The private control of credit is the modern form of slavery.
Upton SinclairRead
One of the necessary accompaniments of capitalism in a democracy is political corruption.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Capitalism in a democratic society often leads to corruption in politics.
Upton Sinclair's quote suggests that in a capitalist democracy, the drive for profit can lead to unethical influences in politics, where business interests may override the common good. This commentary reflects the inherent tension between economic systems and governance, highlighting how financial power can affect political integrity and decision-making.
Themes
CapitalismDemocracyCorruptionPoliticsPower
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a political debate to illustrate the risks of corporate influence.
More from Upton Sinclair
All quotes βHuman beings suffer agonies, and their sad fates become legends; poets write verses about them and playwrights compose dramas, and the remembrance of past grief becomes a source of present pleasure - such is the strange alchemy of the spirit.
Upton SinclairRead
I aimed at the public's heart, and by accident I hit it in the stomach.
Upton SinclairRead
And as for other men, who worked in tank-rooms full of steam, and in some of which there were open vats near the level of the floor, their peculiar trouble was that they fell into the vats; and when they were fished out, there was never enough of them left to be worth exhibiting,-sometimes they would be overlooked for days, till all but the bones of them had gone out into the world as Durham's Pure Leaf Lard! This contributed to the passing of the Pure Food Act of 1906.
Upton SinclairRead
Fascism is capitalism plus murder.
Upton SinclairRead
The old wanderlust had gotten into his blood, the joy of the unbound life, the joy of seeking, of hoping without limit.
Upton SinclairRead
Similar quotes
Here is what the practical impact of Citizens United means. What Citizens United means is that corporations call hundreds of millions of dollars into television ads, radio ads, and other forms of advertising to defeat those candidates who stand up and take them on.
Bernie SandersRead
Jealousy, and local policy mix too much in all our public councils for the good government of the Union. In a words, the confederation appears to me to be little more than a shadow without the substance . . . .
George WashingtonRead
American government did not originate in any abstract theories about liberty and equality, but in the actual experience gained by generation after generation of English colonists in managing their own political affairs. The Revolution did not make a breach in the continuity of their institutional life.
Charles A. BeardRead
American government is like a train on a track. You have the people on the left shouting; you have the people on the right. But the train's on track. They just keep ploughing ahead.
Tom WolfeRead
Without a single shot we've managed to liberate the world of communism but now there is a need for a global solidarity.
Lech WalesaRead
Voting rights are preservative of all other rights.
Raphael WarnockRead