Quote by Leo Tolstoy
In my considered opinion, salary is payment for goods delivered and it must conform to the law of supply and demand. If, therefore, the fixed salary is a violation of this law - as, for instance, when I see two engineers leaving college together and both equally well trained and efficient, and one getting forty thousand while the other only earns two thousand , or when lawyers and hussars, possessing no special qualifications, are appointed directors of banks with huge salaries - I can only conclude that their salaries are not fixed according to the law of supply and demand but simply by personal influence. And this is an abuse important in itself and having a deleterious effect on government service.
Summary
The quote suggests that salary should be determined based on the law of supply and demand, as payment for the goods and services provided. It criticizes instances where individuals with similar qualifications and efficiency receive vastly different salaries, or when people without specific qualifications are appointed to lucrative positions. The quote argues that such practices, driven by personal influence rather than market dynamics, are an abuse of power and have negative consequences for government service.
By Leo Tolstoy
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