The disposition to admire, and almost to worship, the rich…
““The disposition to admire, and almost to worship, the rich and the powerful, and to despise, or, at least, to neglect persons of poor and mean condition is the great and most universal cause of the corruption of our moral sentiments.” —Adam Smith, father of market economics, 1723–1790, in The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759)””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Worship of wealth and power leads to moral decay, neglecting the poor.
In simple terms: Rich worship harms morality.
Key Takeaway
Challenge the glorification of wealth.
Themes
ethics
social inequality
political economy
Mood
critical
thought‑provoking
Type
political
philosophical
When to use this quote
- policy debates
- charitable actions
- media critique
- educational curricula
Key Concepts
moral philosophy
class bias
economic power
Questions to Reflect On
- How does wealth worship affect your decisions?
- What can you do to value all people equally?
A Different Perspective
Changing deep‑seated cultural values is difficult.