--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I worry about growing income inequality…" description: "\"I worry about growing income inequality. But I worry even more that the discussion is too narrowly focused. I worry that our outrage at the top 1 perce..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/971/sendhil-mullainathan-14742_about_i-worry-about-growing-income-inequality_2254165.jpg" --- # I worry about growing income inequality. But I worry even… ![“I worry about growing income inequality. But I worry even more that the discussion is too narrowly focused. I worry that our outrage at the top 1 percent is distracting us from the problem that we should really care about: how to create opportunities and ensure a reasonable standard of living for…” quote by Sendhil Mullainathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/971/sendhil-mullainathan-14742_about_i-worry-about-growing-income-inequality_2254165.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/971/sendhil-mullainathan-14742_about_i-worry-about-growing-income-inequality_2254165.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/971/sendhil-mullainathan-14742_about_i-worry-about-growing-income-inequality_2254165.jpg) > “I worry about growing income inequality. But I worry even more that the discussion is too narrowly focused. I worry that our outrage at the top 1 percent is distracting us from the problem that we should really care about: how to create opportunities and ensure a reasonable standard of living for the bottom 20 percent.” [Sendhil Mullainathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sendhil-mullainathan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The focus on wealth disparity at the top distracts from addressing poverty and creating opportunities for the lowest‑income groups. **In simple terms:** Worry about inequality and misdirected outrage. Key Takeaway Prioritize policies that lift the bottom 20 % rather than only targeting the top 1 %. Themes inequality policy poverty opportunity public discourse Mood concerned critical Type analytical policy‑oriented When to use this quote - government budgeting - social welfare programs - education access - job training - tax reform Key Concepts Economic mobility social justice distributional effects Questions to Reflect On - How can we shift public debate to bottom‑up solutions? - What policies best raise living standards for the poorest? A Different Perspective Addressing top‑1 % wealth alone won’t solve systemic poverty. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [About](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) [Bottom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bottom/) [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Create](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/create/) [Discussion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discussion/) [Distracting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distracting/) [Ensure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ensure/) [Even](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/even/) [Focused](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focused/) [Focused Worry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focused-worry-5161094/) [Growing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing/) [How](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/how/) [Income](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/income/) [Income inequality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/income-inequality/) [Inequality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inequality/) [Inequality Worry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inequality-worry-5161091/) [Living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living/) [More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/more/) [Opportunities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunities/) [Our](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our/) [Outrage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outrage/) [Percent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/percent/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really/) [Reasonable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reasonable/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Standard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/standard/) [Too](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too/) [Top](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/top/) [Us](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/us/) [Worry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worry/) [Worry Discussion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worry-discussion-5161093/) [Worry Outrage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worry-outrage-5161092/) ## Related quotes > [I don't want this to be a distraction. This has been distracting enough. I'm not going to rehash this going forward. I'm sure other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayson-werth/i-don-t-want-this-to-be-a-distraction-this-has-been-distracting/) [Jayson Werth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayson-werth/) > [You don't say "Maybe I should go to bed early tonight" or do any of that stuff. It's almost like you know you're alone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ladyhawke/you-don-t-say-maybe-i-should-go-to-bed-early-tonight-or-do-any-of/) [Ladyhawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ladyhawke/) > [“For some reason it reminded her of his fingers caressing her cheek in the tiny room. But that thought, along with his exposed throat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-dickerson/for-some-reason-it-reminded-her-of-his-fingers-caressing-her-cheek-in/) [Melanie Dickerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-dickerson/) > [For a long time, I would write without music, because I thought it was distracting until I appreciated that it actually unlocks a certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/for-a-long-time-i-would-write-without-music-because-i-thought-it-was/) [John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) > [Distracting reactions about anything undermine a clear mind about anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-allen/distracting-reactions-about-anything-undermine-a-clear-mind-about/) [David Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-allen/) > [I think some of my colleagues' spicier lines are distracting. They draw attention away from what the justice is trying to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bader-ginsburg/i-think-some-of-my-colleagues-spicier-lines-are-distracting-they-draw/) [Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bader-ginsburg/) > [Reading a book and having to re-read the same paragraph over and over again because your thoughts are too distracting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit/reading-a-book-and-having-to-re-read-the-same-paragraph-over-and-over/) [AmiT](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit/) > [The climb will go. Get rid of the rope. It's only distracting you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lowe/the-climb-will-go-get-rid-of-the-rope-it-s-only-distracting-you/) [Jeff Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lowe/) > [“Why is it that you think that technologies are any more distracting than your own mind or anything else in the world?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manoush-zomorodi/why-is-it-that-you-think-that-technologies-are-any-more-distracting/) [Manoush Zomorodi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manoush-zomorodi/) > [“You’re distracting,” I said truthfully. “I won’t be. I promise,” Noah said. “I’ll get some crayons and draw quietly. Alone. In a corner.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-hodkin/you-re-distracting-i-said-truthfully-i-won-t-be-i-promise-noah-said-i/) [Michelle Hodkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-hodkin/) > [It's too distracting to read about yourself. You want to be perfect and you want everyone to love you, and that's never going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saoirse-ronan/it-s-too-distracting-to-read-about-yourself-you-want-to-be-perfect/) [Saoirse Ronan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saoirse-ronan/) > [To the distracting occupations belong especially my lecture courses which I am holding this winter for the first time, and which now cost much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-friedrich-gauss/to-the-distracting-occupations-belong-especially-my-lecture-courses/) [Carl Friedrich Gauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-friedrich-gauss/) > [Silence and solitude are more distracting to me than chatter and commotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/silence-and-solitude-are-more-distracting-to-me-than-chatter-and/) [Marilu Henner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/) > [Eyes are distracting. You see too much. You don't see enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-graham/eyes-are-distracting-you-see-too-much-you-don-t-see-enough/) [Will Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-graham/) > [What works for me is that I read widely and stay focused on my writing. I'm no longer concerned about what happens in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sefi-atta/what-works-for-me-is-that-i-read-widely-and-stay-focused-on-my/) [Sefi Atta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sefi-atta/) ## More by Sendhil Mullainathan > [One cost, for the lonely: If you want to be interesting, the one thing you shouldn't do is really focus on the fact that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sendhil-mullainathan/one-cost-for-the-lonely-if-you-want-to-be-interesting-the-one-thing/) [Sendhil Mullainathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sendhil-mullainathan/) > [It's hard to get people to empathize with the poor. You can get some people to sympathize with the poor, but to empathize is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sendhil-mullainathan/it-s-hard-to-get-people-to-empathize-with-the-poor-you-can-get-some/) [Sendhil Mullainathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sendhil-mullainathan/) > [Eat better or work out more, and youll see the benefits weeks, months or years down the road. Sleep more, and youll see the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sendhil-mullainathan/eat-better-or-work-out-more-and-youll-see-the-benefits-weeks-months/) [Sendhil Mullainathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sendhil-mullainathan/) > [Marketing is selling an ad to a firm. So, in some sense, a lot of marketing is about convincing a CEO, 'This is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sendhil-mullainathan/marketing-is-selling-an-ad-to-a-firm-so-in-some-sense-a-lot-of/) [Sendhil Mullainathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sendhil-mullainathan/) > [Organizations talk about spending their lives firefighting - dealing with the next problem without having the bandwidth to deal with what is down the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sendhil-mullainathan/organizations-talk-about-spending-their-lives-firefighting-dealing/) [Sendhil Mullainathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sendhil-mullainathan/) > [Things that price at $4.99 sell very differently than things that price at $5.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sendhil-mullainathan/things-that-price-at-4-99-sell-very-differently-than-things-that/) [Sendhil Mullainathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sendhil-mullainathan/) > [People go shopping, we spend on so many things, and we just don't know. We don't know the prices of things. But gasoline, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sendhil-mullainathan/people-go-shopping-we-spend-on-so-many-things-and-we-just-don-t-know/) [Sendhil Mullainathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sendhil-mullainathan/) > [You can get pictures into what people are sort of thinking about others. Just go onto Google and type 'Why are Indians' and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sendhil-mullainathan/you-can-get-pictures-into-what-people-are-sort-of-thinking-about/) [Sendhil Mullainathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sendhil-mullainathan/) > [If women's choices - such as taking time off to rear children - make them less productive in the economy, does adolescent boys' behavior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sendhil-mullainathan/if-women-s-choices-such-as-taking-time-off-to-rear-children-make-them/) [Sendhil Mullainathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sendhil-mullainathan/) > [Policymakers think that if they get the abstractions right, that will drive behavior in the desired direction. But the world happens in real time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sendhil-mullainathan/policymakers-think-that-if-they-get-the-abstractions-right-that-will/) [Sendhil Mullainathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sendhil-mullainathan/) > [Faced with a time shortage, we squeeze tasks into the nooks and crannies of our calendar, leaving less and less time to switch between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sendhil-mullainathan/faced-with-a-time-shortage-we-squeeze-tasks-into-the-nooks-and/) [Sendhil Mullainathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sendhil-mullainathan/) > [Busy people all make the same mistake: they assume they are short on time, which of course, they are. But time is not their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sendhil-mullainathan/busy-people-all-make-the-same-mistake-they-assume-they-are-short-on/) [Sendhil Mullainathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sendhil-mullainathan/) > [There's a popular image of people who don't save for the future as lacking in self-control. But the reason saving is so hard has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sendhil-mullainathan/there-s-a-popular-image-of-people-who-don-t-save-for-the-future-as/) [Sendhil Mullainathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sendhil-mullainathan/) > [Even when a man and a woman perform equally well in a task - say, solving math problems - men are more willing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sendhil-mullainathan/even-when-a-man-and-a-woman-perform-equally-well-in-a-task-say/) [Sendhil Mullainathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sendhil-mullainathan/) > [Our outrage at inequality is primal. But primal emotions are not always noble ones. Of course, when I see a colleague receive some award,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sendhil-mullainathan/our-outrage-at-inequality-is-primal-but-primal-emotions-are-not/) [Sendhil Mullainathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sendhil-mullainathan/) [Explore all 45 Sendhil Mullainathan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sendhil-mullainathan/) ## More About 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/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [I talk to my mates about our kids, being too tired and being worn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/i-talk-to-my-mates-about-our-kids-being-too-tired-and-being-worn-out/) [Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/) > [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/) [Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) [Browse all 26,122 About quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I worry about growing income inequality. But I worry even more that the discussion is too narrowly focused. I worry that our outrage at the top 1 percent is distracting us from the problem that we should really care about: how to create opportunities and ensure a reasonable standard of living for the bottom 20 percent.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sendhil Mullainathan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sendhil-mullainathan/i-worry-about-growing-income-inequality-but-i-worry-even-more-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "About" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sendhil-mullainathan/i-worry-about-growing-income-inequality-but-i-worry-even-more-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/971/sendhil-mullainathan-14742_about_i-worry-about-growing-income-inequality_2254165.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/971/sendhil-mullainathan-14742_about_i-worry-about-growing-income-inequality_2254165.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/971/sendhil-mullainathan-14742_about_i-worry-about-growing-income-inequality_2254165.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I worry about growing income inequality. But I worry even more that the discussion is too narrowly focused…” — Sendhil Mullainathan", "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": "Sendhil Mullainathan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sendhil-mullainathan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I worry about growing income inequality....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sendhil-mullainathan/i-worry-about-growing-income-inequality-but-i-worry-even-more-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sendhil-mullainathan/i-worry-about-growing-income-inequality-but-i-worry-even-more-that/#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 } } ] } ```