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“The petty economies of the rich are just as amazing as the silly extravagances of the poor.”
William Feather (1889–1981) first seen 1966 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in The Successful Toastmaster: A Treasure Chest of Introductions, Epigrams, Humor, and Quotations (1966) by Herbert Victor Prochnow, p. 466
“Wealthy people used to find democracy frightening. The reason was simple: the poor, once enfranchised, should be expected to soak the rich. This fear bred elite resistance to expanding the franchise, particularly beyond the propertied classes. Nor did this fear, and the reasoning behind it, go unnoticed on the political left.”
Ian Shapiro (born 1956) first seen 2008 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Ian Shapiro, Peter A. Swenson, and Daniela Donno, "Introduction" in Divide and deal : the politics of distribution in democracies (2008) edited by Ian Shapiro, Peter A. Swenson, and Daniela Donno.
“We in America reject planning except for the private sector of the economy, so what we have is democratic socialization for the rich and rugged individualism for the poor.”
Bayard Rustin (1912–1987) first seen 1967 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: American Institute of Planners Conference, Washington, DC, October 5, 1967. Quoted in the Congressional Record, House of Representatives, October 11, 1967, Volume 113, Part 21, p. 28676.
“Anytime you're talking about a ladder, you're talking about a top and a bottom , an upper class and a lower class, a rich class and a poor class. As long as you've got a system with a top and a bottom, Black people are always going to wind up at the bottom, because we're the easiest to discriminate against.”
Assata Shakur (1947–2025) said by 2025 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When the needed to make a decision they thought of the implications of the seventh generation to come after them. Today we must think... of peoples all over the world, rich or poor, industrialized or indigenous.”
F. David Peat (1938–2017) said by 2017 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The poor didn’t have them and so the rich flaunted them, the larger and more conspicuous the better.”
Alastair Reynolds (born 1966) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Freedom is an indivisible word. If we want to enjoy it, and fight for it, we must be prepared to extend it to everyone, whether they are rich or poor, whether they agree with us or not, no matter what their race or the colour of their skin.”
Wendell Willkie (1892–1944) first seen 1943 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: One World (1943), ch. 13
“You can't say that New Age politics is "left wing" or "right wing". It is perfectly compatible with public or private ownership of the means of production, and it speaks equally much to rich and poor, young and old, white collar and blue.”
Mark Satin (born 1946) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“...History is written by the rich, and so the poor get blamed for everything.”
Jeffrey Sachs (born 1954) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Bottom line: it is clear that few things will diminish your life more quickly and profoundly than being ungrateful. Conversely, nothing will enlarge your life more quickly and dramatically than gratitude. I know poor people who are convinced they are rich.”
Don Soderquist (1934–2016) first seen 2006 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Don Soderquist “Live Learn Lead to Make a Difference, Thomas Nelson, April 2006 p. 37.
“There are many different ways to be poor in the world but increasingly there seems to be one single way to be rich.”
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (born 1977) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Rich men have dreams. Poor men die to make them come true.”
Glen Cook (born 1944) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We now live in an age in which we are all information rich and experience poor.”
Xiaolu Guo (born 1973) first seen 2023 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Radical: A Life of My Own, Chatto & Windus, 2023, page 78 (ISBN 9781784744861).
“[E]very soak-the-rich tax must become in time a soak-the-poor tax.”
Frank Chodorov (1887–1966) said by 1966 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Those who owned and held the land believed, and acted up to their belief as far as they were able, that the land belonged to the rich man only, that the poor man had no part nor lot in it, and had no sort of claim on society.”
Joseph Arch (1826–1919) said by 1919 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Paul's ... no-work-no-eat doctrine was directed by him only against the poor. All around him were the rich, virginally innocent of toil, and yet who were gorged to the gullet.”
Bouck White (1874–1951) said by 1951 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Although many laws perpetuate advantages gained by antecendent violence and apply unequally to rich and poor, and although most are outwardly prohibitive and therefore negative, they rest on the positive basis of the will of most men to live peacefully together.”
Giovanni Baldelli (1914–1986) said by 1986 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It's the rich and powerful, by and large, who glamorize immorality, but it's the poor and vulnerable who pay the price.”
Robert P. George (born 1955) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The fearful divide Trump has exacerbated is not simply between his supporters and his detractors, the rich and the poor, or Democrats and Republicans, but between the best and the worst in each of us.”
Tony Schwartz (author) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“No quantity of atomic bombs could stem the tide of billions...who will some day leave the poor Southern part of the world to erupt into the relatively accessible spaces of the rich Northern Hemisphere looking for survival.”
Houari Boumédiène (1932–1978) first seen 1977 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quoted in Bob Reiss, 'The Melting Pot', Potomac Magazine in The Washington Post (17 July 1977), p. 27, quoted in Gary L. Peters and Robert P. Larkin, Population Geography: Problems, Concepts, and Prospects (1979), p. 189
“Don't think for a moment that Mbeki is not anti-white - he is, most definitely. His speeches all have anti-white themes and he continues to convince everyone that there are two types of South African - the poor black and the rich white.”
Helen Suzman (1917–2009) first seen 2004 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in "Democracy? It was better under apartheid, says Helen Suzman" (15 May 2004), by Jane Flanagan, The Telegraph
“We can not predict who will develop the cancer. Cancer is a just disease – it affects everyone, regardless of whether we are poor or rich, where we live, how we live.”
Marek Sanak (born 1958) first seen 2016 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Mazurek, Maria (13 May 2016): Komórki rakowe to anarchizujące potwory. Gazeta Krakowska (in Polish), pp. 18–19.
“It would seem as if the only thing Shahjahan cared for was the search for women to serve his pleasure ... for this end he established a fair at his court. No one was allowed to enter except women of all ranks that is to say, great and small, rich and poor, but all handsome.”
Niccolao Manucci (1638–1720) said by 1720 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Manucci, I, p.195. Quoted in Lal, K. S. (1988). The Mughal harem. New Delhi: Aditya Prakashan.
“The revolution of the proletariat - the war of the poor against the rich, is the only way from oppression to deliverance.”
Johann Most (1846–1906) said by 1906 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Like liberals, anarchists want freedom; like socialists, anarchists want equality. But we are not satisfied by liberalism alone or by socialism alone. Freedom without equality means that the poor and the weak are less free than the rich and strong, and equality without freedom means that we are all slaves together. Freedom and equality are not contradictory, but complementary.”
Nicolas Walter (1934–2000) first seen 1969 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: About Anarchism (1969), p. 163
“The peace of the world is a matter that concerns not only the rich and powerful nations, some of whom produce, purchase and deploy sophisticated weapons of mass destruction, but more profoundly, the poor, weak and small nations, who are the victims of the squander and waste that are characteristic of militarism.”
Maurice Bishop (1944–1983) said by 1983 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There were, in Ferret’s experience, two kinds of law: one law ruled the poor, an altogether different one more gently guided the rich.”
Steve Perry (author) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We are Muslims and we have an ethical tradition. We believe that the Quran is universal and one of the essential doctrines of it is to ensuring equality and justice without any discrimination between poor and rich.”
Hamza Tzortzis (born 1980) first seen 2014 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Tzortzis: Islam can cure the inequalities in the world", World Bulletin.net (May 24, 2014)
“The game of speculation is the most uniformly fascinating game in the world. But it is not a game for the stupid, the mentally lazy, the person of inferior emotional balance, or the get-rich-quick adventurer. They will die poor.”
Jesse Lauriston Livermore (1877–1940) said by 1940 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“How did we change? Every one of us has become one thing or another, according to our own understanding. We believe ourselves to be men or women, rich people or poor people. We believe that we are teachers, soldiers, psychiatrists. We believe that we are young or old, fat or thin, happy or miserable... Americans or Indians, Russians or Arabs, Hindus or Christians, Muslims or Jews.”
Muktananda (1908–1982) said by 1982 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“They were human beings who had a life, who had a lineage, who had parents, who had children, who had lives. They were not poor or rich. They were people and these people had humanity. So it was important that someone who knew them write about the event…”
Dany Laferrière (born 1953) first seen 2010 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On reporting about the 2010 earthquake in Haiti in “An Interview with Dany Laferrière” (WWB Daily, 2016)
“There will always be the poor as long as there are the rich.”
Manu Joseph (born 1974) first seen 2020 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Why India should treat its poor as though they are rich, 10 May 2020, Livemint
“The gap between rich and poor can't be resolved without deliberate inequality-busting policies, and too few governments are committed to these.”
Amitabh Behar first seen 2020 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in World’s billionaires have more wealth than 4.6 billion people, 20 January 2020, Oxfam
“Greece is rich but the Greeks are poor.”
Andreas Papandreou (1919–1996) said by 1996 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[O]ur tax system now levies the poor, the middle class and even the upper middle class to subsidize the rich...”
David Cay Johnston (born 1948) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The worst of feasts are marriage feasts, to which the rich are invited and the poor left out, and he who abandons the acceptation of an invitation, then verily disobeys God and His Prophet.”
Thomas Hughes (priest) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Five souls are the most dignified in creation: a scholar who is not self-indulgent (moderate), a Sufi jurisprudent, a humble rich person, a thankful poor one, and a noble who follows the Sunnah.”
Sufyan al-Thawri (716–784) said by 784 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We should keep in mind that in this country there is a general discrimination against minorities and the poorest workers. It is a widespread mentality which can also affect this tragedy. The fact that the rich are better off than the poor, having saved their own land, is a serious matter which the government must address.”
Max Rodrigues (born 1938) first seen 2010 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Pakistan: some Christians denied aid unless they convert to Islam (September 6, 2010)
“A lot of people say it’s a universal story because it’s about the gap between rich and poor, but I don’t think that’s all the answer. I think this film has done so well because it appeals in a very cinematic way, as a film in itself. I really want to take time to look back at what that cinematic appeal was.”
Bong Joon-ho (born 1969) first seen 2020 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On the worldwide reception of Parasite in "Parasite director Bong Joon-ho: 'Korea seems glamorous, but the young are in despair" in The Guardian (31 January 2020)
“When rich and poor”
Martín Zarzar wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“... But what would happen if genetic determinism could be destroyed once and for all? Will men cease to be patriarchal? And will the rich distribute their possessions to the poor? Fat chance.”
Patrick Bateson (1938–2017) said by 2017 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[Referring to the polls according to which he was «the most loved by Italians».] I, poor, not handsome and not rich, kicked the ass of the monido and I am the Lorella Cuccarini of the Berlusconi government.”
Renato Brunetta (born 1950) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The increased protectism causes the deep anxiousness. The achievements of the globalization process is not allocated equally among countries in the region, cooperatives and population community. The scientific and technological advances can increase the development distance between economies and cooperatives as well as the rich and poor gap between people classes in the region.”
Đặng Thị Ngọc Thịnh (born 1959) first seen 2017 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Welcome speech at the 10th Asia-Pacific Cooperative Ministers’ Conference (2017)
“What would happen if the population decreased drastically and there was a war with some country? Messing with nature is not wise, it will only cause harm. Who can stop what Allah wants to create? He will be born. Whether poor or rich, everyone gets food by the mercy of Allah. There will be no benefit from the population law.” added Barq.”
Shafiqur Rahman Barq (1930–2024) first seen 2021 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Jul 2021 ‘Giving birth to multiple kids is our birthright and Allah’s law’
“It's the same the whole world over. Every year we get a little bit older. No matter what you say, no matter what you do Rich or poor, you know it's gonna happen to you.”
Gilbert O'Sullivan (born 1946) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Better a thrifty son-in-law and poor, than a glutton who is rich.”
Mateo Alemán (1547–1614) said by 1614 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Feudalism was a licence to plunder, rape and even murder. The rich got richer; the poor despaired.”
Tehmina Durrani (born 1953) first seen 1991 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: My Feudal Lord. Tehmina Durrani. 1991
“No community, rich or poor, urban or suburban, black or white, should be made into a sacrifice zone or dumping ground.”
Robert D. Bullard (born 1946) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Americans were happy to celebrate their super-rich and, at least sometimes, worry about their poor. But putting those two conversations together and talking about economic inequality was pretty much taboo.”
Chrystia Freeland (born 1968) first seen 2012 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Rise of the Plutocrats - Why have Americans been so tolerant of the rising gulf between rich and poor?", The Globalist, 19 November 2012
“Rich and poor are presented to you; liars are also presented to you. Whatever he be, everyone is yours, they are like the wives of one man—wives of one man never love each other and these wives of yours will be like that.”
Ntebogang Ratshosa (1882–1979) first seen 1882 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: NTEBOGANG RATSHOSA (1882-1979), MOTSHWARELEDI OF THE BANGWAKETSE (1924-1928) by Jeff Ramsay 27 June 2016