Robert Louis Stevenson: Personal Desires
on Friday, July 29, 2016Robert Louis Stevenson Money Quote saying everyone believes that if they made enough money – THEN they will be charitable, but charity fails to appear. Robert Louis Stevenson said:
“It is a mere illusion that, above a certain income, the personal desires will be satisfied and leave a wider margin for the generous impulse” — Robert Louis Stevenson
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In this quote, Robert Louis Stevenson is expressing skepticism about the idea that having a high income will necessarily lead to greater generosity. By calling it “a mere illusion” that personal desires will be satisfied above a certain income level, Stevenson suggests that as earnings rise, so do expectations and wants, leaving less inclination to be open-handed with surplus funds.
He implies that the “generous impulse” may not grow stronger even for wealthy individuals because financial wants tend to expand to meet available resources.
Overall, the quote conveys Stevenson’s view that affluence does not guarantee generosity, as personal desires have a way of absorbing excess money that could otherwise support charitable causes or help those in need. Simply having more income does not necessarily translate to a broader margin for giving according to Stevenson.
Birthday: November 13, 1850 – Death: December 3, 1894