What he realised, and more clearly as time went on, was…
““What he realised, and more clearly as time went on, was that money-worship has been elevated into a religion. Perhaps it is the only real religion-the only felt religion-that is left to us. Money is what God used to be. Good and evil have no meaning any longer except failure and success. Hence the profoundly significant phrase, to make good. The decalogue has been reduced to two commandments. One for the employers-the elect, the money priesthood as it were- 'Thou shalt make money'; the other for the employed- the slaves and underlings'- 'Thou shalt not lose thy job.' It was about this time that he came across The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists and read about the starving carpenter who pawns everything but sticks to his aspidistra. The aspidistra became a sort of symbol for Gordon after that. The aspidistra, the flower of England! It ought to be on our coat of arms instead of the lion and the unicorn. There will be no revolution in England while there are aspidistras in the windows.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
The quote critiques how capitalism becomes a quasi-religion, turning wealth into moral authority and reducing ethics to profit and job security.
In simple terms: Money worship replaces traditional religion, making success the only moral metric.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and resist the deification of wealth.
Themes
materialism
religion
ethics
power
class
Mood
critical
reflective
skeptical
Type
philosophical
social commentary
When to use this quote
- workplace
- political activism
- personal values
- social critique
Key Concepts
capitalism
secularization
alienation
ideology
Questions to Reflect On
- How does viewing money as a religion affect personal ethics?
- Can societies find moral frameworks beyond profit?
A Different Perspective
It oversimplifies complex socioeconomic factors and may ignore positive aspects of economic motivation.