Posts Tagged ‘Daniel Defoe’
Daniel Defoe: Wealth Makes Lords
on Tuesday, December 28, 2021Daniel Defoe Money Quote saying wealth creates the lower classes into upper class by means of money. Daniel Defoe said:
“Wealth, howsoever got, in England makes lords of mechanics, gentlemen of rakes; Antiquity and birth are needless here; ‘Tis impudence and money makes a peer” — Daniel Defoe
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This quote by Daniel Defoe is commenting on social mobility in England through the accumulation of wealth. Defoe is saying that in England, wealth trumps hereditary status and lineage. Mechanics (skilled manual workers) and rakes (dissolute men) can become lords or gentlemen simply by acquiring wealth, no matter their background or family lineage.
Defoe is suggesting that in England, one can rise to the highest social class or even become a peer (member of the nobility) through boldness and money alone, rather than needing an ancient family name or birth into the aristocracy. So in essence, the quote means that in England at that time, wealth was the path to higher social standing and status rather than hereditary privilege or ancestry.
Daniel Defoe: Wise Despise Poverty
on Monday, December 27, 2021Daniel Defoe Money Quote saying wealthy have wisdom and the educated despise poverty. Daniel Defoe said:
“He that is rich is wise, And all men learned poverty despise” — Daniel Defoe
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This quote from Daniel Defoe suggests that wealth brings wisdom, and those who are educated tend to look down on poverty. It could mean that having money allows people to have new experiences and learn lessons that come with wealth, making them wise. Or it could mean that wealthy people see themselves as wiser than poor people.
However, the quote could also be interpreted ironically – that those who are rich may think they are wise but are not necessarily so, and that the educated do not truly understand or appreciate the challenges of poverty. The best interpretation is likely open to debate as reasonable people can disagree on this point.
Daniel Defoe: Rich Man Honest
on Sunday, December 26, 2021Daniel Defoe Money Quote saying one with wealth has no need to cheat when it wouldn’t benefit his bottom line or he’s doubly dishonest. Daniel Defoe said:
“A rich man is an honest man — no thanks to him; for he would be a double knave, to cheat mankind when he had no need of it: he has no occasion to press upon his integrity, nor so much as to touch upon the borders of dishonesty” — Daniel Defoe
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This quote by Daniel Defoe suggests that a wealthy person has no need to act dishonestly or cheat others out of greed, since they are already rich. Defoe is saying that a rich person who cheats or acts dishonestly when they have no financial need to do so would be a “double knave” – dishonest both in cheating others and in doing so unnecessarily despite their wealth.
The quote implies that the rich have less temptation to compromise their integrity for money, since they already have money, so in that sense they may be considered more honest than someone who feels a strong financial pressure to act dishonestly.
Daniel Defoe: Poverty Worst Snare
on Monday, November 15, 2021Daniel Defoe Money Quote saying coveting wealth is worst evil, and being poor is the worst trap to those who fall into it. Daniel Defoe said:
“As covetousness is the root of all evil, so poverty is the worst of all snares” — Daniel Defoe
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This quote from Daniel Defoe is saying that greed or covetousness (a strong desire for wealth, possessions, power, etc.) is the root cause of all evil. At the same time, Defoe is saying that being poor is one of the worst traps that people can fall into.
The interpretation is that both greed and poverty can negatively impact people’s lives – greed by motivating harmful actions, and poverty by limiting opportunities and making it harder to escape difficult circumstances. Overall, the quote is warning about the dangers of both excessive greed/desire as well as the hardships of living in poverty.