Painterly open ornate wooden chest holding folded fabrics and gold coins beside a lit lantern.

Original artwork, not a still

The Affluent Society

John Kenneth Galbraith

Wealth is not without its advantages and the case to the contrary, although it has often been made, has never proved widely persuasive.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The careful understatement makes a familiar preference sound like the result of a long public debate. Arguments against wealth have had plenty of opportunity, yet people remain unconvinced. The dry humour lies in acknowledging money’s appeal without pretending that repeated moral objections have persuaded many to surrender its advantages.

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