---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The left's obsession with the high…"
description: "\"The left's obsession with the high incomes of corporate executives never seems to extend to equally high - or higher - incomes of professional athletes..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1da/thomas-sowell-247_athlete_the-left-s-obsession-with-the-high-incom_1709993.jpg"
---

#  The left's obsession with the high incomes of corporate…

![“The left's obsession with the high incomes of corporate executives never seems to extend to equally high - or higher - incomes of professional athletes, entertainers, or best-selling authors like Danielle Steel.” quote by Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1da/thomas-sowell-247_athlete_the-left-s-obsession-with-the-high-incom_1709993.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1da/thomas-sowell-247_athlete_the-left-s-obsession-with-the-high-incom_1709993.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1da/thomas-sowell-247_athlete_the-left-s-obsession-with-the-high-incom_1709993.jpg)

> “The left's obsession with the high incomes of corporate executives never seems to extend to equally high - or higher - incomes of professional athletes, entertainers, or best-selling authors like Danielle Steel.”

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

## About This Quote

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

Critics often focus on corporate pay while ignoring similarly high earnings in entertainment and sports.

**In simple terms:** People overlook high incomes outside business.

Key Takeaway

Broaden economic analysis.

Themes

income inequality media bias public perception

Mood

analytical skeptical

Type

economic social

When to use this quote

- policy debates
- media literacy
- financial education

Key Concepts

economics political commentary sociology

Questions to Reflect On

- Why is corporate pay singled out?
- How does media shape perceptions of wealth?

A Different Perspective

High earnings in some fields may be justified by market demand.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Athlete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/athlete/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Corporate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corporate/) [Danielle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danielle-steel-764611/) [Entertainers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entertainers/) [Executives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/executives/) [High Incomes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-incomes-1237956/) [Higher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/higher/) [Higher Incomes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/higher-incomes-1237955/) [Income](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/income/) [Incomes Corporate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incomes-corporate-1237954/) [Incomes Professional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incomes-professional-1237957/) [Left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left/) [Obsession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obsession/) [Professional athlete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/professional-athlete/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Selling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/selling/) [Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steel/)

## Related quotes

> [Productivity gains are vital to long-term growth because they typically translate into higher incomes, in turn boosting demand. That process takes time, of course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-spence/productivity-gains-are-vital-to-long-term-growth-because-they/)

[Michael Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-spence/)

> [Countries with higher incomes on average achieve better human development. I do not believe that growth alone will 'cure' poverty. But I do believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-benn/countries-with-higher-incomes-on-average-achieve-better-human/)

[Hilary Benn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-benn/)

> [The whole trouble with the Republicans is their fear of an increase in income tax, especially on higher incomes. They speak of it almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/the-whole-trouble-with-the-republicans-is-their-fear-of-an-increase/)

[Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/)

> [“Kelley becomes addicted to the novels of Danielle Steel. Now, there’s a woman who knows about life: dying billionaires who cut their obnoxious children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elin-hilderbrand/kelley-becomes-addicted-to-the-novels-of-danielle-steel-now-there-s-a/)

[Elin Hilderbrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elin-hilderbrand/)

> [“If you want to be a big success then it becomes a dick showing contest, and that's not what it's about. It can't be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/if-you-want-to-be-a-big-success-then-it-becomes-a-dick-showing/)

[Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/)

> [It's difficult to talk to people... I walk into a room and I'm Danielle Steel, and whatever I say is going to be taken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-steel/it-s-difficult-to-talk-to-people-i-walk-into-a-room-and-i-m-danielle/)

[Danielle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-steel/)

> [“the increase in very high incomes and very high salaries primarily reflects the advent of “supermanagers,” that is, top executives of large firms who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-piketty/the-increase-in-very-high-incomes-and-very-high-salaries-primarily/)

[Thomas Piketty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-piketty/)

> [“Maybe it was the novels I read - the racier Mills &amp; Boon romances of late, Danielle Steel instructing me on international sex and sin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manil-suri/maybe-it-was-the-novels-i-read-the-racier-mills-boon-romances-of-late/)

[Manil Suri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manil-suri/)

> [“The “some college,” “four-year college graduate,” and “no college” types who have high incomes often had a head start on many well-educated workers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-j-stanley/the-some-college-four-year-college-graduate-and-no-college-types-who/)

[Thomas J. Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-j-stanley/)

> [It's all very well for us to sit here in the west with our high incomes and cushy lives, and say it's immoral to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/it-s-all-very-well-for-us-to-sit-here-in-the-west-with-our-high/)

[Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/)

> [“the decrease in the top marginal income tax rate led to an explosion of very high incomes, which then increased the political influence of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-piketty/the-decrease-in-the-top-marginal-income-tax-rate-led-to-an-explosion/)

[Thomas Piketty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-piketty/)

> [There's far more that goes into being a professional athlete than being a college athlete. So many differences that people don't realize. It's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-griffin-iii/there-s-far-more-that-goes-into-being-a-professional-athlete-than/)

[Robert Griffin III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-griffin-iii/)

> [I'm a successful professional athlete, and whatever I'm going through in my private life would never impact my performance on court.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enes-kanter/i-m-a-successful-professional-athlete-and-whatever-i-m-going-through/)

[Enes Kanter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enes-kanter/)

> [Professional athletes die twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-nash/professional-athletes-die-twice/)

[Steve Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-nash/)

> [As a professional athlete and someone who has spent almost his entire life in boxing, not a day goes by when I don't think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-de-la-hoya/as-a-professional-athlete-and-someone-who-has-spent-almost-his-entire/)

[Oscar De La Hoya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-de-la-hoya/)

## More by Thomas Sowell

> [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [There is no bigger waste of time than doing 90% of what is necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/there-is-no-bigger-waste-of-time-than-doing-90-of-what-is-necessary/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [If you have always believed that everyone should play by the same rules and be judged by the same standards, that would have gotten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/if-you-have-always-believed-that-everyone-should-play-by-the-same/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [“In 1962, Democratic President John F. Kennedy, like both Democratic and Republican Presidents and Secretaries of the Treasury in earlier years, pointed out that “it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/in-1962-democratic-president-john-f-kennedy-like-both-democratic-and/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [Ideological bigotry has become the norm on even our most prestigious campuses, where students can go for years without reading or hearing anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/ideological-bigotry-has-become-the-norm-on-even-our-most-prestigious/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [Bailing out people who made ill-advised mortgages makes no more sense that bailing out people who lost their life savings in Las Vegas casinos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/bailing-out-people-who-made-ill-advised-mortgages-makes-no-more-sense/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [“One third of all Scots in the mid-nineteenth century moved from one county to another”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/one-third-of-all-scots-in-the-mid-nineteenth-century-moved-from-one/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [The difference is that we have the hardest and most painful evidence that there was a Holocaust. But, for the global warming scenario that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-difference-is-that-we-have-the-hardest-and-most-painful-evidence/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [“Just as price fluctuations allocate scarce resources which have alternative uses, price controls which limit those fluctuations reduce the incentives for individuals to limit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/just-as-price-fluctuations-allocate-scarce-resources-which-have/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [The greatest danger to the liberal vision are facts about the consequences of liberalism itself and the laws, policies, and ways of life that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-greatest-danger-to-the-liberal-vision-are-facts-about-the/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [Having spent years ruining the housing markets with their interference, leading to a housing meltdown that has taken the whole economy down with it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/having-spent-years-ruining-the-housing-markets-with-their/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [Do all children have some inherent right to live in America if they have done nothing wrong? If not, then why should the children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/do-all-children-have-some-inherent-right-to-live-in-america-if-they/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [What 'eminent domain' laws mean in practice is that politicians have a right to seize your property and turn it over to someone else,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/what-eminent-domain-laws-mean-in-practice-is-that-politicians-have-a/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [“those parts of the British Isles without the advantage of coal deposits or ports, industrialization was as handicapped as in other countries.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/those-parts-of-the-british-isles-without-the-advantage-of-coal/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [The whole idea of equal justice under law is completely incompatible with the idea of judges deciding cases according to "empathy".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-whole-idea-of-equal-justice-under-law-is-completely-incompatible/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

[Explore all 823 Thomas Sowell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

## More Athlete quotes

> [As a professional athlete and someone who has spent almost his entire life in boxing, not a day goes by when I don't think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-de-la-hoya/as-a-professional-athlete-and-someone-who-has-spent-almost-his-entire/)

[Oscar De La Hoya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-de-la-hoya/)

> [I'd noticed him watching me for a year or so, especially when we'd play games where there was running or jumping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/i-d-noticed-him-watching-me-for-a-year-or-so-especially-when-we-d/)

[Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/)

> [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/)

> [I think cricket is there in Usain Bolt's blood. Since I got to watch from close quarters, it was amazing to see him run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh/i-think-cricket-is-there-in-usain-bolt-s-blood-since-i-got-to-watch/)

[Harbhajan Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh/)

> [I think what bothers us about fighting sports isn't the damage to the athlete but the fact that you win by doing more harm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/i-think-what-bothers-us-about-fighting-sports-isn-t-the-damage-to-the/)

[Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/)

> [Athletes at all ages are bigger and stronger than ever before. And they are being encouraged - sometimes even incentivized, as we recently learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-jain/athletes-at-all-ages-are-bigger-and-stronger-than-ever-before-and/)

[Naveen Jain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-jain/)

> [I think life is full of challenges and problems. I don't believe that anyone is perfect. We all make mistakes. It's not a bed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-mansell/i-think-life-is-full-of-challenges-and-problems-i-don-t-believe-that/)

[Nigel Mansell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-mansell/)

> [I'd never been much of an athlete, due to a physical condition I'd had since birth (unathleticism). Perhaps if there were a sport centered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/i-d-never-been-much-of-an-athlete-due-to-a-physical-condition-i-d-had/)

[Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/)

> [I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-collins/i-didn-t-set-out-to-be-the-first-openly-gay-athlete-playing-in-a/)

[Jason Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-collins/)

> [I like to push characters to extremes so they have to make really tough decisions and there is no life more extreme than that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/i-like-to-push-characters-to-extremes-so-they-have-to-make-really/)

[Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/)

> [I don't want to say names, but there are certain companies I won't work with because of previous people they've worked with. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-morgan/i-don-t-want-to-say-names-but-there-are-certain-companies-i-won-t/)

[Alex Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-morgan/)

> [We are like highly trained athletes, who never run a race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-samuelson/we-are-like-highly-trained-athletes-who-never-run-a-race/)

[Paul Samuelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-samuelson/)

> [There are only two options regarding commitment; you’re either in or you’re out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-riley/there-are-only-two-options-regarding-commitment-you-re-either-in-or/)

[Pat Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-riley/)

> [I didn't aspire to be a good sport; 'champion' was good enough for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-perry/i-didn-t-aspire-to-be-a-good-sport-champion-was-good-enough-for-me/)

[Fred Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-perry/)

> [Treat yourself like an overweight, out of shape person and that's what you will be. Why not train and treat yourself like an athlete?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chalene-johnson/treat-yourself-like-an-overweight-out-of-shape-person-and-that-s-what/)

[Chalene Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chalene-johnson/)

[Browse all 2,455 Athlete quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/athlete/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The left's obsession with the high incomes of corporate executives never seems to extend to equally high - or higher - incomes of professional athletes, entertainers, or best-selling authors like Danielle Steel.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Thomas Sowell"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-left-s-obsession-with-the-high-incomes-of-corporate-executives/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Athlete"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-left-s-obsession-with-the-high-incomes-of-corporate-executives/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1da/thomas-sowell-247_athlete_the-left-s-obsession-with-the-high-incom_1709993.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1da/thomas-sowell-247_athlete_the-left-s-obsession-with-the-high-incom_1709993.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1da/thomas-sowell-247_athlete_the-left-s-obsession-with-the-high-incom_1709993.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The left's obsession with the high incomes of corporate executives never seems to extend to equally high…” — Thomas Sowell",
                "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": "Thomas Sowell",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The left's obsession with the high...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-left-s-obsession-with-the-high-incomes-of-corporate-executives/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-left-s-obsession-with-the-high-incomes-of-corporate-executives/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
