Conspiracies against the laity is a term coined by George Bernard Shaw in his 1906 play The Doctor's Dilemma. The conspiracies refer to the methods used by professions to acquire prestige, power and wealth. Shaw's sentiments echo Adam Smith's earlier writing: "People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices."