--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The unluckiest insolvent in the world is…" description: "\"The unluckiest insolvent in the world is the man whose expenditure of speech is too great for his income of ideas.\" — Christopher Morley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a5/christopher-morley-2772_communication_the-unluckiest-insolvent-in-the-world-is_906948.png" --- # The unluckiest insolvent in the world is the man whose… ![“The unluckiest insolvent in the world is the man whose expenditure of speech is too great for his income of ideas.” quote by Christopher Morley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a5/christopher-morley-2772_communication_the-unluckiest-insolvent-in-the-world-is_906948.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a5/christopher-morley-2772_communication_the-unluckiest-insolvent-in-the-world-is_906948.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a5/christopher-morley-2772_communication_the-unluckiest-insolvent-in-the-world-is_906948.png) > “The unluckiest insolvent in the world is the man whose expenditure of speech is too great for his income of ideas.” [Christopher Morley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-morley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Spending too much time talking without generating ideas drains personal value and credibility. **In simple terms:** Talk too much, think too little harms you. Key Takeaway Speak less, think more. Themes communication productivity self‑worth Mood reflective critical Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - meetings - public speaking - social media - brainstorming sessions Key Concepts economics of attention intellectual humility Questions to Reflect On - How much of your time is spent on empty talk? - What ideas could you develop if you listened more? A Different Perspective Ideas must be cultivated, not just spoken. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Expenditure Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expenditure-speech-1295084/) [Expenditures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expenditures/) [He man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/he-man/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Income](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/income/) [Insolvent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insolvent-1295082/) [Insolvent World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insolvent-world-1295083/) [Man Expenditure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-expenditure-1295085/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rich/) [Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speech/) [Unluckiest Insolvent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unluckiest-insolvent-1295081/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [If a division becomes insolvent, the credit markets' reaction to that is immediate - regardless of what period of time you think you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walker-stapleton/if-a-division-becomes-insolvent-the-credit-markets-reaction-to-that/) [Walker Stapleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walker-stapleton/) > [In both the U.S. and Europe, the budget and balance sheet numbers do not work. When 'off-balance sheet' promises are taken into account, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-singer/in-both-the-u-s-and-europe-the-budget-and-balance-sheet-numbers-do/) [Paul Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-singer/) > [“say, a 2:1 ratio than it is to have far greater coverage provided by a single utility. A catastrophic event can render a single…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/say-a-2-1-ratio-than-it-is-to-have-far-greater-coverage-provided-by-a/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [“Myth: Bail-in plans would recapitalize big banks. Fact: big banks are far too insolvent to remotely be in a position for such restoration.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-k-abdelnour/myth-bail-in-plans-would-recapitalize-big-banks-fact-big-banks-are/) [Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/) > [When insolvent, pack minimally, with a valise tough enough to be thrown onto a London pavement from a first- or second-floor window. Insist on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/when-insolvent-pack-minimally-with-a-valise-tough-enough-to-be-thrown/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [America does not need to be worried with bailing out a European country that has made irresponsible expenditures, and then all of a sudden,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perry/america-does-not-need-to-be-worried-with-bailing-out-a-european/) [Rick Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perry/) > [Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pound ought and six, result misery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/annual-income-twenty-pounds-annual-expenditure-nineteen-six-result/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [Child-care costs are now the largest family expenditure in much of America, even exceeding the cost of housing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/child-care-costs-are-now-the-largest-family-expenditure-in-much-of/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [First of all, when you build a restaurant of that phenomenon-I really hate that word "set" and I hate the word "cast" -it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-ramsay/first-of-all-when-you-build-a-restaurant-of-that-phenomenon-i-really/) [Gordon Ramsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-ramsay/) > [There is another ground of hope that must not be omitted. Let men but think over their infinite expenditure of understanding, time, and means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/there-is-another-ground-of-hope-that-must-not-be-omitted-let-men-but/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [World War II revealed two of the enduring features of the Keynesian Revolution. One was the moral difference between spending for welfare and spending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/world-war-ii-revealed-two-of-the-enduring-features-of-the-keynesian/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [There can be no effective control of corporations while their political activity remains. To put an end to it will be neither a short…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/there-can-be-no-effective-control-of-corporations-while-their-2/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [A ten per cent reduction in military expenditures per year would be reasonable, coupled with a programme of retraining the workforce and redirecting the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-maurice-de-zayas/a-ten-per-cent-reduction-in-military-expenditures-per-year-would-be/) [Alfred-Maurice de Zayas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-maurice-de-zayas/) > [To the distracting occupations belong especially my lecture courses which I am holding this winter for the first time, and which now cost much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-friedrich-gauss/to-the-distracting-occupations-belong-especially-my-lecture-courses/) [Carl Friedrich Gauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-friedrich-gauss/) > [Elect me to office. I will protect and defend the U.S. Constitution. Because there's no constitutional authority for Congress spending on the objects of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-e-williams/elect-me-to-office-i-will-protect-and-defend-the-u-s-constitution/) [Walter E. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-e-williams/) ## More by Christopher Morley > [Beware of the conversationalist who adds "in other words." He is merely starting afresh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-morley/beware-of-the-conversationalist-who-adds-in-other-words-he-is-merely/) [Christopher Morley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-morley/) > [That's what this country needs -- more books!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-morley/that-s-what-this-country-needs-more-books/) [Christopher Morley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-morley/) > [Between ourselves, there is no such thing, abstractly, as a 'good' book. A book is 'good' only when it meets some human hunger or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-morley/between-ourselves-there-is-no-such-thing-abstractly-as-a-good-book-a/) [Christopher Morley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-morley/) > [All cities are mad: but the madness is gallant. All cities are beautiful: but the beauty is grim.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-morley/all-cities-are-mad-but-the-madness-is-gallant-all-cities-are/) [Christopher Morley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-morley/) > [People like to imagine that because all our mechanical equipment moves so much faster, that we are thinking faster, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-morley/people-like-to-imagine-that-because-all-our-mechanical-equipment/) [Christopher Morley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-morley/) > [“There are three ingredients in the good life: learning, earning, and yearning. A man should be learning as he goes; and he should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-morley/there-are-three-ingredients-in-the-good-life-learning-earning-and/) [Christopher Morley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-morley/) > [A critic is a gong at a railroad crossing clanging loudly and vainly as the train goes by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-morley/a-critic-is-a-gong-at-a-railroad-crossing-clanging-loudly-and-vainly/) [Christopher Morley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-morley/) > [Friendships do not grow up in any carefully tended and contemplated fashion… They begin haphazard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-morley/friendships-do-not-grow-up-in-any-carefully-tended-and-contemplated/) [Christopher Morley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-morley/) > [The real purpose of books is to trap the mind into doing its own thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-morley/the-real-purpose-of-books-is-to-trap-the-mind-into-doing-its-own/) [Christopher Morley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-morley/) > [If we discovered that we had only five minutes left to say all that we wanted to say, every telephone booth would be occupied…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-morley/if-we-discovered-that-we-had-only-five-minutes-left-to-say-all-that/) [Christopher Morley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-morley/) > [The censure of a dog is something no man can stand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-morley/the-censure-of-a-dog-is-something-no-man-can-stand/) [Christopher Morley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-morley/) > [High heels were invented by a woman who had been kissed on the forehead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-morley/high-heels-were-invented-by-a-woman-who-had-been-kissed-on-the/) [Christopher Morley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-morley/) > [The courage of the poet is to keep ajar the door that leads into madness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-morley/the-courage-of-the-poet-is-to-keep-ajar-the-door-that-leads-into/) [Christopher Morley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-morley/) > [“Calling us men doesn't make us men. No creature on earth has a right to think himself a human being if he doesn't know at least…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-morley/calling-us-men-doesn-t-make-us-men-no-creature-on-earth-has-a-right/) [Christopher Morley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-morley/) > [A human being: an ingenious assembly of portable plumbing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-morley/a-human-being-an-ingenious-assembly-of-portable-plumbing/) [Christopher Morley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-morley/) [Explore all 150 Christopher Morley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-morley/) ## More Communication quotes > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The problem posed by indirect speech acts is the problem of how it is possible for the speaker to say one thing and mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/the-problem-posed-by-indirect-speech-acts-is-the-problem-of-how-it-is/) [John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/) > [We should have a conversation when we hang up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/we-should-have-a-conversation-when-we-hang-up/) [Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/) > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [A poet is wounded into speech, and he examines these wounds, meticulously, to discover how to heal them. The bad poet harangues at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/a-poet-is-wounded-into-speech-and-he-examines-these-wounds/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [“To engage in dialogue is to serve others via whatever is real inside you; to engage in debate is to ultimately serve the illusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/to-engage-in-dialogue-is-to-serve-others-via-whatever-is-real-inside/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/) [Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/) > [In dialogue, there is opposition, yes, but no head-on collision. Smashing heads does not open minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/in-dialogue-there-is-opposition-yes-but-no-head-on-collision-smashing/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/) [Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/) > [I've been in a serious conversation with one of my children, and a fan has come up. I've been in a public bathroom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-reddy/i-ve-been-in-a-serious-conversation-with-one-of-my-children-and-a-fan/) [Helen Reddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-reddy/) > [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) > [Disability, in general, hasn't been included in the conversation about inclusivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-winston-george/disability-in-general-hasn-t-been-included-in-the-conversation-about/) [Jason Winston George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-winston-george/) > [“Women will be at least 50 percent of the communications community workforce … from executive suite to interns. Why? The “integrated” agency will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoram-wind/women-will-be-at-least-50-percent-of-the-communications-community/) [Yoram Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoram-wind/) > [There are certain things you must not say in spite of the fact that supposedly democracy means free speech. No. You are not allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-sr/there-are-certain-things-you-must-not-say-in-spite-of-the-fact-that/) [Chris Eubank Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-sr/) [Browse all 21,506 Communication quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The unluckiest insolvent in the world is the man whose expenditure of speech is too great for his income of ideas.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Christopher Morley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-morley/the-unluckiest-insolvent-in-the-world-is-the-man-whose-expenditure-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Communication" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-morley/the-unluckiest-insolvent-in-the-world-is-the-man-whose-expenditure-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a5/christopher-morley-2772_communication_the-unluckiest-insolvent-in-the-world-is_906948.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a5/christopher-morley-2772_communication_the-unluckiest-insolvent-in-the-world-is_906948.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a5/christopher-morley-2772_communication_the-unluckiest-insolvent-in-the-world-is_906948.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The unluckiest insolvent in the world is the man whose expenditure of speech is too great for his income of…” — Christopher Morley", "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": "Christopher Morley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-morley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The unluckiest insolvent in the world...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-morley/the-unluckiest-insolvent-in-the-world-is-the-man-whose-expenditure-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-morley/the-unluckiest-insolvent-in-the-world-is-the-man-whose-expenditure-of/#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 } } ] } ```