/ 26 September 2014

Told you so: Quotes on wealth, poverty, inequality and class

“These days there is a lot of poverty in the world
“These days there is a lot of poverty in the world

“Behind every great fortune is a crime.” – Honore de Balzac

“Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich.” – Napoleon Bonaparte

“Work is the curse of the drinking classes.” – Oscar Wilde

“Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice.” – Nelson Mandela

“There’s class warfare, all right, but it’s my class, the rich class, that’s making war, and we’re winning.”  –  Warren Buffett

“If wealth was the inevitable result of hard work and enterprise, every woman in Africa would be a millionaire.” – George Monbiot

“There is no monopoly on becoming a millionaire. If you’re jealous of those with more money, don’t just sit there and complain. Do something to make more money yourself – spend less time drinking, or smoking and socializing and more time working.” – Gina Rinehart, Australian mining heiress

“These days there is a lot of poverty in the world, and that’s a scandal when we have so many riches and resources to give to everyone. We all have to think about how we can become a little poorer.” – Pope Francis

“The last capitalist we hang shall be the one who sold us the rope.”  – Karl Marx (also frequently attributed to Vladimir Lenin)

“The deep inequalities that persist are visible reminders of the effects of apartheid and colonialism. Until these scars are healed, the vision of our Constitution will not have been achieved.” – Kate O’Regan, Constitutional Court judge

“Money doesn’t make you happy. I now have $50 million but I was just as happy when I had $48 million.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“Let them eat cake.” – Maria Theresa, the Spanish princess who married Louis XIV (though frequently attributed to Marie Antoinette).

South Africa does not have a poverty problem. Poverty is a result of denialism of the way corruption taxes poor people, the inefficiencies that undermine poor people’s opportunities and our refusal to admit that we are part of the problem.” – Mamphela Ramphele

Sources: inequality.org, goodreads.com, brainyquote.com, guardian.co.uk, smithsonian.org, mg.co.za, forbes.com.