Walter Bagehot: Cluelessness of Rich

Posted by admin on Friday, November 5, 2010

Walter Bagehot Funny Money Quote saying wealthy ignorance is – making some rich folks unlikely to survive simple hunger without a waiter. Walter Bagehot said:
 

 

“Poverty is an anomaly to rich people; it is very difficult to make out why people who want dinner do not ring the bell” — Walter Bagehot

 

 

In this quote, Walter Bagehot is commenting on how poverty can be incomprehensible to wealthy people. He is suggesting that it is not always easy for rich individuals to understand why poorer people do not simply solve problems like acquiring food by using the means readily available to the rich, like ringing a bell to summon a servant to bring dinner.

Bagehot acknowledges that those who have never experienced poverty themselves may have difficulty grasping the complex social, economic and other constraints that prevent the poor from addressing basic needs as effortlessly as the affluent. The quote speaks to the lack of empathy or insight some in privileged circumstances can have regarding the challenges of living in poverty.

Birthday: February 3, 1826 – Death: March 24, 1877

Categories: Funny Tagged:povertyrichwalter bagehot