Luxury spreads its ample board before their eyes; but they are excluded from the banquet. Plenty revels over the fields; but they are starving in the midst of its abundance: the whole wilderness has blossomed into a garden; but they feel as reptiles that infest it.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The poor witness abundance but remain excluded from it, feeling worthless amidst wealth.
- In plain terms
- People see plenty around them but cannot share in it.
- What can you take from it?
- Visibility of wealth does not ease poverty.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Who is excluded from your community's success?
- How can abundance be shared better?
Another view
Some may feel content regardless of material wealth.
More from Washington Irving
That happy age when a man can be idle with impunity.
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Permalink to quote #16 A tart temper never mellows with age, and a sharp tongue is the only edge tool that grows keener with constant use.
Permalink to quote #13
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