--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Corporations are like countries now…" description: "\"Corporations are like countries now, there's a king, there are serfs, there's a court, basically everything but moats. They're feudal societies, and th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d41/tony-gilroy-16296_bad_corporations-are-like-countries-now-ther_1876770.png" --- # Corporations are like countries now, there's a king, there… ![“Corporations are like countries now, there's a king, there are serfs, there's a court, basically everything but moats. They're feudal societies, and there are good ones and bad ones.” quote by Tony Gilroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d41/tony-gilroy-16296_bad_corporations-are-like-countries-now-ther_1876770.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d41/tony-gilroy-16296_bad_corporations-are-like-countries-now-ther_1876770.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d41/tony-gilroy-16296_bad_corporations-are-like-countries-now-ther_1876770.png) > “Corporations are like countries now, there's a king, there are serfs, there's a court, basically everything but moats. They're feudal societies, and there are good ones and bad ones.” [Tony Gilroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-gilroy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Corporations function like feudal states with hierarchical power, creating both beneficial and harmful structures. **In simple terms:** Big companies act like feudal societies with kings and serfs. Key Takeaway Recognize power dynamics in corporations. Themes power hierarchy economics Mood critical analytical Type sociopolitical business When to use this quote - corporate governance - labor relations - policy making - consumer advocacy Key Concepts political theory business ethics Questions to Reflect On - How do you identify healthy versus exploitative corporate structures? - What reforms can reduce feudal-like abuses? A Different Perspective Not all corporations are feudal; many operate democratically. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Corporations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corporations/) [Countries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/countries/) [Court](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/court/) [Feudal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feudal/) [King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/king/) [Serfs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serfs/) [Societies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/societies/) ## Related quotes > [The purposeful restriction of knowledge has been at the heart of untold misery and hardship in this world. Serfs were kept illiterate so as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niger-innis/the-purposeful-restriction-of-knowledge-has-been-at-the-heart-of/) [Niger Innis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niger-innis/) > [Good schools, like good societies and good families, celebrate and cherish diversity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-meier/good-schools-like-good-societies-and-good-families-celebrate-and/) [Deborah Meier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-meier/) > [For nations and societies, the 'good' or benefit of technology is often expressed in economic terms, in measures such as workplace productivity and business…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajeev-suri/for-nations-and-societies-the-good-or-benefit-of-technology-is-often/) [Rajeev Suri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajeev-suri/) > [History shows that societies where opportunity is safeguarded tend to be societies that are good international citizens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/history-shows-that-societies-where-opportunity-is-safeguarded-tend-to/) [Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/) > [A corporation is simply a form of organization used by human beings to achieve desired ends... Protecting the free-exercise rights of corporations like Hobby…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-alito/a-corporation-is-simply-a-form-of-organization-used-by-human-beings/) [Samuel Alito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-alito/) > [All these big corporations like Amazon, those places have great distribution arms, but they can't create content.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-b-sweeney/all-these-big-corporations-like-amazon-those-places-have-great/) [D. B. Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-b-sweeney/) > [Not to say that corporations are perfect today, but even grand corporations like Dupont have made immense progress in translating some of their past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-strong/not-to-say-that-corporations-are-perfect-today-but-even-grand/) [Maurice Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-strong/) > [Corporate organization in American business and commerce was already well under way by the time Abraham Lincoln became president. But all the evidence from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-c-guelzo/corporate-organization-in-american-business-and-commerce-was-already/) [Allen C. Guelzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-c-guelzo/) > [I just wish there was more media that was trailblazing and independent. And, this to me is a big danger right now in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-drudge/i-just-wish-there-was-more-media-that-was-trailblazing-and/) [Matt Drudge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-drudge/) > [“Corporations are like protean bacteria; you hit them with accountability and they mutate and change their names.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-anderson/corporations-are-like-protean-bacteria-you-hit-them-with/) Doug Anderson > [Corporations! It's like there are these gigantic monsters living among us, and we don't mind that they're monsters because when we look at them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-barry/corporations-it-s-like-there-are-these-gigantic-monsters-living-among/) [Max Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-barry/) > [Corporations, like nations, do not have friends. They have interests.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-melber/corporations-like-nations-do-not-have-friends-they-have-interests/) [Ari Melber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-melber/) > [I made commercials for corporations like Volkswagen and Coca-Cola, but I was always the one to write them, too, which was a very good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-made-commercials-for-corporations-like-volkswagen-and-coca-cola-but/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [The problem is that the U.K. in essence is a feudal society. It's everyone in their place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-cox/the-problem-is-that-the-u-k-in-essence-is-a-feudal-society-it-s/) [Brian Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-cox/) > [Our Prophet was a radical too- he fought against the injustices of his community and challenged the feudal order of his society, so they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abu-bakar-bashir/our-prophet-was-a-radical-too-he-fought-against-the-injustices-of-his/) [Abu Bakar Bashir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abu-bakar-bashir/) ## More by Tony Gilroy > [You just try to find something that interests you, and particular something that interests you that's gonna consume you the way that these big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-gilroy/you-just-try-to-find-something-that-interests-you-and-particular/) [Tony Gilroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-gilroy/) > [I prefer writing originals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-gilroy/i-prefer-writing-originals/) [Tony Gilroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-gilroy/) > [ What you need to know to direct a movie is \[of\] such great variety. I've worked with people who were maestros, who know everything.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-gilroy/what-you-need-to-know-to-direct-a-movie-is-of-such-great-variety-i-ve/) [Tony Gilroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-gilroy/) > [If you think about it, episodic filmmaking has not been something that people have really done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-gilroy/if-you-think-about-it-episodic-filmmaking-has-not-been-something-that/) [Tony Gilroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-gilroy/) > [I love IMAX when it works right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-gilroy/i-love-imax-when-it-works-right/) [Tony Gilroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-gilroy/) > [I used to be, when I was young, I used to be extremely regular and very organized.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-gilroy/i-used-to-be-when-i-was-young-i-used-to-be-extremely-regular-and-very/) [Tony Gilroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-gilroy/) > [I love the idea of spies in love. How would it work between two people who were so programmed to lie and be suspicious,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-gilroy/i-love-the-idea-of-spies-in-love-how-would-it-work-between-two-people/) [Tony Gilroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-gilroy/) > [The people in the Philippines are so extraordinarily nice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-gilroy/the-people-in-the-philippines-are-so-extraordinarily-nice/) [Tony Gilroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-gilroy/) > [You can't teach someone to be imaginative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-gilroy/you-can-t-teach-someone-to-be-imaginative/) [Tony Gilroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-gilroy/) > [Everyone I know who used to be in the intelligence community is moving into the corporate world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-gilroy/everyone-i-know-who-used-to-be-in-the-intelligence-community-is/) [Tony Gilroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-gilroy/) > [I spend a lot of time in a sort of free state when I'm writing in the beginning and sketching.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-gilroy/i-spend-a-lot-of-time-in-a-sort-of-free-state-when-i-m-writing-in-the/) [Tony Gilroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-gilroy/) > [I don't remember writing anything until I wrote my college application.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-gilroy/i-don-t-remember-writing-anything-until-i-wrote-my-college-application/) [Tony Gilroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-gilroy/) > [I like emotions, but I really don't like sentimentality, and I don't like when things break their spell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-gilroy/i-like-emotions-but-i-really-don-t-like-sentimentality-and-i-don-t/) [Tony Gilroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-gilroy/) > [But what I didn't recognize when I was much younger was this sort of...when you're on, when you're really on, go at it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-gilroy/but-what-i-didn-t-recognize-when-i-was-much-younger-was-this-sort-of/) [Tony Gilroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-gilroy/) > [The writing is really hard. You're alone. It really pulls it out of you. You pull it out of your head. But when you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-gilroy/the-writing-is-really-hard-you-re-alone-it-really-pulls-it-out-of-you/) [Tony Gilroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-gilroy/) [Explore all 40 Tony Gilroy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-gilroy/) ## More Bad quotes > [If I am going to be phased out by whatever powers, then I want people to know that it is not because I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parvathy/if-i-am-going-to-be-phased-out-by-whatever-powers-then-i-want-people/) [Parvathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parvathy/) > [Sometimes I'm in a bad mood, sometimes I'm in a good mood. It's like everyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tricky/sometimes-i-m-in-a-bad-mood-sometimes-i-m-in-a-good-mood-it-s-like/) [Tricky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tricky/) > [Unfortunately, we all go through bad phases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sushmita-sen/unfortunately-we-all-go-through-bad-phases/) [Sushmita Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sushmita-sen/) > [The Derby experience had not been good for me and the way it finished left a very bad taste in my mouth so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-pearson/the-derby-experience-had-not-been-good-for-me-and-the-way-it-finished/) [Nigel Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-pearson/) > [What people tend to forget is the journey that I had getting to Formula One. There were plenty of years where I had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hamilton/what-people-tend-to-forget-is-the-journey-that-i-had-getting-to/) [Lewis Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hamilton/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [I listen to heavy metal thanks to my son. When I argue with him on the kind of music he is listening to, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeenat-aman/i-listen-to-heavy-metal-thanks-to-my-son-when-i-argue-with-him-on-the/) [Zeenat Aman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeenat-aman/) > [I've said it before, good people are forced to do bad things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-cloud/i-ve-said-it-before-good-people-are-forced-to-do-bad-things/) [Angus Cloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-cloud/) > [“If any woman opens her legs for you, don't feel so lucky to be fed with nonsense, she has been a bitch for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/if-any-woman-opens-her-legs-for-you-don-t-feel-so-lucky-to-be-fed/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [One thing I always tell players is that there are three bad things: Nothing good happens after midnight, nothing good happens when you're around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-saban/one-thing-i-always-tell-players-is-that-there-are-three-bad-things/) [Nick Saban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-saban/) > [Everybody has bad days, but how you respond to it is a testament to whether you are a winner or a loser.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-gordon/everybody-has-bad-days-but-how-you-respond-to-it-is-a-testament-to/) [Aaron Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-gordon/) > [Obviously I'm very grateful 'Bad Guy' is doing so well - it's shocking and surprising and gratifying - but I do think it's important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/finneas/obviously-i-m-very-grateful-bad-guy-is-doing-so-well-it-s-shocking/) [Finneas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/finneas/) > [I felt pretty good growing up. I didnt feel a lot of prejudice or racism. But I do remember, if there was going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-henry-hwang/i-felt-pretty-good-growing-up-i-didnt-feel-a-lot-of-prejudice-or/) [David Henry Hwang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-henry-hwang/) > [If you read 'Lord of the Rings' and dismiss it as a lie because it has orcs and elves, you're missing the whole point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-tennapel/if-you-read-lord-of-the-rings-and-dismiss-it-as-a-lie-because-it-has/) [Doug TenNapel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-tennapel/) > [My conscience is really active. So I feel bad about spending excess amount of money on things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd/my-conscience-is-really-active-so-i-feel-bad-about-spending-excess/) [Syd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd/) Browse all 7,973 Bad quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Corporations are like countries now, there's a king, there are serfs, there's a court, basically everything but moats. They're feudal societies, and there are good ones and bad ones.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tony Gilroy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-gilroy/corporations-are-like-countries-now-there-s-a-king-there-are-serfs/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bad" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-gilroy/corporations-are-like-countries-now-there-s-a-king-there-are-serfs/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d41/tony-gilroy-16296_bad_corporations-are-like-countries-now-ther_1876770.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d41/tony-gilroy-16296_bad_corporations-are-like-countries-now-ther_1876770.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d41/tony-gilroy-16296_bad_corporations-are-like-countries-now-ther_1876770.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Corporations are like countries now, there's a king, there are serfs, there's a court, basically everything…” — Tony Gilroy", "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": "Tony Gilroy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-gilroy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Corporations are like countries now, there's...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-gilroy/corporations-are-like-countries-now-there-s-a-king-there-are-serfs/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-gilroy/corporations-are-like-countries-now-there-s-a-king-there-are-serfs/#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 } } ] } ```