--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The middle class has just fallen further…" description: "\"The middle class has just fallen further and further behind the rich.\" — William Julius Wilson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/965/william-julius-wilson-23478_behind_the-middle-class-has-just-fallen-further_323549.png" --- # The middle class has just fallen further and further… ![“The middle class has just fallen further and further behind the rich.” quote by William Julius Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/965/william-julius-wilson-23478_behind_the-middle-class-has-just-fallen-further_323549.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/965/william-julius-wilson-23478_behind_the-middle-class-has-just-fallen-further_323549.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/965/william-julius-wilson-23478_behind_the-middle-class-has-just-fallen-further_323549.png) > “The middle class has just fallen further and further behind the rich.” [William Julius Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-julius-wilson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The gap between the middle class and the wealthy is widening, leaving the former increasingly disadvantaged. **In simple terms:** Middle class falling behind the rich. Key Takeaway Address inequality and support middle‑class policies. Themes economic inequality social mobility class disparity Mood concerned analytical Type sociopolitical commentary When to use this quote - public policy debates - community organizing - financial planning - education funding Key Concepts wealth concentration structural barriers policy failure Questions to Reflect On - What policies could reduce the widening gap? - How does this trend affect social cohesion? A Different Perspective Economic growth alone may not close the gap without targeted redistribution. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Inequality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inequality/) [Middle class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-class/) ## Related quotes > [Everything I've done I've just fallen into.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-johansen/everything-i-ve-done-i-ve-just-fallen-into/) [David Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-johansen/) > [“The United States, which idealized itself as a classless society in which everyone had the opportunity to get ahead, had in fact fallen behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/the-united-states-which-idealized-itself-as-a-classless-society-in/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [“I've just fallen on some bad luck and landed jelly side down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/i-ve-just-fallen-on-some-bad-luck-and-landed-jelly-side-down/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“I've just fallen in love with you. What is your name, and please tell me you're gay?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jet-mykles/i-ve-just-fallen-in-love-with-you-what-is-your-name-and-please-tell/) [Jet Mykles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jet-mykles/) > [Prior to 1940, the affluent and the middle class began to converge, but after 1979, the economic gap between the middle class and affluent widened significantly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-julius-wilson/prior-to-1940-the-affluent-and-the-middle-class-began-to-converge-but/) [William Julius Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-julius-wilson/) > [I say to those people who are desperately trying to get healthy, in those moments where you feel like you can't go any further,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-nique/i-say-to-those-people-who-are-desperately-trying-to-get-healthy-in/) [Mo'Nique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-nique/) > [If I can just live further from the spotlight I think that'll be better for all really.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-michael/if-i-can-just-live-further-from-the-spotlight-i-think-that-ll-be/) [George Michael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-michael/) > [You get further if you let your mind run free and do whatever you fancy at that particular time. I don't agree with planning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judi-shekoni/you-get-further-if-you-let-your-mind-run-free-and-do-whatever-you/) [Judi Shekoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judi-shekoni/) > [One industrial age belief is that GDP or GNP is a measure of progress. I don't care if you're the President of China or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/one-industrial-age-belief-is-that-gdp-or-gnp-is-a-measure-of-progress/) [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) > [The more I got into presenting things to the world, the further it was taking me away from what I was, which was someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bush/the-more-i-got-into-presenting-things-to-the-world-the-further-it-was/) [Kate Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bush/) > [Every time I see a film or TV show, I think about how that composer made those choices and how that director envisioned music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lopez/every-time-i-see-a-film-or-tv-show-i-think-about-how-that-composer/) [Robert Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lopez/) > [With every year that passes, I get further away from my target audience, and while I've been happy to think of myself as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/with-every-year-that-passes-i-get-further-away-from-my-target/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > [You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-h-boetcker/you-cannot-further-the-brotherhood-of-man-by-inciting-class-hatred/) [William J. H. Boetcker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-h-boetcker/) > [The administration of George W. Bush, emboldened by the Sept. 11 attacks and the backing of a Republican Congress, has sought to further extend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/the-administration-of-george-w-bush-emboldened-by-the-sept-11-attacks/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) > [Hard work and a good education will take you further than any government program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-schock/hard-work-and-a-good-education-will-take-you-further-than-any/) [Aaron Schock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-schock/) ## More by William Julius Wilson > [My research clearly reveals that if we want to put inner-city workers to work immediately, we just can't rely on the private sector. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-julius-wilson/my-research-clearly-reveals-that-if-we-want-to-put-inner-city-workers/) [William Julius Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-julius-wilson/) > [If you're talking about the narrow issue of public assistance, I would like to see us move to a more healthy system. But until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-julius-wilson/if-you-re-talking-about-the-narrow-issue-of-public-assistance-i-would/) [William Julius Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-julius-wilson/) > [If you're going to compare a middle-income black kid with a middle- income white kid, and, say, you control for family background, family education,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-julius-wilson/if-you-re-going-to-compare-a-middle-income-black-kid-with-a-middle/) [William Julius Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-julius-wilson/) > [Prior to 1940, the affluent and the middle class began to converge, but after 1979, the economic gap between the middle class and affluent widened significantly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-julius-wilson/prior-to-1940-the-affluent-and-the-middle-class-began-to-converge-but/) [William Julius Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-julius-wilson/) > [But the person who scored well on an SAT will not necessarily be the best doctor or the best lawyer or the best businessman.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-julius-wilson/but-the-person-who-scored-well-on-an-sat-will-not-necessarily-be-the/) [William Julius Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-julius-wilson/) > [Black employers are just as negative as the white employers concerning inner-city workers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-julius-wilson/black-employers-are-just-as-negative-as-the-white-employers/) [William Julius Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-julius-wilson/) > [I think it is difficult to achieve a meaningful political coalition if you have race-based programs that divide members of the coalition. The problem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-julius-wilson/i-think-it-is-difficult-to-achieve-a-meaningful-political-coalition/) [William Julius Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-julius-wilson/) > [Unemployment is higher in Europe than in the United States and primarily concentrated in immigrant minority populations, so people are worried about what's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-julius-wilson/unemployment-is-higher-in-europe-than-in-the-united-states-and/) [William Julius Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-julius-wilson/) > [A lot of joblessness in the black community doesn't seem to be reachable through fiscal and monetary policies. People have not been drawn into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-julius-wilson/a-lot-of-joblessness-in-the-black-community-doesn-t-seem-to-be/) [William Julius Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-julius-wilson/) > [I don't think we should stop emphasizing race because I think, you know, race is still very, very important, and we have to recognize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-julius-wilson/i-don-t-think-we-should-stop-emphasizing-race-because-i-think-you/) [William Julius Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-julius-wilson/) > [During the Great Depression, African Americans were faced with problems that were not unlike those experienced by the most disadvantaged groups in society. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-julius-wilson/during-the-great-depression-african-americans-were-faced-with/) [William Julius Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-julius-wilson/) > [A lot of joblessness in the black community doesn't seem to be reachable through fiscal and monetary policies. People have not been drawn into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-julius-wilson/a-lot-of-joblessness-in-the-black-community-doesn-t-seem-to-be-2/) [William Julius Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-julius-wilson/) > [Certain people are just saying, 'Look, I'm a businessperson and I have to run a business effectively and I want people who are going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-julius-wilson/certain-people-are-just-saying-look-i-m-a-businessperson-and-i-have/) [William Julius Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-julius-wilson/) > [The worst thing we could do is impose time limits and then expect people to sink or swim once they move off welfare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-julius-wilson/the-worst-thing-we-could-do-is-impose-time-limits-and-then-expect/) [William Julius Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-julius-wilson/) > [Crime, family dissolution, welfare, and low levels of social organization are fundamentally a consequence of the disappearance of work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-julius-wilson/crime-family-dissolution-welfare-and-low-levels-of-social/) [William Julius Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-julius-wilson/) [Explore all 26 William Julius Wilson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-julius-wilson/) ## More Behind quotes > [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 wonder: when a Jehovah's Witness dies and goes to Heaven, does God hide behind the door and pretend He's not home?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-celio/i-wonder-when-a-jehovah-s-witness-dies-and-goes-to-heaven-does-god/) [Brian Celio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-celio/) > [I'm not the type of player that's going to run in behind or go past three and score.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-crouch/i-m-not-the-type-of-player-that-s-going-to-run-in-behind-or-go-past/) [Peter Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-crouch/) > [I hadn't been to drama school. I hadn't been to university and acted there. I had no qualifications behind me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-jason/i-hadn-t-been-to-drama-school-i-hadn-t-been-to-university-and-acted/) [David Jason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-jason/) > [For girls who want to get their waistline down a little bit and don't have any weights in the house, they can actually use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pepa/for-girls-who-want-to-get-their-waistline-down-a-little-bit-and-don-t/) [Pepa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pepa/) > [My sister-in-law works for a group that supports orphanages in Cairo. She and her colleagues take care of children left behind by circumstances beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-elbaradei/my-sister-in-law-works-for-a-group-that-supports-orphanages-in-cairo/) [Mohamed ElBaradei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-elbaradei/) > [I'm not on any social media; I don't even know what things are. I'm so behind the times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemarie-dewitt/i-m-not-on-any-social-media-i-don-t-even-know-what-things-are-i-m-so/) [Rosemarie DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemarie-dewitt/) > [I think we were raised in a nice Texas Jewish family where education was the most important thing, and close behind that was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-loeb/i-think-we-were-raised-in-a-nice-texas-jewish-family-where-education/) [Lisa Loeb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-loeb/) > [I am hands-on in any project that I am associated with. I just don't want to put my face or name and lend it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-kardashian/i-am-hands-on-in-any-project-that-i-am-associated-with-i-just-don-t/) [Kim Kardashian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-kardashian/) > [I don't really have loads of friends - three or four who are close. The thing that I love the most is playing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-odell/i-don-t-really-have-loads-of-friends-three-or-four-who-are-close-the/) [Tom Odell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-odell/) > [There's something about the superheroes and the idea behind their relationship with humans, whether it's a metaphor for the better part of ourselves, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clark-gregg/there-s-something-about-the-superheroes-and-the-idea-behind-their/) [Clark Gregg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clark-gregg/) > [I refuse to say things behind people's backs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/i-refuse-to-say-things-behind-people-s-backs/) [Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/) > [There's a lot of mountain climbers trapped inside of bodies of people behind the counter at Kinko's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/there-s-a-lot-of-mountain-climbers-trapped-inside-of-bodies-of-people/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [From every little territory I've been, I've picked something up, things that I could use to better my game, to take with me, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-babel/from-every-little-territory-i-ve-been-i-ve-picked-something-up-things/) [Ryan Babel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-babel/) > [I was a photographer. That's how I began my career, behind the camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shweta-tripathi/i-was-a-photographer-that-s-how-i-began-my-career-behind-the-camera/) [Shweta Tripathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shweta-tripathi/) Browse all 1,625 Behind quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The middle class has just fallen further and further behind the rich.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Julius Wilson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-julius-wilson/the-middle-class-has-just-fallen-further-and-further-behind-the-rich/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Behind" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-julius-wilson/the-middle-class-has-just-fallen-further-and-further-behind-the-rich/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/965/william-julius-wilson-23478_behind_the-middle-class-has-just-fallen-further_323549.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/965/william-julius-wilson-23478_behind_the-middle-class-has-just-fallen-further_323549.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/965/william-julius-wilson-23478_behind_the-middle-class-has-just-fallen-further_323549.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The middle class has just fallen further and further behind the rich.” — William Julius Wilson", "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": "William Julius Wilson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-julius-wilson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The middle class has just fallen...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-julius-wilson/the-middle-class-has-just-fallen-further-and-further-behind-the-rich/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-julius-wilson/the-middle-class-has-just-fallen-further-and-further-behind-the-rich/#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 } } ] } ```