Nevertheless, it is necessary to remember that a planned economy is not yet socialism.
Genuine
Yes. In Why Socialism? (1949), Why Socialism?, paragraph beginning Nevertheless, it is necessary; February 1951 pamphlet, PDF page 8.
Checked against Albert Einstein, Why Socialism?, Monthly Review, vol. 1, no. 1 (May 1949); reprinted as Monthly Review Pamphlet Series no. 1 (February 1951), PDF page 8 of 12 (unnumbered pamphlet leaf), in the text of a page scan, not the image.
- Work
- Why Socialism?, 1949
- Where
- Why Socialism?, paragraph beginning Nevertheless, it is necessary; February 1951 pamphlet, PDF page 8
- Translation
- None in our sources
- Source
- Albert Einstein, Why Socialism?, Monthly Review, vol. 1, no. 1 (May 1949); reprinted as Monthly Review Pamphlet Series no. 1 (February 1951), PDF page 8 of 12 (unnumbered pamphlet leaf)
- Checked
- In the text of a page scan, not the image
Researched by AI. Entry updated 25 October 2026. Editorial review: pending. How we check
About this quote
The scene
Einstein has just argued for social ownership, planned production and education that cultivates responsibility for other people. He immediately warns that planning alone can coexist with total individual subjection, then asks how rights and democratic checks can restrain concentrated bureaucratic power.
What it means
Economic planning by itself does not establish the emancipatory society Einstein wants; political freedom and checks on bureaucracy remain essential.
Often misread
The warning can be excerpted as if Einstein were rejecting socialism. In the preceding paragraph he explicitly advocates it; here he is explaining why economic planning alone is insufficient.
Topics
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- More law, less justice. Marcus Tullius Cicero
- We are now facing a problem more of ethics than of physics. Bernard Baruch
- Freedom cannot be bestowed — it must be achieved. Elbert Hubbard
- Happiness is a kind of working of the soul in the way of perfect Excellence Aristotle
Sources
Cite it
Albert Einstein, Why Socialism? (1949), Why Socialism?, paragraph beginning Nevertheless, it is necessary; February 1951 pamphlet, PDF page 8. Checked at Quotogeny, https://quotogeny.com/q/a-planned-economy-is-not-yet-socialism/ (25 October 2026).
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Checked by people
People who checked this entry against its source, under their own names. Their checks do not change the verdict: an editor reviews every entry.
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