Famine Quote by Hilary Mantel
““But Parliament cannot see how it is the state's job to create work. Are not these matters in God's hands, and is not poverty and dereliction part of his eternal order? To everything there is a season: a time to starve and a time to thieve. If rain falls for six months solid and rots the grain in the fields, there must be providence in it; for God knows his trade. It is an outrage to the rich and enterprising, to suggest that they should pay an income tax, only to put bread in the mouths of the workshy. And if Secretary Cromwell argues that famine provokes criminality: well, are there not hangmen enough?””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel, 2009
The passage argues that poverty and hardship are divine or, dismissing societal responsibility for welfare and taxation.
In simple terms: It claims hardship is God‑ordained, opposing tax for the poor.
Key Takeaway
Question assumptions about divine destiny versus social duty.
Themes
politics
religion
economics
Mood
critical
skeptical
Type
political
ethical
When to use this quote
- policy debate
- charitable giving
- public health
- economic planning
Key Concepts
social contract
theodicy
Questions to Reflect On
- Do divine explanations excuse inaction?
- How can societies balance faith and responsibility?
A Different Perspective
Overlooks human agency and structural causes of poverty.
