--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Would it not be better if they spent more…" description: "\"“Would it not be better if they spent more money on wholesome things like oranges and wholemeal bread or if they even, like the writer of the letter to..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d3/george-orwell-57_habits_would-it-not-be-better-if-they-spent-mor_1613253.jpg" --- # Would it not be better if they spent more money on… ![“Would it not be better if they spent more money on wholesome things like oranges and wholemeal bread or if they even, like the writer of the letter to the New Statesman, saved on fuel and ate their carrots raw? Yes, it would, but the point is that no ordinary human being is ever going to do such a…” quote by George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d3/george-orwell-57_habits_would-it-not-be-better-if-they-spent-mor_1613253.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d3/george-orwell-57_habits_would-it-not-be-better-if-they-spent-mor_1613253.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d3/george-orwell-57_habits_would-it-not-be-better-if-they-spent-mor_1613253.jpg) > ““Would it not be better if they spent more money on wholesome things like oranges and wholemeal bread or if they even, like the writer of the letter to the New Statesman, saved on fuel and ate their carrots raw? Yes, it would, but the point is that no ordinary human being is ever going to do such a thing. The ordinary human being would sooner starve than live on brown bread and raw carrots. And the peculiar evil is this, that the less money you have, the less inclined you feel to spend it on wholesome food. A millionaire may enjoy breakfasting off orange juice and Ryvita biscuits; an unemployed man doesn't. Here the tendency of which I spoke at the end of the last chapter comes into play. When you are unemployed, which is to say when you are underfed, harassed, bored, and miserable, you don't want to eat dull wholesome food. You want something a little bit 'tasty'. There is always some cheaply pleasant thing to tempt you.”” [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When people lack resources, they prioritize taste and satisfaction over health, showing that scarcity drives preference for cheap, appealing foods. **In simple terms:** Scarcity leads to choosing tasty, cheap foods over healthy ones. Key Takeaway Address affordability and appeal in nutrition policies. Themes food economics human behavior poverty nutrition psychology Mood concerned empathetic analytical Type policy social critique observational When to use this quote - public health programs - food assistance - community kitchens - education on cooking - policy design Key Concepts scarcity mindset taste preference food marketing Questions to Reflect On - What incentives could make nutritious food more appealing to low‑income groups? - How does scarcity affect food preferences? A Different Perspective Even with knowledge, economic constraints limit healthy choices. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ate Carrots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ate-carrots-1644747/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Food Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food-want-344051/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Human nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-nature/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Money Wholesome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money-wholesome-6153575/) [Orange juice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orange-juice/) [Oranges Wholemeal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oranges-wholemeal-6153576/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) [Spend Wholesome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spend-wholesome-6153574/) ## Related quotes > [The Easter Bunny ate all of the carrots that we left for him. What a pig.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-carell/the-easter-bunny-ate-all-of-the-carrots-that-we-left-for-him-what-a/) [Steve Carell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-carell/) > [“You were gullible," he said. And then, "When you were really little, you hated carrots. You wouldn't eat them. But then I told you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-han/you-were-gullible-he-said-and-then-when-you-were-really-little-you/) [Jenny Han](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-han/) > [“Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself. There”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/eat-all-the-junk-food-you-want-as-long-as-you-cook-it-yourself-there/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [No, no food. I want sex. Bring me some sex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-gould/no-no-food-i-want-sex-bring-me-some-sex/) [Elliott Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-gould/) > [People know me for my love of food, but I have so much more I want to share...Our show's going to be all about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-ray/people-know-me-for-my-love-of-food-but-i-have-so-much-more-i-want-to/) [Rachael Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-ray/) > [Moving back to New York is perhaps what I'm most excited about. Alternate side of the road parking. Flip flops on the subway. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-beadle/moving-back-to-new-york-is-perhaps-what-i-m-most-excited-about/) [Michelle Beadle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-beadle/) > [What I want to do is produce really delicious food. I want it to look nice, because when you see food you should want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prue-leith/what-i-want-to-do-is-produce-really-delicious-food-i-want-it-to-look/) [Prue Leith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prue-leith/) > [We want kids in communities to know real food, and we want them to have a choice between real food and industrial food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimbal-musk/we-want-kids-in-communities-to-know-real-food-and-we-want-them-to/) [Kimbal Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimbal-musk/) > [In my country, we say that football is like a huge plate of food. Well, I want to eat everything because I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernandinho/in-my-country-we-say-that-football-is-like-a-huge-plate-of-food-well/) [Fernandinho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernandinho/) > [Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/eat-all-the-junk-food-you-want-as-long-as-you-cook-it-yourself/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [I love L.A. - don't get me wrong. But I miss everything about New York. I don't eat cheese, but I miss the smell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristan-wilds/i-love-l-a-don-t-get-me-wrong-but-i-miss-everything-about-new-york-i/) [Tristan Wilds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristan-wilds/) > [There's a big confusion in this country over what we want versus what we need," Morrie said. "You need food, you want a chocolate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/there-s-a-big-confusion-in-this-country-over-what-we-want-versus-what/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [There is a big confusion in this country over what we want verses what we need...you need food. You want a chocolate sundae.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/there-is-a-big-confusion-in-this-country-over-what-we-want-verses/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [We have reduced sales tax on food. Now we want it eliminated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-manchin/we-have-reduced-sales-tax-on-food-now-we-want-it-eliminated/) [Joe Manchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-manchin/) > [I feel the same way about clothes as I do about food. I want everything,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mindy-kaling/i-feel-the-same-way-about-clothes-as-i-do-about-food-i-want-everything/) [Mindy Kaling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mindy-kaling/) ## More by George Orwell > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [It was given out that the animals there practised cannibalism, tortured one another with red-hot horseshoes, and had their females in common. This was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/it-was-given-out-that-the-animals-there-practised-cannibalism/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“The actual writing would be easy. All he had to do was to transfer to paper the interminable restless monologue that had been running…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/the-actual-writing-would-be-easy-all-he-had-to-do-was-to-transfer-to/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [He felt as though he were wandering in the forests of the sea bottom, lost in a monstrous world where he himself was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/he-felt-as-though-he-were-wandering-in-the-forests-of-the-sea-bottom/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“if you took 1 Corinthians, chapter thirteen, and in every verse wrote 'money' instead of 'charity', the chapter had ten times as much meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/if-you-took-1-corinthians-chapter-thirteen-and-in-every-verse-wrote/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Happiness can exist only in acceptance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/happiness-can-exist-only-in-acceptance/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed—if all records told the same tale—then the lie passed into history and became…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/and-if-all-others-accepted-the-lie-which-the-party-imposed-if-all/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“Whitman himself "accepted" a great deal that his contemporaries found unmentionable. For he is not only writing of the prairie, he also wanders through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/whitman-himself-accepted-a-great-deal-that-his-contemporaries-found/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“But I tell you, Winston, that reality is not external. Reality exists in the human mind, and nowhere else. Whatever the Party holds to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/but-i-tell-you-winston-that-reality-is-not-external-reality-exists-in/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“And the people under the sky were also very much the same...everywhere, all over the world, hundreds or thousands of millions of people just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/and-the-people-under-the-sky-were-also-very-much-the-same-everywhere/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Don’t you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/don-t-you-see-that-the-whole-aim-of-newspeak-is-to-narrow-the-range/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Windmill or no windmill, he said, life would go on as it had always gone on--that is, badly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/windmill-or-no-windmill-he-said-life-would-go-on-as-it-had-always/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/man-is-the-only-creature-that-consumes-without-producing-he-does-not/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [And the bigger the fall, the bigger the joke. It would be better fun to throw a custard pie at a bishop than at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/and-the-bigger-the-fall-the-bigger-the-joke-it-would-be-better-fun-to/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“Any writer or journalist who wants to retain his integrity finds himself thwarted by the general drift of society rather than by active persecution.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/any-writer-or-journalist-who-wants-to-retain-his-integrity-finds/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) [Explore all 1,657 George Orwell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) ## More Food quotes > [On Sundays, that's my pig out day and I do the pizza and the beer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-silvstedt/on-sundays-that-s-my-pig-out-day-and-i-do-the-pizza-and-the-beer/) [Victoria Silvstedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-silvstedt/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [By eating many fruits and vegetables in place of fast food and junk food, people could avoid obesity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-murdock/by-eating-many-fruits-and-vegetables-in-place-of-fast-food-and-junk/) [David H. Murdock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-murdock/) > [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“My God, Joseph, your toasted sandwiches are the fucking shit. You do know that right?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ashworth/my-god-joseph-your-toasted-sandwiches-are-the-fucking-shit-you-do/) [Beth Ashworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ashworth/) > [I feel like I could eat the world raw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/i-feel-like-i-could-eat-the-world-raw/) [Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/) > [To me, Caribbean food is about fresh, seasonal produce - using what's in season to create vibrant and great tasting food. The spicing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ainsley-harriott/to-me-caribbean-food-is-about-fresh-seasonal-produce-using-what-s-in/) [Ainsley Harriott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ainsley-harriott/) > [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [“if you cannot control your hunger and appetite, good luck managing your blood chemistry, metabolism, waistline, and, in the bigger picture, the prospect of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-perlmutter/if-you-cannot-control-your-hunger-and-appetite-good-luck-managing/) [David Perlmutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-perlmutter/) > [“Hungarian Proverb: A dish of cabbages can be heated when it grows cold, but it will never taste the same.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mourid-barghouti/hungarian-proverb-a-dish-of-cabbages-can-be-heated-when-it-grows-cold/) [Mourid Barghouti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mourid-barghouti/) > [“The phrase “low and slow” was coined to describe the relatively low temperatures used for smoking and the lengthy amount of time it takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-reader/the-phrase-low-and-slow-was-coined-to-describe-the-relatively-low/) [Ted Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-reader/) > [Things live and die, and then someone processes them into edible portions. This is a complete telling of the story, 'Food.' The basic plot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/things-live-and-die-and-then-someone-processes-them-into-edible/) [David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/) > [“Live is like a box of chocolates, we are all just waiting for a hungry hand to come down and grab us and eat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunshine/live-is-like-a-box-of-chocolates-we-are-all-just-waiting-for-a-hungry/) [sunshine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunshine/) > [Sometimes, when full and in fear that I will continue to eat unwanted food just because it's staring at me, I will place my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-nichols/sometimes-when-full-and-in-fear-that-i-will-continue-to-eat-unwanted/) [Rachel Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-nichols/) > [“Pumpkin Flavor Latte Scrub   Ingredients 1 ½ cups of brown sugar 2 tablespoons of ground coffee 1-2 tablespoons of pumpkin spice ¾ -1…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-hilton/pumpkin-flavor-latte-scrub-ingredients-1-cups-of-brown-sugar-2/) [Kate Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-hilton/) [Browse all 34,183 Food quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Would it not be better if they spent more money on wholesome things like oranges and wholemeal bread or if they even, like the writer of the letter to the New Statesman, saved on fuel and ate their carrots raw? Yes, it would, but the point is that no ordinary human being is ever going to do such a thing. The ordinary human being would sooner starve than live on brown bread and raw carrots. And the peculiar evil is this, that the less money you have, the less inclined you feel to spend it on wholesome food. A millionaire may enjoy breakfasting off orange juice and Ryvita biscuits; an unemployed man doesn't. Here the tendency of which I spoke at the end of the last chapter comes into play. When you are unemployed, which is to say when you are underfed, harassed, bored, and miserable, you don't want to eat dull wholesome food. You want something a little bit 'tasty'. There is always some cheaply pleasant thing to tempt you.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Orwell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/would-it-not-be-better-if-they-spent-more-money-on-wholesome-things/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Food" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/would-it-not-be-better-if-they-spent-more-money-on-wholesome-things/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d3/george-orwell-57_habits_would-it-not-be-better-if-they-spent-mor_1613253.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d3/george-orwell-57_habits_would-it-not-be-better-if-they-spent-mor_1613253.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d3/george-orwell-57_habits_would-it-not-be-better-if-they-spent-mor_1613253.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Would it not be better if they spent more money on wholesome things like oranges and wholemeal bread or if…” — George Orwell", "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": "George Orwell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Would it not be better if...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/would-it-not-be-better-if-they-spent-more-money-on-wholesome-things/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/would-it-not-be-better-if-they-spent-more-money-on-wholesome-things/#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 } } ] } ```