---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The labor movement means just this: It is…"
description: "\"The labor movement means just this: It is the last noble protest of the American people against the power of incorporated wealth.\" — Wendell Phillips"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/822/wendell-phillips-3986_american-people_the-labor-movement-means-just-this-it-is_1592670.png"
---

#  The labor movement means just this: It is the last noble…

![“The labor movement means just this: It is the last noble protest of the American people against the power of incorporated wealth.” quote by Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/822/wendell-phillips-3986_american-people_the-labor-movement-means-just-this-it-is_1592670.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/822/wendell-phillips-3986_american-people_the-labor-movement-means-just-this-it-is_1592670.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/822/wendell-phillips-3986_american-people_the-labor-movement-means-just-this-it-is_1592670.png)

> “The labor movement means just this: It is the last noble protest of the American people against the power of incorporated wealth.”

[Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/)

## About This Quote

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

The labor movement is the final noble protest of people against corporate wealth.

**In simple terms:** Labor movement opposes corporate power.

Key Takeaway

Support workers’ rights.

Themes

justice economics politics activism

Mood

determined hopeful

Type

political activist

When to use this quote

- union organizing
- policy advocacy
- public demonstrations
- education campaigns

Key Concepts

class struggle corporate power democracy

Questions to Reflect On

- What makes labor protest noble?
- How can modern movements stay noble?

A Different Perspective

Opposition can be suppressed by political forces.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[American people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-people/) [Labor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labor/) [Labor movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labor-movement/) [Movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movement/) [Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noble/) [Noble Protest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noble-protest-6039691/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Protest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protest/) [Protest American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protest-american-762894/) [Wealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth/)

## Related quotes

> [“The Women’s March was the biggest single protest in American history. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in cities like New York, Los Angeles,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-rodham-clinton/the-women-s-march-was-the-biggest-single-protest-in-american-history/)

[Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/)

> [There is nothing more American than raising your voice in protest, and there is nothing more un-American than a government that attempts to hit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/witold-walczak/there-is-nothing-more-american-than-raising-your-voice-in-protest-and/)

[Witold Walczak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/witold-walczak/)

> [“I wondered if anyone thought what we were doing was unpatriotic. It was weird. Thinking that to protest was somehow un-American.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-reynolds-and-brendan-kiely/i-wondered-if-anyone-thought-what-we-were-doing-was-unpatriotic-it/)

[Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-reynolds-and-brendan-kiely/)

> [“I wondered if anybody thought what we were doing was unpatriotic. It was weird. Thinking that to protest was somehow un-American. That was bullshit.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-reynolds-and-brendan-kiely/i-wondered-if-anybody-thought-what-we-were-doing-was-unpatriotic-it/)

[Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-reynolds-and-brendan-kiely/)

> [Organize, and stand together. Claim something together, and at once; let the nation hear a united demand from the laboring voice, and then, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/organize-and-stand-together-claim-something-together-and-at-once-let/)

[Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/)

> [The American people have on many occasions been willing to shed their own blood for a noble cause, like when hundreds of thousands of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-castro-espin/the-american-people-have-on-many-occasions-been-willing-to-shed-their/)

[Alejandro Castro Espin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-castro-espin/)

> [History is a great teacher. Now everyone knows that the labor movement did not diminish the strength of the nation but enlarged it. By…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/history-is-a-great-teacher-now-everyone-knows-that-the-labor-movement/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [Trump's principal policies make clear what's going to happen. This gives an opportunity. Right now it's going to take hard work, but it's possible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/trump-s-principal-policies-make-clear-what-s-going-to-happen-this/)

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

> [I would say the issue for the labor movement in the United States is not structural... there is no correlation between the success of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stern/i-would-say-the-issue-for-the-labor-movement-in-the-united-states-is/)

[Andy Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-stern/)

> [Legislators who are of even average intelligence stand out among their colleagues. . . . A cultured college president has become as much a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bergen-evans/legislators-who-are-of-even-average-intelligence-stand-out-among/)

[Bergen Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bergen-evans/)

> [People think that we're engaged with identity politics. The truth is that we're doing what the labor movement has always done - organizing people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/people-think-that-we-re-engaged-with-identity-politics-the-truth-is/)

[Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/)

> [My parents had been involved in the labor movement; if we'd grown up in the city, we would have been red-diaper babies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-near/my-parents-had-been-involved-in-the-labor-movement-if-we-d-grown-up/)

[Holly Near](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-near/)

> [With all of the talk about polling and demographics, I think too many people have lost touch with the human and moral crisis of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlene-holt-baker/with-all-of-the-talk-about-polling-and-demographics-i-think-too-many/)

[Arlene Holt Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlene-holt-baker/)

> [“The farm labor movement saw him as a racist. He seemed to delight in the most outrageous snubs. Farm labor organizer Cesar Chavez was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jana-bommersbach/the-farm-labor-movement-saw-him-as-a-racist-he-seemed-to-delight-in/)

[Jana Bommersbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jana-bommersbach/)

> [The labor movement must be destroyed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-rove/the-labor-movement-must-be-destroyed/)

[Karl Rove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-rove/)

## More by Wendell Phillips

> [Right is the eternal sun; the world cannot delay its coming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/right-is-the-eternal-sun-the-world-cannot-delay-its-coming/)

[Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/)

> [The best education in the world is that got by struggling to get a living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/the-best-education-in-the-world-is-that-got-by-struggling-to-get-a/)

[Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/)

> [Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty; power is ever stealing from the many to the few.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/eternal-vigilance-is-the-price-of-liberty-power-is-ever-stealing-from/)

[Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/)

> [The Puritan's idea of hell is a place where everybody has to mind his own business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/the-puritan-s-idea-of-hell-is-a-place-where-everybody-has-to-mind-his/)

[Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/)

> [The paleontological evidence before us today clearly demonstrates ordered progressive change with the successive development of new faunal and floral assemblages through the changing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/the-paleontological-evidence-before-us-today-clearly-demonstrates/)

[Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/)

> [The press is the exclusive literature of the million; to them it is literature, church, and college.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/the-press-is-the-exclusive-literature-of-the-million-to-them-it-is/)

[Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/)

> [Every government is always growing corrupt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/every-government-is-always-growing-corrupt/)

[Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/)

> [Neither do I acknowledge the right of Plymouth to the whole rock. No, the rock underlies all America: it only crops out here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/neither-do-i-acknowledge-the-right-of-plymouth-to-the-whole-rock-no/)

[Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/)

> [The heart beats louder and the soul hears quicker in silence and solitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/the-heart-beats-louder-and-the-soul-hears-quicker-in-silence-and/)

[Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/)

> [Freedom to preach was first gained, dragging in its train freedom to print.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/freedom-to-preach-was-first-gained-dragging-in-its-train-freedom-to/)

[Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/)

> [Politicians are like the bones of a horse's foreshoulder-not a straight one in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/politicians-are-like-the-bones-of-a-horse-s-foreshoulder-not-a/)

[Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/)

> [Wants awaken intellect. To gratify them disciplines intellect. The keener the want the lustier the growth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/wants-awaken-intellect-to-gratify-them-disciplines-intellect-the/)

[Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/)

> [Popular opinion is oftenest, what Carlyle pronounced it to be, a lie!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/popular-opinion-is-oftenest-what-carlyle-pronounced-it-to-be-a-lie/)

[Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/)

> [Great political questions stir the deepest nature of one-half the nation, but they pass far above and over the heads of the other half.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/great-political-questions-stir-the-deepest-nature-of-one-half-the/)

[Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/)

> [Organize, and stand together. Claim something together, and at once; let the nation hear a united demand from the laboring voice, and then, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/organize-and-stand-together-claim-something-together-and-at-once-let/)

[Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/)

[Explore all 117 Wendell Phillips quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/)

## More American people quotes

> [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-as-much-as-government-can-do-and-must-do-it-is-ultimately-the/)

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

> [Given a choice between two bald political candidates, the American people will vote for the less bald of the two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-gold/given-a-choice-between-two-bald-political-candidates-the-american/)

[Victor Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-gold/)

> [When the American people saw the LA riots and crowds of Blacks cheering O.J. Simpson (who was acquitted by the almost all Black jury),…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duke/when-the-american-people-saw-the-la-riots-and-crowds-of-blacks/)

[David Duke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duke/)

> [In any event, it is one thing to assert, then or now, that the Iraq war was ill-advised. It is quite another to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-silberman/in-any-event-it-is-one-thing-to-assert-then-or-now-that-the-iraq-war/)

[Laurence Silberman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-silberman/)

> [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. We have to take risks and it's important that we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/well-look-cia-is-an-agency-that-has-to-collect-intelligence-do/)

[Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/)

> [I don't know a politician who enjoys fundraising. The system is such that the American people have lost faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/i-don-t-know-a-politician-who-enjoys-fundraising-the-system-is-such/)

[John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/)

> [Probably the greatest single obstacle to the progress and happiness of the American people lies in the willingness of so many men to invest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-rockefeller/probably-the-greatest-single-obstacle-to-the-progress-and-happiness/)

[John D. Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-rockefeller/)

> [If a financial institution has business operations in the United States, hires people in the United States, if they are clogged with illiquid assets,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-paulson/if-a-financial-institution-has-business-operations-in-the-united/)

[Henry Paulson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-paulson/)

> [The American people reject the idea of giving Washington a blank check to increase the debt limit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-roby/the-american-people-reject-the-idea-of-giving-washington-a-blank/)

[Martha Roby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-roby/)

> [The coronavirus has yet again exposed the strong contrast between President Trump - who is working ardently for the American people - and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kayleigh-mcenany/the-coronavirus-has-yet-again-exposed-the-strong-contrast-between/)

[Kayleigh McEnany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kayleigh-mcenany/)

> [The American people demand results, not rhetoric, especially when it comes to national security issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-hayworth/the-american-people-demand-results-not-rhetoric-especially-when-it/)

[J. D. Hayworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-hayworth/)

> [Hillary Clinton truly is sincere, but she has to connect more with the American people in terms of what she believes in and how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pelosi/hillary-clinton-truly-is-sincere-but-she-has-to-connect-more-with-the/)

[Nancy Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pelosi/)

> [The American people are incredibly generous and even playful when you open yourself up and feed the media beast until it goes away satisfied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystal-ball/the-american-people-are-incredibly-generous-and-even-playful-when-you/)

[Krystal Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krystal-ball/)

[Browse all 2,233 American people quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-people/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The labor movement means just this: It is the last noble protest of the American people against the power of incorporated wealth.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Wendell Phillips"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/the-labor-movement-means-just-this-it-is-the-last-noble-protest-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "American people"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/the-labor-movement-means-just-this-it-is-the-last-noble-protest-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/822/wendell-phillips-3986_american-people_the-labor-movement-means-just-this-it-is_1592670.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/822/wendell-phillips-3986_american-people_the-labor-movement-means-just-this-it-is_1592670.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/822/wendell-phillips-3986_american-people_the-labor-movement-means-just-this-it-is_1592670.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The labor movement means just this: It is the last noble protest of the American people against the power of…” — Wendell Phillips",
                "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": "Wendell Phillips",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The labor movement means just this:...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/the-labor-movement-means-just-this-it-is-the-last-noble-protest-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/the-labor-movement-means-just-this-it-is-the-last-noble-protest-of/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
