Don Marquis Rich on Whose Hard Work?
on Monday, August 18, 2014Don Marquis Money Quotation saying we should distinguish between the work done and who did that work when justifying riches gained. Don Marquis said:
“When a man tells you that he got rich through hard work, ask him; Whose?” — Don Marquis
In this quote, American journalist and humorist Don Marquis seems to be questioning the notion that wealth is always solely the result of an individual’s own hard work. By asking “Whose?” in response to claims of getting rich through labor, Marquis implies that wealth is often built on the backs of others as well – such as employees, taxpayers, outsourced workers etc.
The quote suggests one should not take claims of self-made fortune at face value, but rather consider how that wealth may have also depended on the effort and contributions of many invisible “whose” – whether directly or indirectly. Overall, Marquis appears to be challenging the idea that personal riches can be entirely divorced from societal and infrastructural support systems that facilitate wealth creation.
Birthday: November 2, 1935 – Death: September 13, 2022