---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Capitalism actually encourages morality…"
description: "\"Capitalism actually encourages morality because capitalism can't function well if people can't trust each other and people aren't honest, if a deal isn..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/rick-santorum-1840_actually_capitalism-actually-encourages-morality_3132883.jpg"
---

#  Capitalism actually encourages morality because capitalism…

![“Capitalism actually encourages morality because capitalism can't function well if people can't trust each other and people aren't honest, if a deal isn't a deal.” quote by Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/rick-santorum-1840_actually_capitalism-actually-encourages-morality_3132883.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/rick-santorum-1840_actually_capitalism-actually-encourages-morality_3132883.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/rick-santorum-1840_actually_capitalism-actually-encourages-morality_3132883.jpg)

> “Capitalism actually encourages morality because capitalism can't function well if people can't trust each other and people aren't honest, if a deal isn't a deal.”

[Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/)

## About This Quote

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

Capitalism relies on trust and honesty; without them, transactions break down, so moral behavior is essential for its success.

**In simple terms:** Capitalism needs trust, so morality matters.

Key Takeaway

Promote integrity in business.

Themes

economics ethics trust

Mood

critical thought‑provoking

Type

economic ethical

When to use this quote

- business negotiations
- consumer relations
- financial contracts
- political discourse

Key Concepts

social contract theory market dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- What mechanisms enforce honesty in markets?
- How do cultural norms shape trust?

A Different Perspective

Trust can be eroded by systemic inequality; moral incentives vary.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Actually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actually/) [Because](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/because/) [Capitalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capitalism/) [Capitalism Actually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capitalism-actually-2605735/) [Capitalism Function](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capitalism-function-5548271/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Deal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deal/) [Each](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/each/) [Economics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economics/) [Encourages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encourages/) [Encourages Morality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encourages-morality-5548270/) [Function](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/function/) [Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) [Morality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morality/) [Morality Capitalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morality-capitalism-2526934/) [Other](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/other/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Trust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trust/) [Well](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/well/)

## Related quotes

> [“Although many sociologists still echo Max Weber’s (1864–1920) claim that capitalism originated in the Protestant Reformation, capitalism actually originated in the “depths” of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-stark/although-many-sociologists-still-echo-max-weber-s-1864-1920-claim/)

[Rodney Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-stark/)

> [“they seemed to depict an America in which corruption and cruelty lounged on the couch; in which justice was a beggar and kindness a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/they-seemed-to-depict-an-america-in-which-corruption-and-cruelty/)

[Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/)

> [Ayn Rand more than anyone else did a fantastic job of explaining the morality of capitalism, the morality of individualism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ryan/ayn-rand-more-than-anyone-else-did-a-fantastic-job-of-explaining-the/)

[Paul Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ryan/)

> [I was a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) in Washington, and my neighbor was Michael Novak, a theologian and philosopher who has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-d-souza/i-was-a-scholar-at-the-american-enterprise-institute-aei-in/)

[Dinesh D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-d-souza/)

> [I think Ayn Rand did the best job of anybody to build a moral case of capitalism, and that morality of capitalism is under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ryan/i-think-ayn-rand-did-the-best-job-of-anybody-to-build-a-moral-case-of/)

[Paul Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ryan/)

> [“the morality of capitalism, just like the morality of democracy, is rooted in consent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-d-souza/the-morality-of-capitalism-just-like-the-morality-of-democracy-is/)

[Dinesh D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-d-souza/)

> [Everything encourages you not to tell stories of gay lives. There is no economy yet for that kind of cinema.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ira-sachs/everything-encourages-you-not-to-tell-stories-of-gay-lives-there-is/)

[Ira Sachs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ira-sachs/)

> [Many different relationships among patients, doctors, and drugs are possible and desirable. As in so many other areas of life, the Internet encourages experimentation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/many-different-relationships-among-patients-doctors-and-drugs-are/)

[Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/)

> [It is not unfortunate that today, obscenity is being encourages in the name of modernity; unfortunate is that the young generation is happily adopting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/it-is-not-unfortunate-that-today-obscenity-is-being-encourages-in-the/)

[Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/)

> [Anything that encourages a boy to open a book, in a world of more violent and therefore more compelling video games, is something I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/anything-that-encourages-a-boy-to-open-a-book-in-a-world-of-more/)

[Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/)

> [I can assure you we are all strong-willed, forceful personalities and the president encourages vigorous debate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hughes/i-can-assure-you-we-are-all-strong-willed-forceful-personalities-and/)

[Karen Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hughes/)

> [Natural selection has duped us with an emotion that encourages group thinking. It is an emotion that makes us act as if for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-pagel/natural-selection-has-duped-us-with-an-emotion-that-encourages-group/)

[Mark Pagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-pagel/)

> [I am not opposed to e-readers. Any technology that encourages the reading of literature is a good thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/i-am-not-opposed-to-e-readers-any-technology-that-encourages-the/)

[Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/)

> [I have no doubts. I know what gets in the way and I know what encourages me to do more work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/i-have-no-doubts-i-know-what-gets-in-the-way-and-i-know-what/)

[John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/)

> [My mom taught me the power of love. I learned to focus on the long-term big picture from my father. His sense of humor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/padmasree-warrior/my-mom-taught-me-the-power-of-love-i-learned-to-focus-on-the-long/)

[Padmasree Warrior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/padmasree-warrior/)

## More by Rick Santorum

> [We know the candidate Barack Obama, what he was like - the anti-war government nig... America was a source for division around the world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/we-know-the-candidate-barack-obama-what-he-was-like-the-anti-war/)

[Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/)

> [We had 90 percent rates, but nobody paid them. And so you had all these exemptions, exclusions, shelters, all this kind of stuff. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/we-had-90-percent-rates-but-nobody-paid-them-and-so-you-had-all-these/)

[Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/)

> [I would say any type of sexual activity has absolutely no place in the military.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/i-would-say-any-type-of-sexual-activity-has-absolutely-no-place-in/)

[Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/)

> [I support the death penalty and will continue to do that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/i-support-the-death-penalty-and-will-continue-to-do-that/)

[Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/)

> [Suffering, if you're a Christian, suffering is a part of life. And it's not a bad thing, it is an essential thing in life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/suffering-if-you-re-a-christian-suffering-is-a-part-of-life-and-it-s/)

[Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/)

> [Priests, like all of us, are affected by culture, ... When the culture is sick, every element in it becomes infected. While it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/priests-like-all-of-us-are-affected-by-culture-when-the-culture-is/)

[Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/)

> [“The basic unit of society is the family. No one comes into this world as a self-sufficient individual. We start out as the helpless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/the-basic-unit-of-society-is-the-family-no-one-comes-into-this-world/)

[Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/)

> [In 1923 there were no government benefits for immigrants except one: Freedom!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/in-1923-there-were-no-government-benefits-for-immigrants-except-one/)

[Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/)

> [Now is the time to act or get stuck with a bland, boring, career politician who will lose to Barack Obama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/now-is-the-time-to-act-or-get-stuck-with-a-bland-boring-career/)

[Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/)

> [My mom was a working woman. She made more money than my dad. Both my parents worked. And this was in the '60s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/my-mom-was-a-working-woman-she-made-more-money-than-my-dad-both-my/)

[Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/)

> [Almost 60,000 average Americans had the courage to go out and charge those beaches on Normandy, to drop out of airplanes who knows where,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/almost-60-000-average-americans-had-the-courage-to-go-out-and-charge/)

[Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/)

> [ The state has a right to do that \[outlaw contraceptives\], I have never questioned that the state has a right to do that. It… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/the-state-has-a-right-to-do-that-outlaw-contraceptives-i-have-never/)

[Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/)

> [ One of Governor Romney's aides today on television said that Governor Romney, after he wins the primaries, will be like an \[Etch A Sketch\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/one-of-governor-romney-s-aides-today-on-television-said-that-governor/)

[Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/)

> [I dont know of one group of people thats more disliked than politicians -- it may be the folks who gave us the Wall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/i-dont-know-of-one-group-of-people-thats-more-disliked-than/)

[Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/)

> [Obviously the first thing we need to do is repeal “Obamacare.” That's one entitlement that we can get rid of. And that's a couple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/obviously-the-first-thing-we-need-to-do-is-repeal-obamacare-that-s/)

[Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/)

[Explore all 204 Rick Santorum quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/)

## More Actually quotes

> [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/)

[Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/)

> [I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/)

[Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/)

> [I actually like getting out of my comfort zone. It shakes me up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/i-actually-like-getting-out-of-my-comfort-zone-it-shakes-me-up/)

[Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/)

> [You have to talk about why things happened the way they did. You can't actually explain my political life except by a series of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lange/you-have-to-talk-about-why-things-happened-the-way-they-did-you-can-t/)

[David Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lange/)

> [Failure actually makes you strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neha-sharma/failure-actually-makes-you-strong/)

[Neha Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neha-sharma/)

> [There's always that discussion about fiction about how do you market it - these are books for boys, these are books for girls, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-a-weatherly/there-s-always-that-discussion-about-fiction-about-how-do-you-market/)

[L.A. Weatherly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-a-weatherly/)

> [I'm from Europe, England, and I actually lived in Italy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adewale-akinnuoye-agbaje/i-m-from-europe-england-and-i-actually-lived-in-italy/)

[Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adewale-akinnuoye-agbaje/)

> [The alternative comedy scene is actually pretty small, I guess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-wilson/the-alternative-comedy-scene-is-actually-pretty-small-i-guess/)

[Casey Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-wilson/)

> [I was a very good student. Procrastinating gives me anxiety, and getting a B really ticked me off. Sure, I didn't always want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josie-loren/i-was-a-very-good-student-procrastinating-gives-me-anxiety-and/)

[Josie Loren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josie-loren/)

> [The shelves of many evangelicals are full of books that point out the flaws in evolution, discuss it only as a theory, and almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/the-shelves-of-many-evangelicals-are-full-of-books-that-point-out-the/)

[Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/)

> [Somebody said that part of my reaction to British cinema is actually, paradoxically, a patriotic one. I'm so disappointed that we're not better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-brownlow/somebody-said-that-part-of-my-reaction-to-british-cinema-is-actually/)

[Kevin Brownlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-brownlow/)

> [I actually do sing sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morten-harket/i-actually-do-sing-sometimes/)

[Morten Harket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morten-harket/)

> [I've actually got quite a good memory. I've good recall. It's often things which other people might not notice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-frame/i-ve-actually-got-quite-a-good-memory-i-ve-good-recall-it-s-often/)

[Ronald Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-frame/)

> [Because there is actually something very interesting in Goodfellas, how the style of the film changes as time goes by and based on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-cox/because-there-is-actually-something-very-interesting-in-goodfellas/)

[Alex Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-cox/)

> ['Inequality' has become the political theme/slogan of our time in both Europe and the U.S., yet political leaders do not even bother to consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-singer/inequality-has-become-the-political-theme-slogan-of-our-time-in-both/)

[Paul Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-singer/)

[Browse all 4,248 Actually quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actually/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Capitalism actually encourages morality because capitalism can't function well if people can't trust each other and people aren't honest, if a deal isn't a deal.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Rick Santorum"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/capitalism-actually-encourages-morality-because-capitalism-can-t/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Actually"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/capitalism-actually-encourages-morality-because-capitalism-can-t/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/rick-santorum-1840_actually_capitalism-actually-encourages-morality_3132883.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/rick-santorum-1840_actually_capitalism-actually-encourages-morality_3132883.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/rick-santorum-1840_actually_capitalism-actually-encourages-morality_3132883.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Capitalism actually encourages morality because capitalism can't function well if people can't trust each…” — Rick Santorum",
                "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": "Rick Santorum",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Capitalism actually encourages morality because capitalism...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/capitalism-actually-encourages-morality-because-capitalism-can-t/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/capitalism-actually-encourages-morality-because-capitalism-can-t/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
