---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We owe the origin and development of…"
description: "\"We owe the origin and development of human society and, consequently, of culture and civilization, to the fact that work performed under the division o..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05d/ludwig-von-mises-364_civilization_we-owe-the-origin-and-development-of-hum_549196.jpg"
---

#  We owe the origin and development of human society and…

![“We owe the origin and development of human society and, consequently, of culture and civilization, to the fact that work performed under the division of labor is more productive than when performed in isolation.” quote by Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05d/ludwig-von-mises-364_civilization_we-owe-the-origin-and-development-of-hum_549196.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05d/ludwig-von-mises-364_civilization_we-owe-the-origin-and-development-of-hum_549196.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05d/ludwig-von-mises-364_civilization_we-owe-the-origin-and-development-of-hum_549196.jpg)

> “We owe the origin and development of human society and, consequently, of culture and civilization, to the fact that work performed under the division of labor is more productive than when performed in isolation.”

[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.

Division of labor boosts productivity, making societies and cultures thrive compared to isolated effort.

**In simple terms:** Working together makes us more productive.

Key Takeaway

Encourage specialization and teamwork.

Themes

productivity cooperation division of labor

Mood

analytical educational

Type

economic philosophical

When to use this quote

- business
- manufacturing
- community projects

Key Concepts

economics social organization efficiency collaboration

Questions to Reflect On

- How does specialization affect personal fulfillment?
- What are the limits of division of labor?

A Different Perspective

May overlook individual creativity or inequality.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Division of labor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/division-of-labor/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/) [Human society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-society/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Isolation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/isolation/) [Labor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labor/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/)

## Related quotes

> [People do not cooperate under the division of labor because they love or should love one another. They cooperate because this best serves their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/people-do-not-cooperate-under-the-division-of-labor-because-they-love/)

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

> [All trades, arts, and handiworks have gained by division of labor... Where the different kinds of work are not distinguished and divided, where everyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/all-trades-arts-and-handiworks-have-gained-by-division-of-labor-where/)

[Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/)

> [A permanent division of labor inevitably creates occupational and class inequality and conflict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-shea/a-permanent-division-of-labor-inevitably-creates-occupational-and/)

[Robert Shea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-shea/)

> [We belong to the community. It is not the tailor alone who is the ninth part of a man; it is as much the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/we-belong-to-the-community-it-is-not-the-tailor-alone-who-is-the/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [ At this point, an urgent question arises: \[...\] Is it our duty to seek to become a thorough and complete human being, one quite… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-durkheim/at-this-point-an-urgent-question-arises-is-it-our-duty-to-seek-to/)

[Emile Durkheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-durkheim/)

> [I'm not a grassroots organizer; that is clear. I believe in a division of labor. I'm not trained to organize the grassroots, and grassroots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-elbaradei/i-m-not-a-grassroots-organizer-that-is-clear-i-believe-in-a-division/)

[Mohamed ElBaradei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-elbaradei/)

> [The more the division of labor and the application of machinery extend, the more does competition extend among the workers, the more do their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/the-more-the-division-of-labor-and-the-application-of-machinery/)

[Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/)

> [In sinners and repenters you have the original division of labor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/in-sinners-and-repenters-you-have-the-original-division-of-labor/)

[Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/)

> [Division of labor is a justification for sloth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/division-of-labor-is-a-justification-for-sloth/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [Cities are, first of all, seats of the highest economic division of labor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-simmel/cities-are-first-of-all-seats-of-the-highest-economic-division-of/)

[Georg Simmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-simmel/)

> [The division of labor among nations is that some specialize in winning and others in losing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/the-division-of-labor-among-nations-is-that-some-specialize-in/)

[Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/)

> [Modern society, based as it is on the division of labor, can be preserved only under conditions of lasting peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/modern-society-based-as-it-is-on-the-division-of-labor-can-be/)

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

> [Laissez faire does not mean: let soulless mechanical forces operate. It means: let individuals choose how they want to cooperate in the social division…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/laissez-faire-does-not-mean-let-soulless-mechanical-forces-operate-it/)

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

> [The greater productivity of work under the division of labor is a unifying influence. It leads men to regard each other as comrades in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/the-greater-productivity-of-work-under-the-division-of-labor-is-a/)

[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/)

## 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 Civilization quotes

> [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [Sentiment is the mightiest force in civilization; not sentimentality, but sentiment. Women will bring this into politics. Home, sweet home, is as powerful on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-ellen-foster/sentiment-is-the-mightiest-force-in-civilization-not-sentimentality/)

[Judith Ellen Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-ellen-foster/)

> [Violence is not necessary to destroy a civilization. Each civilization dies from indifference toward the unique values which created it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-gomez-davila/violence-is-not-necessary-to-destroy-a-civilization-each-civilization/)

[Nicolas Gomez Davila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-gomez-davila/)

> [“The voice in the head that never stops speaking becomes a civilization that is obsessed with form and therefore knows nothing of the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/the-voice-in-the-head-that-never-stops-speaking-becomes-a/)

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

> [We released 400,000 classified documents, the most extraordinary history of a war to ever have been released in our civilization. Those documents cover 109,000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/we-released-400-000-classified-documents-the-most-extraordinary/)

[Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/)

> [Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/wine-is-one-of-the-most-civilized-things-in-the-world-and-one-of-the/)

[Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/)

> [Whenever we touch nature we get clean. People who have got dirty through too much civilization take a walk in the woods, or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/whenever-we-touch-nature-we-get-clean-people-who-have-got-dirty/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [The invention of gunpowder and the constant improvement of firearms are enough in themselves to show that the advance of civilization has done nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-von-clausewitz/the-invention-of-gunpowder-and-the-constant-improvement-of-firearms/)

[Carl von Clausewitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-von-clausewitz/)

> [Another success is the post-office, with its educating energy augmented by cheapness and guarded by a certain religious sentimentin mankind; so that the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/another-success-is-the-post-office-with-its-educating-energy/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [“The mission is, not to replace old world mindlessness with new world mindlessness, but to put an end to all forms of brainless authoritarianism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/the-mission-is-not-to-replace-old-world-mindlessness-with-new-world/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/)

[Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/)

> [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/)

[James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/)

> [Coal lay in ledges under the ground since the Flood, until a laborer with pick and windlass brings it to the surface. We may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/coal-lay-in-ledges-under-the-ground-since-the-flood-until-a-laborer/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Once we allow ourselves to be disobedient to the test of an accountant's profit, we have begun to change our civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/once-we-allow-ourselves-to-be-disobedient-to-the-test-of-an/)

[John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

> [Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-josiah-brewer/our-laws-and-our-institutions-must-necessarily-be-based-upon-and/)

[David Josiah Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-josiah-brewer/)

[Browse all 4,084 Civilization quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We owe the origin and development of human society and, consequently, of culture and civilization, to the fact that work performed under the division of labor is more productive than when performed in isolation.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ludwig von Mises"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/we-owe-the-origin-and-development-of-human-society-and-consequently/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Civilization"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/we-owe-the-origin-and-development-of-human-society-and-consequently/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05d/ludwig-von-mises-364_civilization_we-owe-the-origin-and-development-of-hum_549196.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05d/ludwig-von-mises-364_civilization_we-owe-the-origin-and-development-of-hum_549196.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05d/ludwig-von-mises-364_civilization_we-owe-the-origin-and-development-of-hum_549196.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We owe the origin and development of human society and, consequently, of culture and civilization, to the…” — 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": "We owe the origin and development...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/we-owe-the-origin-and-development-of-human-society-and-consequently/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/we-owe-the-origin-and-development-of-human-society-and-consequently/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
