Topic
Wealth has inspired more philosophy, more fiction, and more cautionary tales than almost any other human preoccupation. The quotes assembled here resist easy moralizing: they do not simply condemn riches or celebrate them, but ask harder questions about what wealth does to the people who pursue and obtain it. The ancient philosophers were suspicious of excessive accumulation; the Enlightenment thinkers began to see wealth creation as linked to social progress; twentieth-century voices added new complexities around inequality and justice. What unites these perspectives is the recognition that wealth is powerful — powerful enough to liberate and powerful enough to corrupt, sometimes simultaneously. These reflections also probe the relationship between wealth and happiness, which turns out to be far less linear than popular culture suggests. Whether you are building financial security, questioning economic structures, or simply thinking about the role money plays in your values, this collection offers a wide and honest canvas.
Consumption is the sole end and purpose of all production; and the interest of the producer ought to be attended to, only so far as it may be necessary for promoting that of the consumer.
Affliction is a treasure, and scarce any man hath enough of it.
Few rich men own their property. The property owns them.