think socialism will pay them more, but this belief is flawed.

**In simple terms:** Envy leads to misguided economic ideas.

Key Takeaway

Question assumptions about wealth and policy.

Themes

economics envy politics

Mood

critical analytical

Type

economic philosophical

When to use this quote

- policy debates
- academic discussions
- public commentary

Key Concepts

socialist theory income disparity intellectual bias

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do people equate wealth with merit?
- What alternatives exist to address income gaps?

A Different Perspective

Ignores structural causes of inequality.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Businessman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/businessman/) [Capitalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capitalism/) [Commonwealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commonwealth/) [Economics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economics/) [Envy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/envy/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Income](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/income/) [Intellectuals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectuals/) [Prosperous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prosperous/) [Socialism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/socialism/) [Socialist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/socialist/)

## Related quotes

> [The socialism I believe in is everybody working for the same goal and everybody having a share in the rewards. That’s how I see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-shankly/the-socialism-i-believe-in-is-everybody-working-for-the-same-goal-and/)

[Bill Shankly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-shankly/)

> [The socialism I believe in isn't really politics. It is a way of living. It is humanity. I believe the only way to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-shankly/the-socialism-i-believe-in-isn-t-really-politics-it-is-a-way-of/)

[Bill Shankly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-shankly/)

> [“The socialism I believe in is everyone working for each other, everyone having a share of the rewards. It's the way I see football,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-shankly/the-socialism-i-believe-in-is-everyone-working-for-each-other/)

[Bill Shankly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-shankly/)

> [In the socialist commonwealth every economic change becomes an undertaking whose success can be neither appraised in advance nor later retrospectively determined. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/in-the-socialist-commonwealth-every-economic-change-becomes-an/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [The first socialists were the intellectuals; they, and not the masses, are the backbone of Socialism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/the-first-socialists-were-the-intellectuals-they-and-not-the-masses/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [ They \[intellectuals\] coined most of the slogans that guided the butcheries of Bolshevism, Fascism, and Nazism. Intellectuals extolling the delights of murder, writers advocating… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/they-intellectuals-coined-most-of-the-slogans-that-guided-the/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [It is true that some secluded intellectuals in their esoteric circles talk differently. They proclaim the priority of what they call eternal absolute values…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/it-is-true-that-some-secluded-intellectuals-in-their-esoteric-circles/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [If the members of parliament no longer consider themselves mandatories of the taxpayers but deputies of those receiving salaries, wages, subsidies, doles, and other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/if-the-members-of-parliament-no-longer-consider-themselves/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [Though bachelors be the strongest stakes, married men are the best binders, in the hedge of the commonwealth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-fuller/though-bachelors-be-the-strongest-stakes-married-men-are-the-best/)

[Thomas Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-fuller/)

> [I would like to thank the Commonwealth Games Federation for the very fair manner in which this matter has been dealt with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-collins/i-would-like-to-thank-the-commonwealth-games-federation-for-the-very/)

[Kim Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-collins/)

> [Members in the Commonwealth of God are not bound together by the specifics of their religion, for the nature of our interdependency does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forrest-church/members-in-the-commonwealth-of-god-are-not-bound-together-by-the/)

[Forrest Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forrest-church/)

> [Indifference must be a crime in us, to be ranked but one degree below treachery; for deserting the commonwealth is next to betraying it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-st-john-1st-viscount-bolingbroke/indifference-must-be-a-crime-in-us-to-be-ranked-but-one-degree-below/)

[Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-st-john-1st-viscount-bolingbroke/)

> [ Brian Mulroney, myself, \[and\] Rajiv Gandhi; I think that was the real core \[of the Commonwealth \]. That was the engine room, I reckon. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/brian-mulroney-myself-and-rajiv-gandhi-i-think-that-was-the-real-core/)

[Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/)

> [Like the water of a deep stream, love is always too much. We did not make it. Though we drink till we burst, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/like-the-water-of-a-deep-stream-love-is-always-too-much-we-did-not/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [Believing that I was born for the service of mankind, and regarding the care of the commonwealth as a kind of common property which,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/believing-that-i-was-born-for-the-service-of-mankind-and-regarding/)

[Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/)

## More by Ludwig von Mises

> [If the members of parliament no longer consider themselves mandatories of the taxpayers but deputies of those receiving salaries, wages, subsidies, doles, and other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/if-the-members-of-parliament-no-longer-consider-themselves/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [Changes in human conditions are brought about by the pioneering of the cleverest and most energetic men. They take the lead and the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/changes-in-human-conditions-are-brought-about-by-the-pioneering-of/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [During the 2300 years since Plato, very little opposition has been registered to his ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/during-the-2300-years-since-plato-very-little-opposition-has-been/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [“How little one is justified in speaking in this connection of "optimism" and "pessimism" and how much the characterization of liberalism as "optimistic" aims…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/how-little-one-is-justified-in-speaking-in-this-connection-of/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [Every step by which an individual substitutes concerted action for isolated action results in an immediate and recognizable improvement in his conditions. The advantages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/every-step-by-which-an-individual-substitutes-concerted-action-for/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [The capitalistic social order, therefore, is an economic democracy in the strictest sense of the word. In the last analysis, all decisions are dependent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/the-capitalistic-social-order-therefore-is-an-economic-democracy-in/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [Without calculation, economic activity is impossible. Since under Socialism economic calculation is impossible, under Socialism there can be no economic activity in our sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/without-calculation-economic-activity-is-impossible-since-under/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [There is no kind of freedom and liberty other than the kind which the market economy brings about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/there-is-no-kind-of-freedom-and-liberty-other-than-the-kind-which-the/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [Peace and not war is the father of all things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/peace-and-not-war-is-the-father-of-all-things/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [What counts alone is the innovator, the dissenter, the harbinger of things unheard of, the man who rejects the traditional standards and aims at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/what-counts-alone-is-the-innovator-the-dissenter-the-harbinger-of/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [In reality no food is valued solely for its nutritive power and no garment or house solely for the protection it affords against cold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/in-reality-no-food-is-valued-solely-for-its-nutritive-power-and-no/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [All this talk: the state should do this or that, ultimately means: the police should force consumers to behave otherwise than they would behave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/all-this-talk-the-state-should-do-this-or-that-ultimately-means-the/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [The most successful businessmen were often uneducated when measured by the scholastic standards of the teaching profession. But they were equal to their social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/the-most-successful-businessmen-were-often-uneducated-when-measured/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [Two hundred years ago, before the advent of capitalism, a man's social status was fixed from the beginning to the end of his life;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/two-hundred-years-ago-before-the-advent-of-capitalism-a-man-s-social/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [Facts per se can neither prove nor refute anything. Everything is decided by the interpretation and explanation of the facts, by the ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/facts-per-se-can-neither-prove-nor-refute-anything-everything-is/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

[Explore all 637 Ludwig von Mises quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

## More Authority quotes

> [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/)

[Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/)

> [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/)

[Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/)

> [I think people need to be comfortable questioning the authority of a doctor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/i-think-people-need-to-be-comfortable-questioning-the-authority-of-a/)

[Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/)

> [At a distance, we cannot conceive of the authority of a despot who knows all his subjects on sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/at-a-distance-we-cannot-conceive-of-the-authority-of-a-despot-who/)

[Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/)

> [Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/throughout-human-history-as-our-species-has-faced-the-frightening/)

[Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/)

> [“I'm of the age and immaturity level that I cannot give you my respect solely because you are older or ranked higher on an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-goros/i-m-of-the-age-and-immaturity-level-that-i-cannot-give-you-my-respect/)

[Erica Goros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-goros/)

> [In the end theologians are jealous of science, for they are aware that it has greater authority than do their own ways of finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/in-the-end-theologians-are-jealous-of-science-for-they-are-aware-that/)

[Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/)

> [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [Miracles are like candles lit up until the sun rises, and then blown out. Therefore, I am amused when I hear sects and churches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/miracles-are-like-candles-lit-up-until-the-sun-rises-and-then-blown/)

[Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/)

> [The execution was set for the 29th of March, at nine in the morning. This delay was due to a desire on the part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-execution-was-set-for-the-29th-of-march-at-nine-in-the-morning/)

[Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/)

> [I started with the belief that every person who came to the laboratory was free to accept or to reject the dictates of authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/i-started-with-the-belief-that-every-person-who-came-to-the/)

[Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/)

> [The rationale which accompanies that imposition of male authority euphemistically referred to as 'the battle of the sexes' bears a certain resemblance to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-millett/the-rationale-which-accompanies-that-imposition-of-male-authority/)

[Kate Millett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-millett/)

> [“We are at the mercy of whoever wields authority over the things we either desire or detest. If you would be free, then, do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/we-are-at-the-mercy-of-whoever-wields-authority-over-the-things-we/)

[Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/)

> [Sometimes it's easier for people who are in authority to be authoritarian, because people know where you stand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/sometimes-it-s-easier-for-people-who-are-in-authority-to-be/)

[Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/)

> [The victory of Hamas is not only based on the corruption of the Palestinian Authority. Hamas has a vision and a program, and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-haniyeh/the-victory-of-hamas-is-not-only-based-on-the-corruption-of-the/)

[Ismail Haniyeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-haniyeh/)

[Browse all 4,003 Authority quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It is certain that many intellectuals envy the higher income of prosperous businessmen and that these feelings drive them toward socialism.  They believe that the authorities of a socialist commonwealth would pay them higher salaries than those that they earn under capitalism.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ludwig von Mises"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/it-is-certain-that-many-intellectuals-envy-the-higher-income-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Authority"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/it-is-certain-that-many-intellectuals-envy-the-higher-income-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da0/ludwig-von-mises-364_authority_it-is-certain-that-many-intellectuals-en_1097844.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da0/ludwig-von-mises-364_authority_it-is-certain-that-many-intellectuals-en_1097844.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da0/ludwig-von-mises-364_authority_it-is-certain-that-many-intellectuals-en_1097844.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It is certain that many intellectuals envy the higher income of prosperous businessmen and that these…” — Ludwig von Mises",
                "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": "Ludwig von Mises",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It is certain that many intellectuals...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/it-is-certain-that-many-intellectuals-envy-the-higher-income-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/it-is-certain-that-many-intellectuals-envy-the-higher-income-of/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
