--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There was a time when corporations played…" description: "\"There was a time when corporations played a minor part in our business affairs, but now they play the chief part, and most men are the servants of corp..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b5/woodrow-wilson-534_affair_there-was-a-time-when-corporations-playe_1873685.jpg" --- # There was a time when corporations played a minor part in… ![“There was a time when corporations played a minor part in our business affairs, but now they play the chief part, and most men are the servants of corporations.” quote by Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b5/woodrow-wilson-534_affair_there-was-a-time-when-corporations-playe_1873685.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b5/woodrow-wilson-534_affair_there-was-a-time-when-corporations-playe_1873685.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b5/woodrow-wilson-534_affair_there-was-a-time-when-corporations-playe_1873685.jpg) > “There was a time when corporations played a minor part in our business affairs, but now they play the chief part, and most men are the servants of corporations.” [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Corporate power has shifted from minor to dominant, making many individuals serve corporate interests rather than personal agency. **In simple terms:** Corporations now dominate business and influence people. Key Takeaway Advocate for personal autonomy against corporate control. Themes power dynamics corporate influence individual agency Mood critical analytical Type political economic When to use this quote - policy making - business ethics - career choices Key Concepts economics political theory societal structure Questions to Reflect On - How can individuals retain agency? - What reforms limit corporate overreach? A Different Perspective Corporate dominance can limit personal freedom. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affair/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Chiefs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chiefs/) [Corporations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corporations/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Servant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/servant/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Uber is hardly the first company to exploit the financial vulnerability of teachers - and the desperation of public schools more broadly - to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alissa-quart/uber-is-hardly-the-first-company-to-exploit-the-financial/) [Alissa Quart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alissa-quart/) > [ He \[A. J. Balfour\] was eminently one of the Cole Porter school of famous men, who only fell to rise again. 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