Quotes About Wealth

there was an underlying theme in the letters that insinuated, without ever saying so explicitly, that wealthy white executives—men with families and impressive educational pedigrees, men who give to charity and play an important role in their local communities—were temperamentally incapable of committing the kinds of crimes that should land a person in prison. They weren't the types of people who belonged in prison, one letter after another suggested.

OxyContin had generated some $35 billion. A sizable amount of this revenue was channeled not through London or New York but through the tax haven of Bermuda, where, for decades, an anonymous-looking modern office building on a narrow street lined with palm trees had served as a clearinghouse for the family's wealth.

Think of it as the dangle: a wealthy patron can often enjoy favor and influence with a hard-up institution that are far out of proportion to any gifts that have actually been made, because the canny donor learns to dangle the possibility of future gifts, and that is a possibility that the museum or university cannot afford to overlook. When the dangle is executed correctly, there is almost nothing that the institution will not do to keep the donor (or even the prospective donor) happy.

One unadvertised hazard in the life of a plutocrat is that the people around you can be prone to yes-man sycophancy.

Sacklers as one of the twenty wealthiest families in the United States, with an estimated fortune of some $14 billion,

The Sacklers had given away hundreds of millions of dollars, and for decades the Sackler name had been associated in the public mind with philanthropy.

the precise origins of the Sacklers' wealth had, for a long time, been more mysterious.

Sacklers' wealth had been accumulated not in the era of the robber barons but in recent decades.

for most practical purposes, Tarbean had two parts: Waterside and Hillside. Waterside is where people are poor. That makes them beggars, thieves and whores. Hillside is where people are rich. That makes them solicitors, politicians and courtesans.

I walked across the polished marble floor and sat on a red velvet lounging couch. I idly wondered how exactly one was supposed to lounge. I couldn't remember ever doing it myself. After a moment's consideration, I decided lounging was probably similar to relaxing, but with more money in your pocket.

To be both rich and handsome was bad enough. But to have a voice like honey over warm bread on top of that was simply inexcusable.

Folk like to pretend they know everything about the world. Rich folk especially. Maps are great for that. [...] You don't have blanks on your map, so the folks who draw them shade in a piece and write, 'The Eld.' You might as well burn a hole right through the map for what good that does.

Waterside was poor. Hillside was rich. Waterside stank. Hillside was clean. Waterside had thieves. Hillside had bankers -I'm sorry, burglars.

The poorer you are, the more your pride is worth.

Did you know I never paid taxes before I came here? The Edema don't own property, as a rule." He gestured at the inn. "I never understood how galling it was. Some smug bastard with a ledger comes into town, makes you pay for the privilege of owning something.

money I could hardly think of it. "Go on, take it.

But for most practical purposes Tarbean had two pieces: Waterside and Hillside. Waterside is where people are poor. That makes them beggars, thieves, and whores. Hillside is where people are rich. That makes them solicitors, politicians, and courtesans.

There is a vast difference between having some coin and no coin. There is a feeling of helplessness that comes from an empty purse.

he wore his wealth with the comfortable indifference of someone born into it. New-made nobles, pretenders, and rich merchants simply don't carry themselves the same way. Alveron

Devi chuckled a bit. "Money is nice," she said, her eyes glittering. "But the world is full of things that people would never sell. Favors and obligation are worth far, far more.

I knew from my previous discussions with Ben that you needed money or brains to get into the University. The more of one you had, the less of the other you needed.

Tarbean had two pieces: Waterside and Hillside. Waterside is where people are poor. That makes them beggars, thieves, and whores. Hillside is where people are rich. That makes them solicitors, politicians, and courtesans.

Money is nice, but the world is full of things that people would never sell. Favors and obligation are worth far, far more.

These poor, rich men who, seeing that you can't be caught, attempt to buy a thing they know cannot be bought.