Intellectuals have no interest in what creates wealth and what inhibits the creation of wealth. They are very concerned about the distribution of it, but they act as if wealth just exists somehow, like manna from heaven. It's only a question of how we split it up.
— Thomas Sowell, Uncommon Knowledge: Intellectuals and Society, Revisited (Robinson) (2012)
Verified — Primary Source
Related Quotes
“Since wealth is the only thing that can cure poverty, you might think that the left would be as obsessed with the creation of wealth as they are with the redistribution of wealth....”
Dismantling America: And Other Controversial Essays (2010)
Read →“Our tax system penalizes those who are producing wealth in order to subsidize those who are only consuming it.”
Ever Wonder Why? And Other Controversial Essays (2006)
Read →“You can only confiscate the wealth that exists at a given moment. You cannot confiscate future wealth — and that future wealth is less likely to be produced when people see that it...”
The Fallacy of Redistribution (2012)
Read →These quotes are just the surface. I write about the ideas behind them and the conversations they start.
Know a great Sowell quote that's not in the collection?
We verify every submission against the original source, and credit you when it's published.
Submit a quote →Keep it free.
Sign the wall →