Check out the best Upton Sinclair quotes that reflect his views on social justice, economic equality, and the complexities of capitalism. His timeless words offer profound insights into the human condition and society’s challenges, inspiring reflection and action.
Upton Sinclair was an influential American writer, journalist, and political activist whose work had a lasting impact on literature and social reform.
He is best known for his groundbreaking novel, The Jungle (1906), which exposed the harsh realities of the American meatpacking industry.
The book brought national attention to critical issues such as workers’ rights, unsanitary conditions, and corporate exploitation. Its publication led to significant reforms, including the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act.
Throughout his career, Sinclair wrote over 100 books, plays, and essays often tackling issues like economic inequality, social justice, and political corruption.
In addition to his literary contributions, Sinclair was a political activist and ran for governor of California in 1934, under the banner of his End Poverty in California (EPIC) movement.
Upton Sinclair passed away on November 25, 1968, but his legacy lives on through his writings that continue to inspire readers and provoke critical thought about societal issues.
Here are the most famous Upton Sinclair quotes that capture the struggles of the working class, the fight against injustice, and the pursuit of fairness.
Top 10 Upton Sinclair Quotes
- “Fascism is capitalism plus murder.” — Upton Sinclair
Upton Sinclair Quotes - “In the twilight, it was a vision of power.” — Upton Sinclair
Upton Sinclair Quotations - “They use everything about the hog except the squeal.” — Upton Sinclair
- “The private control of credit is the modern form of slavery.” — Upton Sinclair
Famous Quotes By Upton Sinclair - “I aimed at the public’s heart, and by accident I hit it in the stomach.” — Upton Sinclair
Best Upton Sinclair Quotes - “Man is an evasive beast, given to cultivating strange notions about himself.” — Upton Sinclair
Upton Sinclair - “One of the necessary accompaniments of capitalism in a democracy is political corruption.” — Upton Sinclair
Quotes From Upton Sinclair - “It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.” — Upton Sinclair
Famous Upton Sinclair Quotes - “Pessimism is mental disease. It means illness in the person who voices it, and in the society which produces that person.” — Upton Sinclair
- “Turn over the pages of history and read the damning record of the church’s opposition to every advance in every field of science. . . .” — Upton Sinclair
Best Upton Sinclair Quotes
- “I, an artist, will answer you: I am here to live out loud!” — Upton Sinclair
- “Man may be defined as the animal who can say, ‘I do not know.’” — Upton Sinclair
- “I want to be remembered as the person who helped us restore faith in ourselves.” — Upton Sinclair
- “When Fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.” — Upton Sinclair
- “I just put on what the lady says. I’ve been married three times, so I’ve had lots of supervision.” — Upton Sinclair
- “The Earth belongs to its owners, but the landscape belongs to those who know how to appreciate it.” — Upton Sinclair
- “You can’t make somebody understand something if their salary depends upon them not understanding it.” — Upton Sinclair
- “It is foolish to be convinced without evidence, but it is equally foolish to refuse to be convinced by real evidence.” — Upton Sinclair
- “We define journalism in America as the business and practice of presenting the news of the day in the interest of economic privilege.” — Upton Sinclair
- “All art is propaganda. It is universally and inescapably propaganda; sometimes unconsciously, but often deliberately, propaganda.” — Upton Sinclair
- “It appeared as if the whole world was one elaborate system, opposed to justice and kindness, and set to making cruelty and pain.” — Upton Sinclair
- “But the devil is a subtle worm; he does not give up at one defeat, for he knows human nature, and the strength of the forces which battle for him.” — Upton Sinclair
- “In a society dominated by the fact of commercial competition, money is necessarily the test of prowess, and wastefulness the sole criterion of power.” — Upton Sinclair
- “I don’t know whether anyone will care to examine my heart, but if they do, they will find two words there- ‘social justice.’ For that is what I have believed in and fought for.” — Upton Sinclair
- “There is one kind of prison where the man is behind bars, and everything that he desires is outside; and there is another kind where the things are behind the bars, and the man is outside.” — Upton Sinclair
- “The first thing brought forth by the study of any religion, ancient or modern, is that it is based upon Fear, born of it, fed by it — and that it cultivates the source from which its nourishment is derived.” — Upton Sinclair
- “The supreme crime of the church to-day is that everywhere and in all its operations and influences it is on the side of sloth of mind; that it banishes brains, it sanctifies stupidity, it canonizes incompetence.” — Upton Sinclair
- “When I get through tearing a lobster apart, or one of those tender, young, barbecued chickens, those nude little bodies, when I’ve spent ten minutes tearing, chopping, and eating salad, I feel like I’d been in a fire.” — Upton Sinclair
- “I have not only found good health, but perfect health; I have found a new state of being, a potentiality of life; a sense of lightness and cleanness and joyfulness, such as I did not know could exist in the human body.” — Upton Sinclair
- “Socialism appeals to better classes and has far more strength in it than you realize… We are socialists, we are enemies of today’s capitalistic economic system for the exploitation of the economically weak, with its unfair salaries, with its unseemly evaluation of a human being according to wealth and property instead of responsibility and performance, and we are all determined to destroy this system under all conditions.” — Upton Sinclair
Conclusion
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