--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Having lived among the owning classes, he…" description: "\"“Having lived among the owning classes, he knew the utter futility of expecting any solution of the wage-squabble. There was no solution, short of deat..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb4/d-h-lawrence-2-1397_money_having-lived-among-the-owning-classes-he_815855.jpg" --- # Having lived among the owning classes, he knew the utter… ![“Having lived among the owning classes, he knew the utter futility of expecting any solution of the wage-squabble. There was no solution, short of death. The only thing was not to care, not to care about the wages. Yet, if you were poor and wretched, you had to care. Anyhow, it was becoming the…” quote by D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb4/d-h-lawrence-2-1397_money_having-lived-among-the-owning-classes-he_815855.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb4/d-h-lawrence-2-1397_money_having-lived-among-the-owning-classes-he_815855.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb4/d-h-lawrence-2-1397_money_having-lived-among-the-owning-classes-he_815855.jpg) > ““Having lived among the owning classes, he knew the utter futility of expecting any solution of the wage-squabble. There was no solution, short of death. The only thing was not to care, not to care about the wages. Yet, if you were poor and wretched, you had to care. Anyhow, it was becoming the only thing they did care about. The care about money was like a great cancer, eating away the individuals of all classes. He refused to care about money. And what then? What did life offer apart from the care of money? Nothing.”” [D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) ## 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 argues that obsession with money dominates all classes, and that indifference to it is impossible for the poor, leaving life empty without financial concern. **In simple terms:** Money obsession dominates; indifference is hard for the poor. Key Takeaway Recognize the limits of material focus. Themes materialism class struggle existential emptiness Mood cynical reflective Type philosophical social commentary When to use this quote - working class life - personal finance - social critique - philosophical reflection Key Concepts capitalism alienation psychology Questions to Reflect On - Can you find purpose beyond money? - How does class affect your values? A Different Perspective The view may overlook non‑material sources of meaning such as relationships or art. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Care Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care-money/) [Futility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/futility/) [Having Lived](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/having-lived/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Refused Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/refused-care-319134/) [Wretched Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wretched-care-319133/) ## Related quotes > [It's ludicrous that someone can be fired from their job, refused care at a hospital or denied housing because of their sexual orientation or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fetterman/it-s-ludicrous-that-someone-can-be-fired-from-their-job-refused-care/) [John Fetterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fetterman/) > [Time is an ever-fleeting presence, to capture even a slice of it yields a wealth to having lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/time-is-an-ever-fleeting-presence-to-capture-even-a-slice-of-it/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [“What is the difference between being not yet born and having lived, being now dead?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-williams/what-is-the-difference-between-being-not-yet-born-and-having-lived/) [Joy Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-williams/) > [When you've had a chance to live some experiences then you can really write, and not having lived that much when I was young…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-feliciano/when-you-ve-had-a-chance-to-live-some-experiences-then-you-can-really/) [Jose Feliciano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-feliciano/) > [“Fear not death; fear not having lived.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-focke/fear-not-death-fear-not-having-lived/) [Kevin Focke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-focke/) > [“We can only hope we leave behind persons whose lives are better for our having lived.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gambaccini/we-can-only-hope-we-leave-behind-persons-whose-lives-are-better-for/) [Paul Gambaccini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gambaccini/) > [Dying seems less sad than having lived too little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dying-seems-less-sad-than-having-lived-too-little/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Its not dying that you need to be afraid of, its never having lived in the first place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/its-not-dying-that-you-need-to-be-afraid-of-its-never-having-lived-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“She who does not make the world better for having lived in it has failed to be all that woman should be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-andreola/she-who-does-not-make-the-world-better-for-having-lived-in-it-has/) [Karen Andreola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-andreola/) > [“It’s one of the best parts of growing up and growing older, I think, that feeling that you’ll just get through one day, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/it-s-one-of-the-best-parts-of-growing-up-and-growing-older-i-think/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [If I should die,” Dalinar said, “then I would do so having lived my life right. It is not the destination that matters, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/if-i-should-die-dalinar-said-then-i-would-do-so-having-lived-my-life/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“Everything, as you well know (having lived in this world long enough to have figured out a thing or two for yourself), cannot always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/everything-as-you-well-know-having-lived-in-this-world-long-enough-to/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [We're supposed to lose our friends to time, at an age when we're ready to agree to the terms of having lived a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mayer/we-re-supposed-to-lose-our-friends-to-time-at-an-age-when-we-re-ready/) [John Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayer/) > [“One of the most significant facts about us may finally be that we all begin with the natural equipment to live a thousand kinds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-geertz/one-of-the-most-significant-facts-about-us-may-finally-be-that-we-all/) [Clifford Geertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-geertz/) > [Life only avails, not the having lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/life-only-avails-not-the-having-lived/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) ## More by D.H. Lawrence > [“It all had to be squeezed and squeezed again, to provide a thrill, to provide enjoyment. What did people mean, with their simply determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/it-all-had-to-be-squeezed-and-squeezed-again-to-provide-a-thrill-to/) [D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) > [“I WANT her though, to take the same from me. She touches me as if I were herself, her own. She has not realized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/i-want-her-though-to-take-the-same-from-me-she-touches-me-as-if-i/) [D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) > [“His body was urgent against her, and she didn't have the heart anymore to fight...She saw his eyes, tense and brilliant, fierce, not loving.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/his-body-was-urgent-against-her-and-she-didn-t-have-the-heart-anymore/) [D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) > [“It is not who begets us, that matters, but where fate places us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/it-is-not-who-begets-us-that-matters-but-where-fate-places-us/) [D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) > [“If only you could tell them that living and spending isn't the same thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/if-only-you-could-tell-them-that-living-and-spending-isn-t-the-same/) [D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) > [“Ce vreau eu sa stiu - ce ma nedumereste pe mine - este cum pot oamenii care traiesc in aceeasi tara, care vorbesc aceeasi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/ce-vreau-eu-sa-stiu-ce-ma-nedumereste-pe-mine-este-cum-pot-oamenii/) [D.h. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) > [“Me? Oh, intellectually I believe in having a good heart, a chirpy penis, a lively intelligence, and the courage to say ‘shit!’ in front…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/me-oh-intellectually-i-believe-in-having-a-good-heart-a-chirpy-penis/) [D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) > [“Couldn't one go right away, to the far ends of the earth, and be free from it all? One could not. The far ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/couldn-t-one-go-right-away-to-the-far-ends-of-the-earth-and-be-free/) [D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) > [“Is there not the massive brilliant, out-flinging recklessness in the male soul, summed up in the sudden word: Andiamo! Andiamo! Let us go on.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/is-there-not-the-massive-brilliant-out-flinging-recklessness-in-the/) [D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) > [“He had no particular character, having always depended on his position in society to give him position among men.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/he-had-no-particular-character-having-always-depended-on-his-position/) [D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) > [“she would be free of mundane care, she was a pure will towards right. She had sold herself, but she had a new freedom.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/she-would-be-free-of-mundane-care-she-was-a-pure-will-towards-right/) [D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) > [“Man is a mistake. He must go.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/man-is-a-mistake-he-must-go/) [D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) > [“Art has two great functions. First, it provides an emotional experience. And then, if we have the courage of our own feelings, it becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/art-has-two-great-functions-first-it-provides-an-emotional-experience/) [D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) > [“A new degree of anger came over him. What did it all matter? What did it matter if the mother talked Polish and cried…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/a-new-degree-of-anger-came-over-him-what-did-it-all-matter-what-did/) [D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) > [“But I will have it. I will love — it is my birthright. I will love the man I marry — that is all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/but-i-will-have-it-i-will-love-it-is-my-birthright-i-will-love-the/) [D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) [Explore all 235 D.H. Lawrence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) ## More Futility quotes > [Married life had taught him the futility of arguing with a female in a dark-brown mood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/married-life-had-taught-him-the-futility-of-arguing-with-a-female-in/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [I am alive again, now that I can no longer stand to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-am-alive-again-now-that-i-can-no-longer-stand-to-live/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“The nobility of age is that it conceals from the young the futility of effort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yeo-tze/the-nobility-of-age-is-that-it-conceals-from-the-young-the-futility/) [Yeo-tze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yeo-tze/) > [“Dabbling in the sandbox gives Rabbit a small headache. Over at the pavilion the rubber thump of Roofball and the click of checkers call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/dabbling-in-the-sandbox-gives-rabbit-a-small-headache-over-at-the/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [Death is the only monastery; the tomb is the only cell, and the grave that adjoins the convent is the bitterest mock of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/death-is-the-only-monastery-the-tomb-is-the-only-cell-and-the-grave/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [It occurred to me that my speech or my silence, indeed any action of mine, would be a mere futility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/it-occurred-to-me-that-my-speech-or-my-silence-indeed-any-action-of/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [A mature artist is at the same time aware of the futility of his achievement and the validity of the pursuit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-helion/a-mature-artist-is-at-the-same-time-aware-of-the-futility-of-his/) [Jean Helion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-helion/) > [Suddenly the clouds seem high above us. They’re moving over us in an arch, circling the planet. They have seen abysmal oceans and charred,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/suddenly-the-clouds-seem-high-above-us-they-re-moving-over-us-in-an/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [“She strives, understanding the futility of it, for perfection.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-coover/she-strives-understanding-the-futility-of-it-for-perfection/) [Robert Coover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-coover/) > [“Uite, daca-mi strang sufletul, nu se prinde nimic in el. Oricum, am ajuns departe, foarte departe. O mai fi ceva? Arborii cresc, le dau…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marin-sorescu/uite-daca-mi-strang-sufletul-nu-se-prinde-nimic-in-el-oricum-am-ajuns/) [Marin Sorescu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marin-sorescu/) > [“There are the girls we love, the men we look up to, the tenderness, the friendships, the opportunities, the pleasures! But the fact remains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/there-are-the-girls-we-love-the-men-we-look-up-to-the-tenderness-the/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“    In a thousand years or ten thousand, no one would remember my nation. It, too, would share in oblivion and prove to not matter,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miller-rory/in-a-thousand-years-or-ten-thousand-no-one-would-remember-my-nation/) [Miller Rory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miller-rory/) > [“...he arrived late at the office, perceived that his doing so made no difference whatever to any one, and was filled with sudden exasperation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/he-arrived-late-at-the-office-perceived-that-his-doing-so-made-no/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [Automobiles are often conveniently tagged as the villains responsible for the ills of cities and the disappointments and futilities of city planning. But the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-jacobs/automobiles-are-often-conveniently-tagged-as-the-villains-responsible/) [Jane Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-jacobs/) > [The fatal futility of Fact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/the-fatal-futility-of-fact/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) [Browse all 297 Futility quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/futility/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Having lived among the owning classes, he knew the utter futility of expecting any solution of the wage-squabble. There was no solution, short of death. The only thing was not to care, not to care about the wages. Yet, if you were poor and wretched, you had to care. Anyhow, it was becoming the only thing they did care about. The care about money was like a great cancer, eating away the individuals of all classes. He refused to care about money. And what then? What did life offer apart from the care of money? Nothing.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "D.H. Lawrence" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/having-lived-among-the-owning-classes-he-knew-the-utter-futility-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Futility" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/having-lived-among-the-owning-classes-he-knew-the-utter-futility-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb4/d-h-lawrence-2-1397_money_having-lived-among-the-owning-classes-he_815855.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb4/d-h-lawrence-2-1397_money_having-lived-among-the-owning-classes-he_815855.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb4/d-h-lawrence-2-1397_money_having-lived-among-the-owning-classes-he_815855.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Having lived among the owning classes, he knew the utter futility of expecting any solution of the…” — D.H. Lawrence", "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": "D.H. Lawrence", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Having lived among the owning classes,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/having-lived-among-the-owning-classes-he-knew-the-utter-futility-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/having-lived-among-the-owning-classes-he-knew-the-utter-futility-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 } } ] } ```