Karl Marx: Rational Miser

Karl Marx Money Quote saying that being miserly is simply captialism of rationality. Karl Marx said:
  

 

“While the miser is merely a capitalist gone mad, the capitalist is a rational miser” — Karl Marx

In this quote, Karl Marx is drawing a comparison between capitalists and misers. He argues that a miser takes the capitalist mindset of accumulating wealth to an irrational extreme, by being excessively stingy and refusing to spend any money.

However, Marx views the capitalist himself as a “rational miser” – someone who is still primarily focused on accumulating riches, but does so in a calculated way through the economic system of capitalism. So in essence, Marx is criticizing capitalism by equating capitalists to misers, even if capitalists pursue wealth accumulation in a methodical rather than obsessive manner.

The overall interpretation is that Marx saw the profit-seeking behaviors of capitalists as essentially the rationalized and systematized form of the individual miser’s pathological desire to hoard wealth.

Birthday: May 5, 1818 – Death: March 14, 1883

William Shenstone: Miser Is Poor

William Shenstone Money Quote saying a miserly person becomes wealthy by seeming to be poor and vice versa. William Shenstone said:
 

 

“A miser grows rich by seeming poor. An extravagant man grows poor by seeming rich” — William Shenstone

This quote from William Shenstone is advising that appearances can be deceiving when it comes to wealth. A “miser” is someone who is very stingy with money. Though they may seem poor, a miser actually grows rich by spending little and saving a lot.

On the other hand, an “extravagant” person spends lavishly to appear wealthy but this excessive spending causes them to grow poorer over time as they use up their money.

So the quote suggests it is better to be frugal with money rather than wasteful, even if it means not flaunting visible signs of wealth.

Birthday: November 18, 1714 – Death: February 11, 1763

Jean de la Bruyere: Robs Himself

Jean de la Bruyere Money Quote saying that being extremely thrifty takes money from family, but a miserly person steals from themselves. Jean de la Bruyere said:
 

 

“The spendthrift robs his heirs the miser robs himself” — Jean de la Bruyere

In this quote, Jean de la Bruyere is contrasting the behaviors and impacts of two different types of financially unwise individuals – the spendthrift and the miser.

Specifically, he notes that a spendthrift, who recklessly wastes money on excess or frivolous expenses, effectively “robs” or deprives their heirs (those who would inherit their estate) of the wealth that should be passed down.

However, Bruyere also states that a miser, who is overly frugal to the point of being stingy and refuses to spend any money even on themselves, paradoxically “robs” themselves by denying themselves the enjoyment or benefits that their wealth could provide while they are alive.

The best interpretation is that Bruyere believed both extremes – being either too free or too tight with money – were flawed approaches that ultimately hurt either oneself or others. A balanced attitude towards spending and saving was implied to be preferable to either extreme according to Bruyere’s perspective.

Birthday: August 16, 1645 – Death: May 11, 1696

John Dryden: Sell Your Soul

John Dryden Money Quote saying misers would do anything, go anywhere for money and will leave it all to heirs. John Dryden said:
 

 

“Go miser go, for money sell your soul. Trade wares for wares and trudge from pole to pole, So others may say when you are dead and gone. See what a vast estate he left his son” — John Dryden

In this quote, John Dryden seems to be critiquing the miserly behavior and priorities of those who are excessively focused on amassing wealth at the expense of enjoying life and relationships.

Specifically, Dryden portrays the miser as willing to “sell your soul” or compromise their integrity and humanity in the relentless pursuit of accumulating more money. They are constantly trading and bartering “wares for wares” in business without rest, traveling tirelessly “from pole to pole” in the quest for riches.

However, Dryden notes that after such a miser has died, people will merely remark on the large estate and fortune they left behind for their heir rather than anything meaningful they accomplished. Their legacy amounts to the wealth amassed, not lives impacted.

The best interpretation is that Dryden believed the miser’s lifestyle of constant work and penny-pinching just to gather riches was ultimately empty and pointless. After death, they will only be remembered for their accumulated money rather than experiences or relationships, having prioritized financial prosperity over life’s deeper fulfillments according to Dryden’s perspective.

Birthday: August 19, 1631 – Death: May 12, 1700

William Blake: Miser Money Bags

William Blake Money Quote saying a miser sees money as the most beautiful of all objects and can be compared to the most beautiful things. William Blake said:
 

 

“To the eyes of a miser a guinea is more beautiful than the sun, and a bag worn with the use of money has more beautiful proportions than a vine filled with grapes” — William Blake

In this quote, William Blake is drawing a comparison between how a miser (someone who is extremely greedy and obsessed with money/possessions) views wealth and financial gain versus how most people experience the world. For a miser, even a single gold coin (guinea) is seen as more aesthetically beautiful and appealing than the splendor of nature, like the sun.

Similarly, Blake suggests a miser finds the worn bag or pouch used to carry money more attractively designed than a grapevine heavy with fruit. This reflects how the miser’s mind is so consumed with avarice that money itself takes on an almost sensual, artistic quality to them above all else. ;

The deeper interpretation is that Blake saw misers as having a distorted perspective where financial wealth becomes the ultimate object of desire, appreciation and meaning rather than more virtuous or life-affirming things in the world.

Birthday: November 28, 1757 – Death: August 12, 1827

William Blake: Distress of a Thief

William Blake Money Quote saying any thief could be said to be in financial distress, but that need for money can’t be said to cause his theivery. William Blake said:
 

 

“Want of money and the distress of a thief can never be alleged as the cause of his thieving, for many honest people endure greater hardships with fortitude. We must therefore seek the cause elsewhere than in want of money, for that is the miser’s passion, not the thief’s” — William Blake

This quote from William Blake suggests that lack of money or financial hardship alone cannot fully explain or justify why someone chooses to steal or become a thief. While honest people may endure significant want or distress without resorting to crime, Blake acknowledges that extreme deprivation could potentially compromise one’s ethics in rare cases.

However, he asserts that most theft is motivated by something other than mere necessity, such as a passion for acquiring money or possessions in excess of what is truly needed. A deeper interpretation is that Blake saw greed and temptation as more common underlying causes of theft than simple survival, challenging the notion that all criminals can be explained or excused by their circumstances alone.

The quote highlights how Blake believed theft usually stems from internal vices or character flaws rather than solely external conditions of poverty or want.

Birthday: November 28, 1757 – Death: August 12, 1827

Karl Kraus: Inheriting Wisdom

Karl Kraus Money Quotation saying suggesting that it is far more valuable to gain experience and earn wisdom than to save cash and store earnings. Karl Kraus said:
 

 

“Experiences are savings which a miser puts aside. Wisdom is an inheritance which a wastrel cannot exhaust” — Karl Kraus

In this quote, Karl Kraus is contrasting experiences and wisdom. He argues that experiences are like savings that accumulate over time through effort and diligence. However, wisdom is more akin to an inheritance in that it cannot be depleted no matter how unwisely one acts (“a wastrel”).

The implication is that experiences can be “put aside” and collected gradually, but wisdom gained from those experiences becomes a permanent possession that will remain with a person even if they squander other resources or live unproductively.

So in summary, the quote views experiences as a savings that can be depleted, whereas wisdom obtained from experiences is seen as a more enduring inheritance or possession that is not diminished by poor decisions or wasteful behavior.

Birthday: April 28, 1874 – Death: June 12, 1936