Friday, May 25, 2007

Man does not live on bread along

"Man does not live by bread alone. I have known millionaires starving for lack of the nutriment which alone can sustain all that is human in man, and I know workmen, and many so-called poor men, who revel in luxuries beyond the power of those millionaires to reach. It is the mind that makes the body rich. There is no class so pitiably wretched as that which possesses money and nothing else. Money can only be the useful drudge of things immeasurably higher than itself. Exalted beyond this, as it sometimes is, it remains Caliban still and still plays the beast. My aspirations take a higher flight. Mine be it to have contributed to the enlightenment and the joys of the mind, to the things of the spirit, to all that tends to bring into the lives of the toilers of Pittsburgh sweetness and light. I hold this the noblest possible

This quote was taken by the famous Andrew Carnegie, who was of the gilded ages and who was also considered to be the richest man in the world during his time. His main focus was on his steel company, but he was also known for building libraries for the public. He made it imperative, that man and women of rich fortunes make their contributions by helping their fellow man (mainly the citizens of the poor and working class). He believed that prosperity came when a man was willing to help himself, to work hard to create his own liberty and fortune. Carnegie believed that if the rich put their resources into helping man help himself it would be a benefit to the nation as a whole. I believe that Carnegie had the right approach, in that giving handouts are never good. Encouraging people to work hard in the turn for one’s own prosperity is not only good for the person working, but for the nation that the man happens to live in. If the rich want to give back to the nation that allowed him to prosper in a meaningful way the advice given from Carnegie to help a man to fish for himself is a unique approach.

2 comments:

Celestine said...

Andrew carnigie was smart and had some good idea maybe rich people should consider his ideas

Anonymous said...

. . .the quote made mad sense and no the rich arent doing a good job because people know no sympathy or empathy these days. But that depends on what you think the definition of rich is. Or the context of which its used in different situations. Example right now I'm rich in blessings 'cause God is blessing me-You know so . . .But the first thing I said was referring to the people that are rich money wise . . .