Capitalist Quote by William Graham Sumner
“Moreover, there is an unearned increment on capital and on labor, due to the presence, around the capitalist and the laborer, of a great, industrious, and prosperous society.”
About This Quote
Source Book: What Socialism Is, 1911, Economic Treatise
He explains that both capitalists and workers benefit from a prosperous society, which creates unearned gains for each due to the collective productivity of the whole.
In simple terms: Society’s wealth creates extra gains for all.
Key Takeaway
Support policies that foster overall prosperity.
Themes
economics
social welfare
collective benefit
capital‑labor relations
Mood
analytical
educational
neutral
Type
theoretical
explanatory
When to use this quote
- policy making
- business strategy
- labor negotiations
- community development
Key Concepts
unearned increment
public good
economic interdependence
Questions to Reflect On
- How does a thriving society affect individual success?
- What mechanisms ensure fair sharing of collective wealth?
A Different Perspective
Unearned gains may be contested as unfair redistribution.
![“The yearning after equality [in economic outcome] is the offspring of envy and covetousness, and there is no possible plan for satisfying that yearning which can do aught else than rob A to give to B; consequently all such plans nourish some of the meanest vices of human nature, waste capital, and…” quote by William Graham Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/9b4/william-graham-sumner-5011_can-do_the-yearning-after-equality-in-economic_454035.jpg)
