---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The rich cannot eat money,’ dryly…"
description: "\"“The rich cannot eat money,’ dryly observes a Russian proverb, ‘so it’s just as well that there are poor folk to grow their food.”\" — A.C. Grayling"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e2/a-c-grayling-9398_money_the-rich-cannot-eat-money-dryly-observes_2985601.png"
---

#  The rich cannot eat money,’ dryly observes a Russian…

![“The rich cannot eat money,’ dryly observes a Russian proverb, ‘so it’s just as well that there are poor folk to grow their food.” quote by A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e2/a-c-grayling-9398_money_the-rich-cannot-eat-money-dryly-observes_2985601.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e2/a-c-grayling-9398_money_the-rich-cannot-eat-money-dryly-observes_2985601.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e2/a-c-grayling-9398_money_the-rich-cannot-eat-money-dryly-observes_2985601.png)

> ““The rich cannot eat money,’ dryly observes a Russian proverb, ‘so it’s just as well that there are poor folk to grow their food.””

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Wealth cannot satisfy basic needs; poverty is essential for food production.

**In simple terms:** Money can’t eat; poor grow food.

Key Takeaway

Recognize interdependence of wealth and labor.

Themes

economics interdependence humility

Mood

thoughtful critical

Type

philosophical advice

When to use this quote

- policy making
- consumer habits
- agricultural support

Key Concepts

philosophy social critique

Questions to Reflect On

- How does your spending affect food workers?
- What responsibilities come with wealth?

A Different Perspective

Wealth can fund better food systems.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Money Dryly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money-dryly-4665073/) [Poor Folk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor-folk-2198470/) [Proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proverb/) [Proverb Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proverb-just-4665074/) [Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rich/) [Russian Proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/russian-proverb-1127379/)

## Related quotes

> [Politics is a rotten egg; if broken, it stinks. Russian proverb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russian-proverb/politics-is-a-rotten-egg-if-broken-it-stinks-russian-proverb/)

[Russian Proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russian-proverb/)

> [“There is no shame in not knowing; the shame lies in not finding out -russian proverb”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-taylor/there-is-no-shame-in-not-knowing-the-shame-lies-in-not-finding-out/)

[Brooke Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-taylor/)

> [“Don’t Rely on Experts Doveryai, no proveryai (trust, but verify). —OLD RUSSIAN PROVERB,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-greene/don-t-rely-on-experts-doveryai-no-proveryai-trust-but-verify-old/)

[Nat Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-greene/)

> [“No, sir! If, for example, in earlier times it was said to me: “Love your neighbour” and I acted on it, what was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/no-sir-if-for-example-in-earlier-times-it-was-said-to-me-love-your/)

[Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/)

> [“I followed the words of the famous Russian proverb: Doveryai, no proveryai (or, in English, 'Trust, but verify').”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randi-minetor/i-followed-the-words-of-the-famous-russian-proverb-doveryai-no/)

[Randi Minetor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randi-minetor/)

> [The poor folk gladly came to me, for I did them no unkindness, but helped them as much as I could.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-of-arc/the-poor-folk-gladly-came-to-me-for-i-did-them-no-unkindness-but/)

[Joan of Arc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-of-arc/)

> [I play for the poor man. I try to give a thrill to the lunch bucket fan. I know their plight. I worked in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-wagner/i-play-for-the-poor-man-i-try-to-give-a-thrill-to-the-lunch-bucket/)

[Leon Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-wagner/)

> [As the former dissident Vladimir Bukovsky one remarked -- referring to the Russian proverb to the effect that you cannot make an omlette without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/as-the-former-dissident-vladimir-bukovsky-one-remarked-referring-to/)

[Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/)

> [“There’s a Russian proverb: To taste the ocean, all you need is one gulp.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-norman/there-s-a-russian-proverb-to-taste-the-ocean-all-you-need-is-one-gulp/)

[Howard Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-norman/)

> [So, I mean to say, as for those who are proving their allegiance with what I would call sickening perseverance, and who are urging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-posner/so-i-mean-to-say-as-for-those-who-are-proving-their-allegiance-with/)

[Vladimir Posner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-posner/)

> [“Govern a family as you would cook a small fish. CHINESE PROVERB”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/govern-a-family-as-you-would-cook-a-small-fish-chinese-proverb/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [“An expensive coffin does not decrease the deceased’s chances of going to hell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/an-expensive-coffin-does-not-decrease-the-deceased-s-chances-of-going/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

> [You know there's an old african proverb that i made up: "If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/you-know-there-s-an-old-african-proverb-that-i-made-up-if-you-want-to/)

[Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/)

> [What is taken from the fortune, also, may haply be so much lifted from the soul. The greatness of a loss, as the proverb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-nestell-bovee/what-is-taken-from-the-fortune-also-may-haply-be-so-much-lifted-from/)

[Christian Nestell Bovee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-nestell-bovee/)

> [“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” - Chinese proverb”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-toffler/i-hear-and-i-forget-i-see-and-i-remember-i-do-and-i-understand/)

[Alvin Toffler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-toffler/)

## More by A.C. Grayling

> [“I to je zapravo sustina proslavljanja Dana sv. Valentina:san o ljubavi. Zivot bi zaista bio gorak kada se san nikada ne bi ostvario ili…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/i-to-je-zapravo-sustina-proslavljanja-dana-sv-valentina-san-o-ljubavi/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [Sensible Catholics have for generations been ignoring the views on contraception held by reactionary old men in the Vatican, but alas, since it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/sensible-catholics-have-for-generations-been-ignoring-the-views-on/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [To read is to fly: it is to soar to a point of vantage which gives a view over wide terrains of history, human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/to-read-is-to-fly-it-is-to-soar-to-a-point-of-vantage-which-gives-a/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [Inculcating the various competing - competing, note - falsehoods of the major faiths into small children is a form of child abuse, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/inculcating-the-various-competing-competing-note-falsehoods-of-the/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [Religions survive mainly because they brainwash the young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/religions-survive-mainly-because-they-brainwash-the-young/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [“Goethe had long since remarked that nationalistic feelings ‘are at their strongest and most violent where there is the lowest degree of culture’.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/goethe-had-long-since-remarked-that-nationalistic-feelings-are-at/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [I do not believe that there are any such things as gods and goddesses, for exactly the same reasons as I do not believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/i-do-not-believe-that-there-are-any-such-things-as-gods-and-goddesses/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [When I was 14 a chaplain at school gave me a reading list. I read everything and I went back to him with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/when-i-was-14-a-chaplain-at-school-gave-me-a-reading-list-i-read/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [ Perhaps worse still is what liberal societies might do to themselves in the face of this new and different threat \[of terrorism\]. They begin,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/perhaps-worse-still-is-what-liberal-societies-might-do-to-themselves/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [Christian churches and Muslim groups have no more right to have their say than women's institutes or trades unions. The government has actively encouraged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/christian-churches-and-muslim-groups-have-no-more-right-to-have-their/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [Everybody is entitled to believe. Churches have exactly the same right to exist as a football club, a trade union or a political party.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/everybody-is-entitled-to-believe-churches-have-exactly-the-same-right/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [“The notion that evil is non-rational is a more significant claim for Eagleton than at first appears, because he is (in this book \[…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/the-notion-that-evil-is-non-rational-is-a-more-significant-claim-for/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [And I say, the meaning of life is what you make it. There will be as many different meaningful lives as there are people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/and-i-say-the-meaning-of-life-is-what-you-make-it-there-will-be-as/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [“Hatred is a sentiment that leads to the extinction of values. ORTEGA Y GASSET”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/hatred-is-a-sentiment-that-leads-to-the-extinction-of-values-ortega-y/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [Behave in life as at a dinner party. Is anything brought around to you? Put out your hand and take your share with moderation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/behave-in-life-as-at-a-dinner-party-is-anything-brought-around-to-you/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

[Explore all 73 A.C. Grayling quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

## More Money quotes

> [You've got to tell your money what to do or it will leave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-ramsey/you-ve-got-to-tell-your-money-what-to-do-or-it-will-leave/)

[Dave Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-ramsey/)

> [Don't let's lose sight of what creates wealth. It is open markets, it is capitalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/don-t-let-s-lose-sight-of-what-creates-wealth-it-is-open-markets-it/)

[Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [Money is the kind of instrument which is very speedily produced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatoly-chubais/money-is-the-kind-of-instrument-which-is-very-speedily-produced/)

[Anatoly Chubais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatoly-chubais/)

> [I would borrow money all day long, if the cost of borrowing is less than the expected return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/i-would-borrow-money-all-day-long-if-the-cost-of-borrowing-is-less/)

[Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/)

> [If you restore a car, and you're making money, then you're doing it wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/if-you-restore-a-car-and-you-re-making-money-then-you-re-doing-it/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [Maybe you can,t buy a big house.. A new car.. A huge diamond ring.. But if you have just one true friend who loves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy/maybe-you-can-t-buy-a-big-house-a-new-car-a-huge-diamond-ring-but-if/)

[Cathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy/)

> [“Don't allow money to become the yardstick by which you measure the worth of the world around you!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-james-pritchard/don-t-allow-money-to-become-the-yardstick-by-which-you-measure-the/)

[Andrew James Pritchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-james-pritchard/)

> [Academically, I was never that interested. I skipped classes. My biggest dream was to have a coffee shop, but I had no idea how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-espinosa/academically-i-was-never-that-interested-i-skipped-classes-my-biggest/)

[Daniel Espinosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-espinosa/)

> [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/)

[Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/)

> [I doubt that we Americans can come to terms with our money neuroses without understanding the more florid pathology of the very rich for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-slater/i-doubt-that-we-americans-can-come-to-terms-with-our-money-neuroses/)

[Philip Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-slater/)

> [“The writer must earn money in order to be able to live and to write, but he must by no means live and write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goins/the-writer-must-earn-money-in-order-to-be-able-to-live-and-to-write/)

[Jeff Goins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goins/)

> [Jobs and money are never the primary cause of stress. Thinking, negative thinking causes stress. The real cause of all problems lie in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/jobs-and-money-are-never-the-primary-cause-of-stress-thinking/)

[Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/)

> [Most paper money initially existed as a substitute for gold. That's what gave it value. But right now what gives a currency value is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/most-paper-money-initially-existed-as-a-substitute-for-gold-that-s/)

[Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/)

> [The man who works for the gold in the job rather than for the money in the pay envelope, is the fellow who gets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-french-johnson/the-man-who-works-for-the-gold-in-the-job-rather-than-for-the-money/)

[Joseph French Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-french-johnson/)

[Browse all 45,172 Money quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The rich cannot eat money,’ dryly observes a Russian proverb, ‘so it’s just as well that there are poor folk to grow their food.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "A.C. Grayling"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/the-rich-cannot-eat-money-dryly-observes-a-russian-proverb-so-it-s/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Money"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/the-rich-cannot-eat-money-dryly-observes-a-russian-proverb-so-it-s/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e2/a-c-grayling-9398_money_the-rich-cannot-eat-money-dryly-observes_2985601.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e2/a-c-grayling-9398_money_the-rich-cannot-eat-money-dryly-observes_2985601.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e2/a-c-grayling-9398_money_the-rich-cannot-eat-money-dryly-observes_2985601.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The rich cannot eat money,’ dryly observes a Russian proverb, ‘so it’s just as well that there are poor folk…” — A.C. Grayling",
                "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.C. Grayling",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The rich cannot eat money,’ dryly...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/the-rich-cannot-eat-money-dryly-observes-a-russian-proverb-so-it-s/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/the-rich-cannot-eat-money-dryly-observes-a-russian-proverb-so-it-s/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
