---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Human labor, in general, is still divided…"
description: "\"“Human labor, in general, is still divided into two exclusive categories: the first—solely intellectual and managerial—includes the scientists, artists..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffc/mikhail-bakunin-3075_creative-ideas_human-labor-in-general-is-still-divided_3197128.png"
---

#  Human labor, in general, is still divided into two…

![“Human labor, in general, is still divided into two exclusive categories: the first—solely intellectual and managerial—includes the scientists, artists, engineers, inventors, accountants, educators, governmental officials, and their subordinate elites who enforce labor discipline The second group…” quote by Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffc/mikhail-bakunin-3075_creative-ideas_human-labor-in-general-is-still-divided_3197128.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffc/mikhail-bakunin-3075_creative-ideas_human-labor-in-general-is-still-divided_3197128.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffc/mikhail-bakunin-3075_creative-ideas_human-labor-in-general-is-still-divided_3197128.png)

> ““Human labor, in general, is still divided into two exclusive categories: the first—solely intellectual and managerial—includes the scientists, artists, engineers, inventors, accountants, educators, governmental officials, and their subordinate elites who enforce labor discipline The second group consists of the great mass of workers, people prevented from applying creative ideas or intelligence, who blindly and mechanically carry out the orders of the intellectual-managerial elite This economic and social division of labor has disastrous consequences for members of the privileged classes, the masses of the people, and for the prosperity, as well as the moral and intellectual development, of society as a whole.””

[Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/)

## About This Quote

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

The quote argues that society splits labor into intellectual‑managerial elites and a mass of uncreative workers, leading to widespread social and moral harm.

**In simple terms:** Society divides work into elite thinkers and uncreative laborers, causing harm.

Key Takeaway

Advocate for more equitable, creative labor opportunities.

Themes

inequality labor class creativity

Mood

critical reflective

Type

philosophical analytical

When to use this quote

- workplace design
- education reform
- policy making
- community projects

Key Concepts

social stratification alienation intellectual elite

Questions to Reflect On

- What reforms could bridge the creative gap?
- How can workers gain more agency?

A Different Perspective

Changing entrenched power structures is difficult.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Creative ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-ideas/) [Discipline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discipline/) [Division of labor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/division-of-labor/) [Labor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labor/) [Labour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labour/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/)

## Related quotes

> [ The \[Ronald\] Reagan administration told the business world that they were not going to enforce the labor laws. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-ronald-reagan-administration-told-the-business-world-that-they/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [“structure of the social division of labor. Many firms and industries must make fundamental changes to long-held business models in order to adapt. Further,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-von-hippel/structure-of-the-social-division-of-labor-many-firms-and-industries/)

[Eric von Hippel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-von-hippel/)

> [ 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/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [One of the most powerful insights in economics is this idea of a division of labor. You do the thing you're good at. Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-romer/one-of-the-most-powerful-insights-in-economics-is-this-idea-of-a/)

[Paul Romer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-romer/)

> [We owe the origin and development of human society and, consequently, of culture and civilization, to the fact that work performed under the division…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/we-owe-the-origin-and-development-of-human-society-and-consequently/)

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

> [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/)

> [“One problem with the division of labor in our complex economy is how it obscures the lines of connection, and therefore of responsibility, between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/one-problem-with-the-division-of-labor-in-our-complex-economy-is-how/)

[Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/)

> [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/)

> [“I believe in the division of labor. You send us to Congress; we pass laws under which you make money...and out of your profits,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boies-penrose-senator/i-believe-in-the-division-of-labor-you-send-us-to-congress-we-pass/)

Boies Penrose Senator

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [“We'd understood from high school on that it was Lew's job to make good grades, find a high-paying career, buy a two-story house in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/we-d-understood-from-high-school-on-that-it-was-lew-s-job-to-make/)

[Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/)

## More by Mikhail Bakunin

> [It clearly follows that to make men moral it is necessary to make their social environment moral. And that can be done in only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/it-clearly-follows-that-to-make-men-moral-it-is-necessary-to-make/)

[Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/)

> [There are but three ways for the populace to escape its wretched lot. The first two are by the routes of the wine-shop or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/there-are-but-three-ways-for-the-populace-to-escape-its-wretched-lot/)

[Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/)

> [Whoever says State necessarily says domination, and, consequently, slavery; a State without slavery, open or concealed, is inconceivable: that is why we are enemies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/whoever-says-state-necessarily-says-domination-and-consequently/)

[Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/)

> [“Does it follow that I reject all authority? Perish the thought. In the matter of boots, I defer to the authority of the bootmaker;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/does-it-follow-that-i-reject-all-authority-perish-the-thought-in-the/)

[Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/)

> [I am sure that, on the one hand, the Rothschilds appreciate the merits of Marx, and that on the other hand, Marx feels an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/i-am-sure-that-on-the-one-hand-the-rothschilds-appreciate-the-merits/)

[Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/)

> [Throw a theory into the fire; it only spoils life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/throw-a-theory-into-the-fire-it-only-spoils-life/)

[Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/)

> [People go to church for the same reasons they go to a tavern: to stupefy themselves, to forget their misery, to imagine themselves, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/people-go-to-church-for-the-same-reasons-they-go-to-a-tavern-to/)

[Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/)

> [The privilege of ruling would be in the hands of the skilled and the learned, with a wide scope left for profitable crooked deals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/the-privilege-of-ruling-would-be-in-the-hands-of-the-skilled-and-the/)

[Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/)

> [I am not myself free or human until or unless I recognize the freedom and humanity of all my fellowmen... I am truly free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/i-am-not-myself-free-or-human-until-or-unless-i-recognize-the-freedom/)

[Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/)

> [In antiquity slaves were, in all honesty called slaves. In the middle ages, they took the name of serfs. Nowadays they are called wage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/in-antiquity-slaves-were-in-all-honesty-called-slaves-in-the-middle/)

[Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/)

> [He who desires to worship God must harbor no childish illusions about the matter but bravely renounce his liberty and humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/he-who-desires-to-worship-god-must-harbor-no-childish-illusions-about/)

[Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/)

> [They maintain that only a dictatorship - their dictatorship, of course - can create the will of the people, while our answer to this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/they-maintain-that-only-a-dictatorship-their-dictatorship-of-course/)

[Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/)

> [“The masses, on admitting their own incapacity to govern themselves, have elected me as their head By doing so, they have clearly proclaimed their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/the-masses-on-admitting-their-own-incapacity-to-govern-themselves/)

[Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/)

> [We must overthrow the material and moral conditions of our present-day life. . . . We must first purify our atmosphere and completely transform…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/we-must-overthrow-the-material-and-moral-conditions-of-our-present/)

[Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/)

> [The right to unite freely and to separate freely is the first and most important of all political rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/the-right-to-unite-freely-and-to-separate-freely-is-the-first-and/)

[Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/)

[Explore all 140 Mikhail Bakunin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/)

## More Creative ideas quotes

> [“The harder you push your brain to come up with something creative, the less creative your ideas will be. So far, I have not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-oakley/the-harder-you-push-your-brain-to-come-up-with-something-creative-the/)

[Barbara Oakley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-oakley/)

> [Creative ideas aren't like Jenga blocks, where they fall apart and you've got to start from scratch, though it can feel that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-catmull/creative-ideas-aren-t-like-jenga-blocks-where-they-fall-apart-and-you/)

[Edwin Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-catmull/)

> [If you are any competent musician, if you have creative ideas, ideas of songs, of arrangements, in a band like the Stones, where these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-wyman/if-you-are-any-competent-musician-if-you-have-creative-ideas-ideas-of/)

[Bill Wyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-wyman/)

> [Out of the questions of students come most of the creative ideas and discoveries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-langer/out-of-the-questions-of-students-come-most-of-the-creative-ideas-and/)

[Ellen Langer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-langer/)

> [Focusing upon the positive by counting your blessings, or using positive affirmations in the fertile time before you fall asleep is an invitation to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/focusing-upon-the-positive-by-counting-your-blessings-or-using/)

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

> [In this digital world, web shows are a total game changer. Compared to films, they allow you to have far more choices to collaborate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anupriya-goenka/in-this-digital-world-web-shows-are-a-total-game-changer-compared-to/)

[Anupriya Goenka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anupriya-goenka/)

> [I intended to cratee you a little observation so as to thank you again considering the great things you have featured above. This is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecilio/i-intended-to-cratee-you-a-little-observation-so-as-to-thank-you/)

Cecilio

> [We need radical thinking, creative ideas, and imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mairead-corrigan/we-need-radical-thinking-creative-ideas-and-imagination/)

[Mairead Corrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mairead-corrigan/)

> [Thank God for the creative ideas that enrich life by adding your own creative contributions to human progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/thank-god-for-the-creative-ideas-that-enrich-life-by-adding-your-own/)

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

> [Historically, opportunity has been afforded to a limited pool of people, excluding people of color and women. That doesn't diminish the talent or hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-robert-cole/historically-opportunity-has-been-afforded-to-a-limited-pool-of/)

[Joe Robert Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-robert-cole/)

> [After years of telling corporate citizens to 'trust the system,' many companies must relearn instead to trust their people - and encourage their people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosabeth-moss-kanter/after-years-of-telling-corporate-citizens-to-trust-the-system-many/)

[Rosabeth Moss Kanter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosabeth-moss-kanter/)

> [If we respect students abilities to define their own experiences, to generate their own hypotheses, and to discover new ways of categorizing the world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-langer/if-we-respect-students-abilities-to-define-their-own-experiences-to/)

[Ellen Langer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-langer/)

> [You're always moving and thinking about a whole bunch of things. But those traits work well for me in studios and in meetings about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-i-am/you-re-always-moving-and-thinking-about-a-whole-bunch-of-things-but/)

[will.i.am](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-i-am/)

> [It's no good starting out by thinking one is a heaven-born genius- some people are, but very few. No, one is a tradesman -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/it-s-no-good-starting-out-by-thinking-one-is-a-heaven-born-genius/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [God will not pour fresh, creative ideas and blessing into old attitudes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/god-will-not-pour-fresh-creative-ideas-and-blessing-into-old-attitudes/)

[Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/)

[Browse all 106 Creative ideas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-ideas/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Human labor, in general, is still divided into two exclusive categories: the first—solely intellectual and managerial—includes the scientists, artists, engineers, inventors, accountants, educators, governmental officials, and their subordinate elites who enforce labor discipline The second group consists of the great mass of workers, people prevented from applying creative ideas or intelligence, who blindly and mechanically carry out the orders of the intellectual-managerial elite This economic and social division of labor has disastrous consequences for members of the privileged classes, the masses of the people, and for the prosperity, as well as the moral and intellectual development, of society as a whole.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mikhail Bakunin"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/human-labor-in-general-is-still-divided-into-two-exclusive-categories/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Creative ideas"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/human-labor-in-general-is-still-divided-into-two-exclusive-categories/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffc/mikhail-bakunin-3075_creative-ideas_human-labor-in-general-is-still-divided_3197128.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffc/mikhail-bakunin-3075_creative-ideas_human-labor-in-general-is-still-divided_3197128.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffc/mikhail-bakunin-3075_creative-ideas_human-labor-in-general-is-still-divided_3197128.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Human labor, in general, is still divided into two exclusive categories: the first—solely intellectual and…” — Mikhail Bakunin",
                "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": "Mikhail Bakunin",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Human labor, in general, is still...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/human-labor-in-general-is-still-divided-into-two-exclusive-categories/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/human-labor-in-general-is-still-divided-into-two-exclusive-categories/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
