We who are rich are often demanding and difficult. We shut ourselves up in our apartments and may even use a watchdog to defend our property. Poor people, of course, have nothing to defend and often share the little they have.
When people have all the material things they need, they seem not to need each other. They are self-sufficient. There is no interdependence. There is no love.
—Jean Vanier (1928–2019) French-Canadian Philosopher, Theologian, Humanitarian
Great abundance of riches cannot be gathered and kept by any man without sin.
—Desiderius Erasmus (c.1469–1536) Dutch Humanist, Scholar
Whether a fellow winds up with a nest egg or a goose egg depends a heap on the kind of chick he married.
—Unknown
Agur said, “Give me neither poverty nor riches”; and this will ever be the prayer of the wise. Our incomes should be like our shoes: if too small, they will gall and pinch us, but if too large, they will cause us to stumble and to trip. But wealth, after all, is a relative thing, since he that has little, and wants less, is richer than he that has much, but wants more. True contentment depends not upon what we have; a tub was large enough for Diogenes, but a world was too little for Alexander.
—Charles Caleb Colton (c.1780–1832) English Clergyman, Aphorist
Wealth maketh many friends.
—The Holy Bible Scripture in the Christian Faith
Poverty is a veil that obscures the face of greatness. An appeal is a mask covering the face of tribulation.
—Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931) Lebanese-born American Philosopher, Poet, Painter, Theologian, Sculptor
Lampis the ship owner, on being asked how he acquired his great wealth, replied, “My great wealth was acquired with no difficulty, but my small wealth, my first gains, with much labor.”
—Epictetus (55–135) Ancient Greek Philosopher
The lust of avarice has so totally seized upon mankind that their wealth seems rather to possess them, than they to possess their wealth.
—Pliny the Elder (23–79CE) Roman Statesman, Scholar
The real price of everything, what everything really costs to the man who wants to acquire it, is the toil and trouble of acquiring it.
—George Goodman (b.1930) American Economist, Author
Time is more valuable than money. You can get more money, but you cannot get more time.
—Jim Rohn (1930–2009) American Entrepreneur, Author, Motivational Speaker
I would rather have a million friends than a million dollars.
—Eddie Rickenbacker (1890–1973) American Aviator
The greatest and the most amiable privilege which the rich enjoy over the poor is that which they exercise the least,—the privilege of making others happy.
—Charles Caleb Colton (c.1780–1832) English Clergyman, Aphorist
To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly; to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart; to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never. In a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common. This is to be my symphony.
—William Henry Channing (1810–84) American Unitarian Clergyman
That plenty should produce either covetousness or prodigality is a perversion of providence; and yet the generality of men are the worse for their riches.
—William Penn (1644–1718) American Entrepreneur, Political leader, Philosopher
Wealth is a very dangerous inheritance, unless the inheritor is trained to active benevolence.
—Charles Simmons (1924–2017) American Editor, Novelist
The pulpit and the press have many commonplaces denouncing the thirst for wealth; but if men should take these moralists at their word, and leave off aiming to be rich, the moralists would rush to rekindle, at all hazards, this love of power in the people lest civilization should be undone.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
Investor: One who bought stocks that went up.
—Malcolm S. Forbes (1919–1990) American Publisher, Businessperson
Man is a luxury loving animal. Take away play, fancies, and luxuries, and you will turn man into a dull, sluggish creature, barely energetic enough to obtain a bare subsistence. A society becomes stagnant when its people are too rational or too serious to be tempted by baubles.
—Eric Hoffer (1902–83) American Philosopher, Author
Do not waste your time on Social Questions. What is the matter with the poor is Poverty; what is the matter with the rich is Uselessness.
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) Irish Playwright
Wealth hath never given happiness, but often hastened misery; enough hath never caused misery, but often quickened happiness.
—Martin Farquhar Tupper (1810–89) English Poet, Writer
God must love the rich or he wouldn’t divide so much among so few of them.
—H. L. Mencken (1880–1956) American Journalist, Literary Critic
What is the most important for democracy is not that great fortunes should not exist, but that great fortunes should not remain in the same hands. In that way there are rich men, but they do not form a class.
—Alexis de Tocqueville (1805–59) French Historian, Political Scientist
We cannot seek or attain health, wealth, learning, justice or kindness in general. Action is always specific, concrete, individualized, unique.
—John Dewey (1859–1952) American Philosopher, Psychologist, Educator
What real good does an addition to a fortune, already sufficient, procure? Not any. Could the great man, by having his fortune increased, increase also his appetites, then precedence might be attended with real enjoyment.
—Oliver Goldsmith (1730–74) Irish Novelist, Playwright, Poet
I am absolutely convinced that no wealth in the world can help humanity forward, even in the hands of the most devoted worker. The example of great and pure individuals is the only thing that can lead us to noble thoughts and deeds. Money only appeals to selfishness and irresistibly invites abuse. Can anyone imagine Moses, Jesus or Gandhi armed with the money-bags of Carnegie?
—Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born Physicist
Anticipate charity by preventing poverty; assist the reduced fellow man, either by a considerable gift or a sum of money or by teaching him a trade or by putting him in the way of business so that he may earn an honest livelihood and not be forced to the dreadful alternative of holding out his hand for charity. This is the highest step and summit of charity’s golden ladder.
—Moses Maimonides (1135–1204) Jewish Philosopher, Rabbinic Scholar
Bounty always receives part of its value from the manner in which it is bestowed.
—Samuel Johnson (1709–84) British Essayist
If a rich man is proud of his wealth, he should not be praised until it is known how he employs it.
—Socrates (469BCE–399BCE) Ancient Greek Philosopher
The first wealth is health. Sickness is poor-spirited, and cannot serve any one; it must husband its recources to live. But health answers its own ends, and has to spare; runs over, and inundates the neighborhoods and creeks of other men’s necessities.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
Many men want wealth, not a competence merely, but a five-story competence, and religion they would like as a sort of lightning-rod to their houses, to ward off, by and by, the bolts of divine wrath.
—Henry Ward Beecher (1813–87) American Clergyman, Writer