“The real price of everything, what every thing really costs to the man who wants to require it, is the toil and trouble of acquiring it. Who made this statement?

The correct answer is: A. Karl Marx

Karl Marx was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist and socialist revolutionary. Born in Trier, Germany, Marx studied law and philosophy at university. He married Jenny von Westphalen in 1843. Due to his political publications, Marx became stateless and lived in exile in London for decades.

Marx’s theories about society, economics and politics—collectively understood as Marxism—hold that human societies develop through class struggle. In capitalism, this manifests itself in the conflict between the ruling classes (known as the bourgeoisie) that control the means of production and the working classes (known as the proletariat) that enable these means by selling their labor power in return for wages.

Marx argued that capitalism would inevitably produce internal tensions which would lead to its destruction. Just as capitalism replaced feudalism, he believed socialism would, in its turn, replace capitalism, and lead to a stateless, classless society called pure communism.

Marx’s thought has informed much of subsequent intellectual history, and his ideas are still debated and analyzed today.

The other options are incorrect because:

• B. Adam Smith was a Scottish economist and philosopher who is considered the father of modern economics. He is best known for his book The Wealth of Nations, which was published in 1776. In this book, Smith argued that the wealth of a nation is not determined by the amount of gold and silver it possesses, but rather by the productivity of its people. He also argued that the free market is the best way to organize an economy, as it allows individuals to pursue their own self-interest, which in turn benefits society as a whole.
• C. David Ricardo was an English economist who is considered one of the most important figures in the history of economic thought. He is best known for his theory of comparative advantage, which states that countries should specialize in the production of goods in which they have a comparative advantage, and then trade with other countries for goods in which they have a comparative disadvantage.
• D. J.S. Mill was an English philosopher, economist, and civil servant. He is best known for his work on utilitarianism, which is a theory of morality that states that the right action is the one that produces the greatest good for the greatest number of people. He also made significant contributions to economics, political theory, and logic.