When you come to analyze the love of money which was the general impulse to effort in your day, you find that the dread of want and desire of luxury was but one of several motives which the pursuit of money represented; the others, and with many the more influential, being desire of power, of social position, and reputation for ability and success.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The drive to make money stems from more than just fear of poverty; it includes desires for power, status, and reputation.
- In plain terms
- People want money for status and power, not just to survive.
- What can you take from it?
- Ambition is driven by complex social desires.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Why do we chase wealth?
- Is ambition purely economic?
Another view
Fear of poverty is still a primary motivator for many.
More from Edward Bellamy
The nation guarantees the nurture, education, and comfortable maintenance of every citizen from the cradle to the grave.
Permalink to quote #11 Badly off as the men...were in your day, they were more fortunate than their mothers and wives.
Permalink to quote #13 Buying and selling is essentially antisocial.
Permalink to quote #10
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