---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What those people who ask for equality…"
description: "\"What those people who ask for equality have in mind is always an increase in their own power to consume.\" — Ludwig von Mises"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae2/ludwig-von-mises-364_asks_what-those-people-who-ask-for-equality-h_2677273.png"
---

#  What those people who ask for equality have in mind is…

![“What those people who ask for equality have in mind is always an increase in their own power to consume.” quote by Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae2/ludwig-von-mises-364_asks_what-those-people-who-ask-for-equality-h_2677273.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae2/ludwig-von-mises-364_asks_what-those-people-who-ask-for-equality-h_2677273.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae2/ludwig-von-mises-364_asks_what-those-people-who-ask-for-equality-h_2677273.png)

> “What those people who ask for equality have in mind is always an increase in their own power to consume.”

[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 advocates often seek more power to consume, not true fairness.

**In simple terms:** Equality can mask self‑interest.

Key Takeaway

Question motives behind calls for equality.

Themes

politics equality power consumption

Mood

critical thoughtful

Type

philosophical political

When to use this quote

- policy debate
- social movements
- public discourse

Key Concepts

liberalism economic theory

Questions to Reflect On

- What drives your desire for equality?
- How can equality be pursued without power motives?

A Different Perspective

Not all equality demands are selfish.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Equality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equality/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/)

## Related quotes

> [Dear Hip Hop, we can't scream 'murder, misogyny, lawlessness' in our music &amp; then turn around and ask for equality &amp; justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lecrae/dear-hip-hop-we-can-t-scream-murder-misogyny-lawlessness-in-our-music/)

[LeCrae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lecrae/)

> [Every time you acquire a new interest, even more, a new accomplishment, you increase your power of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lyon-phelps/every-time-you-acquire-a-new-interest-even-more-a-new-accomplishment/)

[William Lyon Phelps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lyon-phelps/)

> [I think if you do term limits, you would really increase the power of lobbying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-kaine/i-think-if-you-do-term-limits-you-would-really-increase-the-power-of/)

[Tim Kaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-kaine/)

> [“Once you understand how powerful you are within, you exponentially increase the power and potentiality of everything outside of you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/once-you-understand-how-powerful-you-are-within-you-exponentially/)

[Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/)

> [The greatest inventions are those inquiries which tend to increase the power of man over matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/the-greatest-inventions-are-those-inquiries-which-tend-to-increase/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [To add to the technostructure is to increase its power in the enterprise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/to-add-to-the-technostructure-is-to-increase-its-power-in-the/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [No increase in the welfare of the member of society can result from the availability of an additional quantity of money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/no-increase-in-the-welfare-of-the-member-of-society-can-result-from/)

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

> [In the land of the lotus-eaters there is no action. Action arises only from need, from dissatisfaction. It is purposeful striving towards something. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/in-the-land-of-the-lotus-eaters-there-is-no-action-action-arises-only/)

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

> [What people today call inflation is not inflation, i.e., the increase in the quantity of money and money substitutes, but the general rise in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/what-people-today-call-inflation-is-not-inflation-i-e-the-increase-in/)

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

> [Business is a means- the only means- to increase the quantity of goods available for preserving life and rendering it more agreeable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/business-is-a-means-the-only-means-to-increase-the-quantity-of-goods/)

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

> [To the grumbler who complains about the unfairness of the market system only one piece of advice can be given: If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/to-the-grumbler-who-complains-about-the-unfairness-of-the-market/)

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

> [Americans are so enamored of equality that they would rather be equal in slavery than unequal in freedom… The subjection of individuals will increase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/americans-are-so-enamored-of-equality-that-they-would-rather-be-equal/)

[Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/)

> [One reason for the tremendous increase in health-care costs in the U.S. is managerial neglect of the "hotel services" by the people who dominate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/one-reason-for-the-tremendous-increase-in-health-care-costs-in-the-u/)

[Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/)

> [Act always so as to increase the number of choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinz-von-foerster/act-always-so-as-to-increase-the-number-of-choices/)

[Heinz von Foerster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinz-von-foerster/)

> [A thing of beauty is a joy for ever;It's loveliness increase;it will never pass into nothingness;but still will keep a bower quiet for us,and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/a-thing-of-beauty-is-a-joy-for-ever-it-s-loveliness-increase-it-will/)

[John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/)

## 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 Asks quotes

> [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/)

[Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/)

> [I don't wear a watch because I want my arms to weigh the same. So if somebody asks me what time it is, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-don-t-wear-a-watch-because-i-want-my-arms-to-weigh-the-same-so-if/)

[Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/)

> [I am a practicing Catholic, but my lineage is Jewish, so if someone asks me if I'm Jewish, I say yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-campbell/i-am-a-practicing-catholic-but-my-lineage-is-jewish-so-if-someone/)

[Neve Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neve-campbell/)

> [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/)

[Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/)

> [Why did Erich von Stronheim leave Germany? Why did Hitchcock leave England? If you were a director you'd like to work in Hollywood too.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-polanski/why-did-erich-von-stronheim-leave-germany-why-did-hitchcock-leave/)

[Roman Polanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-polanski/)

> [There is nothing more I ask of this life than this moment, exactly so. And suddenly forever seems like too short a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-andreas/there-is-nothing-more-i-ask-of-this-life-than-this-moment-exactly-so/)

[Brian Andreas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-andreas/)

> [Success will come when the societal attitude changes and not a single woman in America asks herself the question 'What did I do?'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/success-will-come-when-the-societal-attitude-changes-and-not-a-single/)

[Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/)

> [The most fundamental question we can ever ask ourselves is whether or not the universe we live in is friendly or hostile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-most-fundamental-question-we-can-ever-ask-ourselves-is-whether-or/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. These great lovers of America who made their money in this country-when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-rich-people-are-apparently-leaving-america-they-re-giving-up/)

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

> [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/)

[Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/)

> [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/)

[Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/)

> [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/)

[Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/)

> [Ask God for temp'rance. That's th' appliance only Which your disease requires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/ask-god-for-temp-rance-that-s-th-appliance-only-which-your-disease/)

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

> [I don't know how to say it exactly. Only...I want to die as myself. Does that make any sense?' he asks. I shake my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/i-don-t-know-how-to-say-it-exactly-only-i-want-to-die-as-myself-does/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [Physicist Isador Isaac Rabi, who won a Nobel Prize for inventing a technique that permitted scientists to probe the structure of atoms and molecules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-saul-wurman/physicist-isador-isaac-rabi-who-won-a-nobel-prize-for-inventing-a/)

[Richard Saul Wurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-saul-wurman/)

Browse all 7,138 Asks quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "What those people who ask for equality have in mind is always an increase in their own power to consume.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ludwig von Mises"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/what-those-people-who-ask-for-equality-have-in-mind-is-always-an/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Asks"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/what-those-people-who-ask-for-equality-have-in-mind-is-always-an/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae2/ludwig-von-mises-364_asks_what-those-people-who-ask-for-equality-h_2677273.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae2/ludwig-von-mises-364_asks_what-those-people-who-ask-for-equality-h_2677273.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae2/ludwig-von-mises-364_asks_what-those-people-who-ask-for-equality-h_2677273.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“What those people who ask for equality have in mind is always an increase in their own power to consume.” — 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": "What those people who ask for...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/what-those-people-who-ask-for-equality-have-in-mind-is-always-an/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/what-those-people-who-ask-for-equality-have-in-mind-is-always-an/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
