--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Have you ever wondered why the rich and…" description: "\"Have you ever wondered why the rich and privileged care about, or even bother with, the gift bag? Because they don't need this stuff. If they wanted it..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d2/a-a-gill-3415_bag_have-you-ever-wondered-why-the-rich-and_182382.png" --- # Have you ever wondered why the rich and privileged care… ![“Have you ever wondered why the rich and privileged care about, or even bother with, the gift bag? Because they don't need this stuff. If they wanted it, they could afford to buy it, without blinking. But they love the gift bag, beyond reason.” quote by A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d2/a-a-gill-3415_bag_have-you-ever-wondered-why-the-rich-and_182382.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d2/a-a-gill-3415_bag_have-you-ever-wondered-why-the-rich-and_182382.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d2/a-a-gill-3415_bag_have-you-ever-wondered-why-the-rich-and_182382.png) > “Have you ever wondered why the rich and privileged care about, or even bother with, the gift bag? Because they don't need this stuff. If they wanted it, they could afford to buy it, without blinking. But they love the gift bag, beyond reason.” [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The affluent value symbolic gestures like gift bags more than the items themselves, because they can afford the actual goods. **In simple terms:** Rich people cherish the gesture, not the product. Key Takeaway Appreciate symbolic value over material need. Themes status symbolism consumerism wealth psychology Mood iric reflective Type observational cultural When to use this quote - marketing - brand loyalty - social rituals Key Concepts Social signaling affluence gift culture Questions to Reflect On - Why do we attach meaning to symbols we can easily replace? - How does status influence our perception of value? A Different Perspective The gesture can be seen as superficial or manipulative. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Gift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gift/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) ## Related quotes > [I bet they didn't tell you that was in the gift bag.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrien-brody/i-bet-they-didn-t-tell-you-that-was-in-the-gift-bag/) [Adrien Brody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrien-brody/) > [I'd show you what you mean to me, but heaven won't fit in a gift bag..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-d-show-you-what-you-mean-to-me-but-heaven-won-t-fit-in-a-gift-bag/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People are dangerous. If they're able to involve themselves in issues that matter, they may change the distribution of power, to the detriment of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/people-are-dangerous-if-they-re-able-to-involve-themselves-in-issues/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Lives in previous centuries for women are largely a matter of class. It would have been fun to have been a rich, privileged woman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonia-fraser/lives-in-previous-centuries-for-women-are-largely-a-matter-of-class/) [Antonia Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonia-fraser/) > [Tough love is just the right phrase: love for the rich and privileged, tough for everyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/tough-love-is-just-the-right-phrase-love-for-the-rich-and-privileged/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The problem with a man bag is that it's called a man bag.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/the-problem-with-a-man-bag-is-that-it-s-called-a-man-bag/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [Gifts are an important and necessary part of our collective lives. We need to give and we need to allow others to give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/gifts-are-an-important-and-necessary-part-of-our-collective-lives-we/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [Television gives us the gift to see ourselves as we'd like to be seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/television-gives-us-the-gift-to-see-ourselves-as-we-d-like-to-be-seen/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [If I forgot to put something on, and I have to wear a trash bag, I'm just like, 'I'm gonna rock a trash bag…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-rippon/if-i-forgot-to-put-something-on-and-i-have-to-wear-a-trash-bag-i-m/) [Adam Rippon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-rippon/) > [I've never been impressed by somebody who came in with a crocodile bag, you know?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lindbergh/i-ve-never-been-impressed-by-somebody-who-came-in-with-a-crocodile/) [Peter Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lindbergh/) > [“Don't keep looking for "something" in the bag of "nothing". You will see the same thing again and again no matter how many times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/don-t-keep-looking-for-something-in-the-bag-of-nothing-you-will-see/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [I am very, very old-fashioned and clumsy. I use those long reporter notebooks. This is what a troglodyte I am. The night before I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/i-am-very-very-old-fashioned-and-clumsy-i-use-those-long-reporter/) [David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/) > [Ice your arm, after a start, pitchers will put the ice bag on their elbow and their shoulder. Makes no sense. It makes a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-bauer/ice-your-arm-after-a-start-pitchers-will-put-the-ice-bag-on-their/) [Trevor Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-bauer/) > [I'm never without my personalised Anya Hindmarch diary - I keep my schedule online, too, but my diary is always in my bag. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aerin-lauder/i-m-never-without-my-personalised-anya-hindmarch-diary-i-keep-my/) [Aerin Lauder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aerin-lauder/) > [“I wasn’t a nerd, mind you, but I’d spent a lot of my youth studying Epics, so I’d had limited experience with social interaction.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/i-wasn-t-a-nerd-mind-you-but-i-d-spent-a-lot-of-my-youth-studying/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) ## More by A. A. Gill > [It's a great historical joke that when the Spanish met the Aztecs, it was a blind date made in serve-you-right heaven. At the time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/it-s-a-great-historical-joke-that-when-the-spanish-met-the-aztecs-it/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [If New York is a wise guy, Paris a coquette, Rome a gigolo and Berlin a wicked uncle, then London is an old lady…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/if-new-york-is-a-wise-guy-paris-a-coquette-rome-a-gigolo-and-berlin-a/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [Frightened is the natural state for all men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/frightened-is-the-natural-state-for-all-men/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [So, being a good man is not an exam or a qualification, it changes, and it incorporates being a good friend, a good father,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/so-being-a-good-man-is-not-an-exam-or-a-qualification-it-changes-and/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [Women's handbags are incredibly heavy. You rarely get to pick one up and, when you do, you wonder why anyone carries so much stuff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/women-s-handbags-are-incredibly-heavy-you-rarely-get-to-pick-one-up/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [Gifts are an important and necessary part of our collective lives. We need to give and we need to allow others to give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/gifts-are-an-important-and-necessary-part-of-our-collective-lives-we/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [London is a city of ghosts; you feel them here. Not just of people, but eras. The ghost of empire, or the blitz, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/london-is-a-city-of-ghosts-you-feel-them-here-not-just-of-people-but/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [Television gives us the gift to see ourselves as we'd like to be seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/television-gives-us-the-gift-to-see-ourselves-as-we-d-like-to-be-seen/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [I walk up a dune to a beach and look out to sea, but it's 100km away. The ships lie askew in their dry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/i-walk-up-a-dune-to-a-beach-and-look-out-to-sea-but-it-s-100km-away/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [Being able to afford everything you desire is not, by any means, the worst thing that can happen to you. But, depressingly, and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/being-able-to-afford-everything-you-desire-is-not-by-any-means-the/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [If the world were to end tomorrow and we could choose to save only one thing as the explanation and memorial to who we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/if-the-world-were-to-end-tomorrow-and-we-could-choose-to-save-only/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [You see, the problem with Dave Cameron is that people know who he is. The less people know about him, the more he's likely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/you-see-the-problem-with-dave-cameron-is-that-people-know-who-he-is/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [Personal adornment is the only cultural form that everybody in the world takes part in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/personal-adornment-is-the-only-cultural-form-that-everybody-in-the/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [The part that makes you unique is the bit people will like or fear, fall in love with, or try to avoid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/the-part-that-makes-you-unique-is-the-bit-people-will-like-or-fear/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [The Lib-Dems are sidekicks. They were born to be sidekicks and that's what they should concentrate on being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/the-lib-dems-are-sidekicks-they-were-born-to-be-sidekicks-and-that-s/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) [Explore all 131 A. A. Gill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) ## More Bag quotes > [“I wasn’t a nerd, mind you, but I’d spent a lot of my youth studying Epics, so I’d had limited experience with social interaction.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/i-wasn-t-a-nerd-mind-you-but-i-d-spent-a-lot-of-my-youth-studying/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [If I forgot to put something on, and I have to wear a trash bag, I'm just like, 'I'm gonna rock a trash bag…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-rippon/if-i-forgot-to-put-something-on-and-i-have-to-wear-a-trash-bag-i-m/) [Adam Rippon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-rippon/) > [I've never been impressed by somebody who came in with a crocodile bag, you know?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lindbergh/i-ve-never-been-impressed-by-somebody-who-came-in-with-a-crocodile/) [Peter Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lindbergh/) > [“Don't keep looking for "something" in the bag of "nothing". You will see the same thing again and again no matter how many times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/don-t-keep-looking-for-something-in-the-bag-of-nothing-you-will-see/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [Ice your arm, after a start, pitchers will put the ice bag on their elbow and their shoulder. Makes no sense. It makes a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-bauer/ice-your-arm-after-a-start-pitchers-will-put-the-ice-bag-on-their/) [Trevor Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-bauer/) > [I am very, very old-fashioned and clumsy. I use those long reporter notebooks. This is what a troglodyte I am. The night before I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/i-am-very-very-old-fashioned-and-clumsy-i-use-those-long-reporter/) [David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/) > [I'm never without my personalised Anya Hindmarch diary - I keep my schedule online, too, but my diary is always in my bag. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aerin-lauder/i-m-never-without-my-personalised-anya-hindmarch-diary-i-keep-my/) [Aerin Lauder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aerin-lauder/) > [The SF genre, of course, is really an organically evolved, marketplace-determined, idiosyncratic grab bag of themes and signifiers and characters and icons and gadgets,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-di-filippo/the-sf-genre-of-course-is-really-an-organically-evolved-marketplace/) [Paul Di Filippo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-di-filippo/) > [My left eye went when I was young. I was working the speed bag, and some steel went in the eye and scratched it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-frazier/my-left-eye-went-when-i-was-young-i-was-working-the-speed-bag-and/) [Joe Frazier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-frazier/) > [Every president inherits a mixed bag when he comes to office, and Obama's was hardly the worst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-stephens/every-president-inherits-a-mixed-bag-when-he-comes-to-office-and/) [Bret Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-stephens/) > [I used to wear long jumpers, but they made me look like a bag tied up in the middle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darcey-bussell/i-used-to-wear-long-jumpers-but-they-made-me-look-like-a-bag-tied-up/) [Darcey Bussell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darcey-bussell/) > [Directing is a lot of fun, but you have to be on your toes every minute. If you zone out for even a second,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misha-collins/directing-is-a-lot-of-fun-but-you-have-to-be-on-your-toes-every/) [Misha Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misha-collins/) > [Before I had kids, my bag was clean. In case I need to occupy them, I like to have Hot Wheels cars, See's lollipops,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-brandt/before-i-had-kids-my-bag-was-clean-in-case-i-need-to-occupy-them-i/) [Betsy Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-brandt/) > [Canada's always kind of like a mixed bag with what you're gonna get audience-wise. Just because like, you know, the politeness. Like, obviously, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chappell-roan/canada-s-always-kind-of-like-a-mixed-bag-with-what-you-re-gonna-get/) [Chappell Roan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chappell-roan/) > [I always carry snacks in my bag. It's a good habit to have now that I am a mom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-bash/i-always-carry-snacks-in-my-bag-it-s-a-good-habit-to-have-now-that-i/) [Dana Bash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-bash/) Browse all 344 Bag quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Have you ever wondered why the rich and privileged care about, or even bother with, the gift bag? Because they don't need this stuff. If they wanted it, they could afford to buy it, without blinking. But they love the gift bag, beyond reason.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "A. A. Gill" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/have-you-ever-wondered-why-the-rich-and-privileged-care-about-or-even/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bag" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/have-you-ever-wondered-why-the-rich-and-privileged-care-about-or-even/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d2/a-a-gill-3415_bag_have-you-ever-wondered-why-the-rich-and_182382.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d2/a-a-gill-3415_bag_have-you-ever-wondered-why-the-rich-and_182382.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d2/a-a-gill-3415_bag_have-you-ever-wondered-why-the-rich-and_182382.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Have you ever wondered why the rich and privileged care about, or even bother with, the gift bag? Because…” — A. A. Gill", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "A. A. Gill", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Have you ever wondered why the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/have-you-ever-wondered-why-the-rich-and-privileged-care-about-or-even/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/have-you-ever-wondered-why-the-rich-and-privileged-care-about-or-even/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```