Full Idea
There is a risk that, in the pursuit of equality, good things which there is difficulty in distributing evenly may not be admitted to be good.
Gist of Idea
Scarce goods may be denied entirely, to avoid their unequal distribution
Source
Bertrand Russell (Authority and the Individual [1949], 4)
Book Reference
Russell,Bertrand: 'Authority and the Individual' [Unwin 1977], p.61
A Reaction
Lovely sentence. The clarity and economy with which he expresses an intricate idea. Why can't you philosophers all write like that? This is not just the unequal distribution of scarce goods, but a subtler problem. The finest wines, for example.