---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is untrue that some are poor because…"
description: "\"It is untrue that some are poor because others are rich. If an order of society in which incomes were equal replaced the capitalist order, everyone wou..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0c/ludwig-von-mises-364_capitalist_it-is-untrue-that-some-are-poor-because_2536420.png"
---

#  It is untrue that some are poor because others are rich…

![“It is untrue that some are poor because others are rich. If an order of society in which incomes were equal replaced the capitalist order, everyone would become poorer.” quote by Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0c/ludwig-von-mises-364_capitalist_it-is-untrue-that-some-are-poor-because_2536420.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0c/ludwig-von-mises-364_capitalist_it-is-untrue-that-some-are-poor-because_2536420.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0c/ludwig-von-mises-364_capitalist_it-is-untrue-that-some-are-poor-because_2536420.png)

> “It is untrue that some are poor because others are rich. If an order of society in which incomes were equal replaced the capitalist order, everyone would become poorer.”

[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.

Equality of income distribution does not guarantee prosperity; equalizing incomes would reduce incentives and overall wealth.

**In simple terms:** Equal incomes lead to less wealth for all.

Key Takeaway

Recognize that prosperity depends on incentives, not just equal pay.

Themes

economics inequality incentives

Mood

analytical critical

Type

philosophical economic policy

When to use this quote

- policy design
- tax reform
- social welfare programs
- economic education

Key Concepts

subjectivism spontaneous order resource allocation

Questions to Reflect On

- How would you balance fairness with incentives?
- What policies can reduce poverty without harming growth?

A Different Perspective

It ignores potential benefits of targeted redistribution that can improve welfare without fully equalizing incomes.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Income](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/income/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Poor rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor-rich/)

## Related quotes

> [But in the years since the neoliberal project really has been stripped down to what was always its essence: not an economic project at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/but-in-the-years-since-the-neoliberal-project-really-has-been/)

[David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/)

> [There is no social evil, no form of injustice whether of the feudal or the capitalist order which has not been sanctified in some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/there-is-no-social-evil-no-form-of-injustice-whether-of-the-feudal-or/)

[Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/)

> [“Human beings are neither poor nor rich, they just humans”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asherry-magalla/human-beings-are-neither-poor-nor-rich-they-just-humans/)

[Asherry Magalla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asherry-magalla/)

> [No one is so poor that they cannot give, and no one is so rich that they cannot receive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-clarkson/no-one-is-so-poor-that-they-cannot-give-and-no-one-is-so-rich-that/)

[Adrienne Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-clarkson/)

> [Old among the young, poor among the rich, I adopt an air of indefinable superiority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/old-among-the-young-poor-among-the-rich-i-adopt-an-air-of-indefinable/)

[Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/)

> [Economy is for the poor; the rich may dispense with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-nestell-bovee/economy-is-for-the-poor-the-rich-may-dispense-with-it/)

[Christian Nestell Bovee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-nestell-bovee/)

> [Everywhere, and at all times, economic progress has meant far more to the poor than to the rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/everywhere-and-at-all-times-economic-progress-has-meant-far-more-to/)

[Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/)

> [Wealth protects the rich;Poverty destroys the poor.But the rich and the poor have this in common:The lord made them both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wealth-protects-the-rich-poverty-destroys-the-poor-but-the-rich-and/)

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

> [“I take from the poor and give to the rich. They just happen to be the same individuals. Poor and stupid before they learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sacredfire/i-take-from-the-poor-and-give-to-the-rich-they-just-happen-to-be-the/)

[Robin Sacredfire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sacredfire/)

> [I'm not poor, but I'm not rich, either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/i-m-not-poor-but-i-m-not-rich-either/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [Cheerful poor is rich with a smile, sulky rich is poor with a bullion of gold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/cheerful-poor-is-rich-with-a-smile-sulky-rich-is-poor-with-a-bullion/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [All of us, poor &amp; rich alike, have been conditioned by our upbringings. Impoverished men &amp; women may become lulled into a state of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/all-of-us-poor-rich-alike-have-been-conditioned-by-our-upbringings/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“Populace above, populace below! What are "poor" and "rich"...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/populace-above-populace-below-what-are-poor-and-rich/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [Before you can transform your wallet from poor to rich, you've got to transform your spirit from poor to rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/before-you-can-transform-your-wallet-from-poor-to-rich-you-ve-got-to/)

[Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/)

> [Any city, however small, is in fact divided into two, one the city of the poor, the other of the rich; these are at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/any-city-however-small-is-in-fact-divided-into-two-one-the-city-of/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

## 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 Capitalist quotes

> [The popular mind often pictures gigantic flying machines speeding across the Atlantic carrying innumerable passengers in a way analogous to our modern steam ships.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-henry-pickering/the-popular-mind-often-pictures-gigantic-flying-machines-speeding/)

William Henry Pickering

> [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/)

> [Capitalists have done more good for society through their charitable giving, philanthropy and generosity than all their critics combined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cook/capitalists-have-done-more-good-for-society-through-their-charitable/)

[James Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cook/)

> [It is more than a little ironic that "capital accumulation" once a rather tendentious Marxian view of a supposed capitalist obsession, should have become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kuttner/it-is-more-than-a-little-ironic-that-capital-accumulation-once-a/)

[Robert Kuttner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kuttner/)

> [When I was young, I worked for a capitalist twelve hours a day and I was always tired. Now I work for myself twenty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-khrushchev/when-i-was-young-i-worked-for-a-capitalist-twelve-hours-a-day-and-i/)

[Nikita Khrushchev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-khrushchev/)

> [“Capitalist cycle of profit. The rancher sells a cow for profit. The butcher sells cuts for profit. The restaurant sells meals for profit. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/capitalist-cycle-of-profit-the-rancher-sells-a-cow-for-profit-the/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [For me, it is clear that we are currently in a period of structural crisis of capitalism going back to the 1970s, but deepening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bellamy-foster/for-me-it-is-clear-that-we-are-currently-in-a-period-of-structural/)

[John Bellamy Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bellamy-foster/)

> [As someone from the working class I was always interested in Russia and China and everything that related to the working class, even though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/as-someone-from-the-working-class-i-was-always-interested-in-russia/)

[John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/)

> [Will capitalist economies operate at full employment in the absence of routine intervention? Certainly not. Are deviations from full employment a social problem? Obviously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/will-capitalist-economies-operate-at-full-employment-in-the-absence/)

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

> [Capitalism has created a situation called scarcity. And that scarcity is not natural, it's socially induced. Along with that sense of scarcity, or feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-bookchin/capitalism-has-created-a-situation-called-scarcity-and-that-scarcity/)

[Murray Bookchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-bookchin/)

> [... what we should be looking for is fresh ideas of how we make moral decisions about our dealings with one another, economic, social,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davis-mccaughey/what-we-should-be-looking-for-is-fresh-ideas-of-how-we-make-moral/)

Davis McCaughey

> [When you come from a family of communists and you go through your teenage rebellion, what's the best way of rebelling from a family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-browder/when-you-come-from-a-family-of-communists-and-you-go-through-your/)

[Bill Browder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-browder/)

> [The Enron scandal calls into question the integrity of the entire capitalist system, which previously we assumed was based on honest, straightforward greed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-achenbach/the-enron-scandal-calls-into-question-the-integrity-of-the-entire/)

[Joel Achenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-achenbach/)

> [Human beings were behaving as human beings and not as cogs in the capitalist machine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/human-beings-were-behaving-as-human-beings-and-not-as-cogs-in-the/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [Beautiful women must think about their beauty as capitalists think about their investments or politicians about their majorities; it is all they have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-connolly/beautiful-women-must-think-about-their-beauty-as-capitalists-think/)

[Cyril Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-connolly/)

Browse all 968 Capitalist quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It is untrue that some are poor because others are rich. If an order of society in which incomes were equal replaced the capitalist order, everyone would become poorer.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ludwig von Mises"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/it-is-untrue-that-some-are-poor-because-others-are-rich-if-an-order/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Capitalist"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/it-is-untrue-that-some-are-poor-because-others-are-rich-if-an-order/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0c/ludwig-von-mises-364_capitalist_it-is-untrue-that-some-are-poor-because_2536420.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0c/ludwig-von-mises-364_capitalist_it-is-untrue-that-some-are-poor-because_2536420.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0c/ludwig-von-mises-364_capitalist_it-is-untrue-that-some-are-poor-because_2536420.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It is untrue that some are poor because others are rich. If an order of society in which incomes were equal…” — 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 untrue that some are...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/it-is-untrue-that-some-are-poor-because-others-are-rich-if-an-order/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/it-is-untrue-that-some-are-poor-because-others-are-rich-if-an-order/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
