--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's no question that in my lifetime…" description: "\"There's no question that in my lifetime, the contrast between what I called private affluence and public squalor has become very much greater. What do ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcc/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_affluence_there-s-no-question-that-in-my-lifetime_2585727.jpg" --- # There's no question that in my lifetime, the contrast… ![“There's no question that in my lifetime, the contrast between what I called private affluence and public squalor has become very much greater. What do we worry about? We worry about our schools. We worry about our public recreational facilities. We worry about our law enforcement and our public…” quote by John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcc/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_affluence_there-s-no-question-that-in-my-lifetime_2585727.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcc/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_affluence_there-s-no-question-that-in-my-lifetime_2585727.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcc/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_affluence_there-s-no-question-that-in-my-lifetime_2585727.jpg) > “There's no question that in my lifetime, the contrast between what I called private affluence and public squalor has become very much greater. What do we worry about? We worry about our schools. We worry about our public recreational facilities. We worry about our law enforcement and our public housing. All of the things that bear upon our standard of living are in the public sector.” [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He highlights growing inequality between private wealth and public poverty, noting that public services suffer while private affluence rises. **In simple terms:** Public services lag while private wealth grows. Key Takeaway Address public inequality now. Themes inequality public policy wealth disparity Mood concerned critical Type political social commentary When to use this quote - Education reform - housing policy - law enforcement funding - public recreation improvement Key Concepts Economic disparity social justice public sector neglect Questions to Reflect On - How can we redirect private prosperity to improve public services? - What policies could reduce the gap between private affluence and public squalor? A Different Perspective Private wealth may not translate into public good without targeted policy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affluence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affluence/) [Bears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bears/) [Housing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/housing/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Law enforcement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law-enforcement/) [Lifetime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lifetime/) [Public housing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-housing/) [Public sector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-sector/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Squalor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/squalor/) [Standards of living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/standards-of-living/) [Worry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worry/) ## Related quotes > [There's no question that in my lifetime, the contrast between what I called private affluence and public squalor has become very much greater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/there-s-no-question-that-in-my-lifetime-the-contrast-between-what-i/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [In a community where public services have failed to keep abreast of private consumption things are very different. Here, in an atmosphere of private…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/in-a-community-where-public-services-have-failed-to-keep-abreast-of/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [When we advocate for violence against women to be eliminated on campuses, we say, 'Well, actually, it's not just on campuses we have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberle-williams-crenshaw/when-we-advocate-for-violence-against-women-to-be-eliminated-on/) [Kimberle Williams Crenshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberle-williams-crenshaw/) > [It just makes it even harder for people to even approach the (open source) side, when they then end up having to worry about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-torvalds/it-just-makes-it-even-harder-for-people-to-even-approach-the-open/) [Linus Torvalds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-torvalds/) > [Do I worry about being in the public eye and raising kids? Yeah. Any situation you're in, you're gonna worry about raising kids. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/do-i-worry-about-being-in-the-public-eye-and-raising-kids-yeah-any/) [Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/) > [When we got organized as a country and we wrote a fairly radical Constitution with a radical Bill of Rights, giving a radical amount…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/when-we-got-organized-as-a-country-and-we-wrote-a-fairly-radical/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [Well, my grandmother, she raised me in public housing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/london-breed/well-my-grandmother-she-raised-me-in-public-housing/) [London Breed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/london-breed/) > [When everybody owns something, nobody owns it, and nobody has a direct interest in maintaining or improving its condition. That is why buildings in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/when-everybody-owns-something-nobody-owns-it-and-nobody-has-a-direct/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [I don't know whether it's the finest public housing in America or the crown jewel of the American penal system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/i-don-t-know-whether-it-s-the-finest-public-housing-in-america-or-the/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [“In the 1990s, the Clinton administration experimented with a program called Moving to Opportunity for Fair Housing, which gave poor families in public housing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-rodham-clinton/in-the-1990s-the-clinton-administration-experimented-with-a-program/) [Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/) > [Lots of people have gone from public housing to do great things in the world and have a tremendous sense of duty to their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jewel/lots-of-people-have-gone-from-public-housing-to-do-great-things-in/) [Jewel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jewel/) > [I lived in public housing and had to struggle with depression and substance abuse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritchie-torres/i-lived-in-public-housing-and-had-to-struggle-with-depression-and/) [Ritchie Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritchie-torres/) > [By laying the groundwork for a system centered on home ownership rather than the public housing popular in Europe, the New Deal made possible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-alter/by-laying-the-groundwork-for-a-system-centered-on-home-ownership/) [Jonathan Alter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-alter/) > [I live in Brick Towers, a public housing project in Newark's Central Ward. I moved in when the projects were privately owned by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/i-live-in-brick-towers-a-public-housing-project-in-newark-s-central/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [When personal freedom's being abused, you have to move to limit it. That's what we did in the announcement I made last weekend on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/when-personal-freedom-s-being-abused-you-have-to-move-to-limit-it/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) ## More by John Kenneth Galbraith > [Getting on the cover of TIME guarantees the existence of opposition in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/getting-on-the-cover-of-time-guarantees-the-existence-of-opposition/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Technology means the systematic application of scientific or other organized knowledge to practical tasks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/technology-means-the-systematic-application-of-scientific-or-other/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [“Men can labor to make sense out of single steps toward the goal without ever pausing to reflect that the goal itself is ludicrous.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/men-can-labor-to-make-sense-out-of-single-steps-toward-the-goal/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Consumer wants can have bizarre, frivolous, or even immoral origins, and an admirable case can still be made for a society that seeks to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/consumer-wants-can-have-bizarre-frivolous-or-even-immoral-origins-and/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [That one never need to look beyond the love of money for explanation of human behavior is one of the most jealously guarded simplification…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/that-one-never-need-to-look-beyond-the-love-of-money-for-explanation/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Agriculture is one economic activity that does not obey the laws of demand and supply.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/agriculture-is-one-economic-activity-that-does-not-obey-the-laws-of/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [If we were not in Vietnam, all that part of the world would be enjoying the obscurity it so richly deserves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/if-we-were-not-in-vietnam-all-that-part-of-the-world-would-be/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Washington is a place where men praise courage and act on elaborate personal cost-benefit calculations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/washington-is-a-place-where-men-praise-courage-and-act-on-elaborate/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [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/) > [Money is what fueled the industrial society. But in the informational society, the fuel, the power, is knowledge. One has now come to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/money-is-what-fueled-the-industrial-society-but-in-the-informational/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [While it will be desirable to achieve planned results, it will be even more important to avoid unplanned disasters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/while-it-will-be-desirable-to-achieve-planned-results-it-will-be-even/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [A bad book is the worse that it cannot repent. It has not been the devil's policy to keep the masses of mankind in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/a-bad-book-is-the-worse-that-it-cannot-repent-it-has-not-been-the/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Genius is a rising stock market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/genius-is-a-rising-stock-market/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Mr. David Stockman has said that supply-side economics was merely a cover for the trickle-down approach to economic policy—what an older and less elegant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/mr-david-stockman-has-said-that-supply-side-economics-was-merely-a/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Inventions that are not made, like babies that are not born, are rarely missed. In the absence of new developments, old ones may seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/inventions-that-are-not-made-like-babies-that-are-not-born-are-rarely/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) [Explore all 434 John Kenneth Galbraith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) ## More Affluence quotes > [In our own time the whole of Greece has been subject to a low birth rate and a general decrease of the population, owing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polybius/in-our-own-time-the-whole-of-greece-has-been-subject-to-a-low-birth/) [Polybius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polybius/) > [The secret of achieving prosperity lies in so vividly keeping yourself centered in the inner focus of affluence that you literally exude the consciousness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-butterworth/the-secret-of-achieving-prosperity-lies-in-so-vividly-keeping/) [Eric Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-butterworth/) > [Affluence = abundant flow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-butterworth/affluence-abundant-flow/) [Eric Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-butterworth/) > [“If I am to choose between integrity and wealth, I will go for integrity because I believe that lack of integrity is the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/if-i-am-to-choose-between-integrity-and-wealth-i-will-go-for/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > ['Playboy' made the good life a reality for me and made it the subject matter of my paintings - not affluence and luxury as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-neiman/playboy-made-the-good-life-a-reality-for-me-and-made-it-the-subject/) [LeRoy Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-neiman/) > [Affluence creates poverty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/affluence-creates-poverty/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [The primary cause of disorder and lawlessness today, as throughout history, is the poverty of the many in contrast to the affluence of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-o-kelso/the-primary-cause-of-disorder-and-lawlessness-today-as-throughout/) [Louis O. Kelso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-o-kelso/) > [To generate any appreciable degree of long-term affluence requires scrupulous honesty and the willingness to honor long-term agreements with employers, suppliers, partners, and especially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheaffer/to-generate-any-appreciable-degree-of-long-term-affluence-requires/) [Robert Sheaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheaffer/) > [“Imam Hussein Ibn Ali al-Shaheed was once asked: what is affluence? He said : Decreasing your wishes , and being satisfied with what is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/imam-hussein-ibn-ali-al-shaheed-was-once-asked-what-is-affluence-he/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I don't want to be around people who accept me as is, in my unrefined state of becoming. I consistently want people around me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandi-l-bates/i-don-t-want-to-be-around-people-who-accept-me-as-is-in-my-unrefined/) [Brandi L. Bates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandi-l-bates/) > [Large department stores, with their luxuriant abundance of canned goods, foods, and clothing, are like the primary landscape and the geometrical locus of affluence.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baudrillard/large-department-stores-with-their-luxuriant-abundance-of-canned/) [Jean Baudrillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baudrillard/) > [Owning a home is a keystone of wealth - both financial affluence and emotional security.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suze-orman/owning-a-home-is-a-keystone-of-wealth-both-financial-affluence-and/) [Suze Orman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suze-orman/) > [“Don’t let affluence make you impoverished of God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-bloom/don-t-let-affluence-make-you-impoverished-of-god/) [Jon Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-bloom/) > [“Drama does not just walk into our lives. Either we create it, invite it, or associate with it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandi-l-bates/drama-does-not-just-walk-into-our-lives-either-we-create-it-invite-it/) [Brandi L. Bates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandi-l-bates/) > [There is wealth but no wellbeing. What are you going to do with this wealth?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaggi-vasudev/there-is-wealth-but-no-wellbeing-what-are-you-going-to-do-with-this/) [Jaggi Vasudev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaggi-vasudev/) [Browse all 181 Affluence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affluence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There's no question that in my lifetime, the contrast between what I called private affluence and public squalor has become very much greater. What do we worry about? We worry about our schools. We worry about our public recreational facilities. We worry about our law enforcement and our public housing. All of the things that bear upon our standard of living are in the public sector.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Kenneth Galbraith" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/there-s-no-question-that-in-my-lifetime-the-contrast-between-what-i-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Affluence" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/there-s-no-question-that-in-my-lifetime-the-contrast-between-what-i-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcc/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_affluence_there-s-no-question-that-in-my-lifetime_2585727.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcc/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_affluence_there-s-no-question-that-in-my-lifetime_2585727.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcc/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_affluence_there-s-no-question-that-in-my-lifetime_2585727.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There's no question that in my lifetime, the contrast between what I called private affluence and public…” — John Kenneth Galbraith", "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": "John Kenneth Galbraith", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There's no question that in my...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/there-s-no-question-that-in-my-lifetime-the-contrast-between-what-i-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/there-s-no-question-that-in-my-lifetime-the-contrast-between-what-i-2/#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 } } ] } ```