--- 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.\" — John ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c1/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_affluence_there-s-no-question-that-in-my-lifetime_2105470.png" --- # 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.” quote by John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c1/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_affluence_there-s-no-question-that-in-my-lifetime_2105470.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c1/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_affluence_there-s-no-question-that-in-my-lifetime_2105470.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c1/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_affluence_there-s-no-question-that-in-my-lifetime_2105470.png) > “There's no question that in my lifetime, the contrast between what I called private affluence and public squalor has become very much greater.” [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. The gap between private wealth and public poverty has widened dramatically over time. **In simple terms:** Rich get richer while the poor get poorer. Key Takeaway Address inequality through policy and personal action. Themes economics inequality wealth Mood analytical concerned Type political philosophical When to use this quote - urban planning - tax reform - philanthropy - community development Key Concepts social disparity public policy Questions to Reflect On - What policies could reduce the wealth gap? - How can individuals contribute to public welfare? A Different Perspective Wealth gaps are complex and solutions are not simple. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affluence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affluence/) [Affluence Public](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affluence-public-1816961/) [Contrast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contrast/) [Greater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greater/) [Lifetime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lifetime/) [Private](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/private/) [Private Affluence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/private-affluence-1816962/) [Public Squalor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-squalor-1816963/) [Squalor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/squalor/) [Squalor Greater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/squalor-greater-4226330/) ## 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. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/there-s-no-question-that-in-my-lifetime-the-contrast-between-what-i-2/) [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/) > [In recent times no problem has been more puzzling to thoughtful people than why, in a troubled world, we make such poor use of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/in-recent-times-no-problem-has-been-more-puzzling-to-thoughtful/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [From the fact of general well-being came the new position of the poor. They were now in most communities a minority. The voice of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/from-the-fact-of-general-well-being-came-the-new-position-of-the-poor/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [People of privilege will always risk their complete destruction rather than surrender any material part of their advantage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/people-of-privilege-will-always-risk-their-complete-destruction/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [poverty is like a pain, dormant and unbearable as long as you don't move about too much. You grow used to it, you end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-roy/poverty-is-like-a-pain-dormant-and-unbearable-as-long-as-you-don-t/) [Gabrielle Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-roy/) > [For a wonderful physical tie binds the parents to the children; and - by some sad, strange irony - it does not bind us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-a-wonderful-physical-tie-binds-the-parents-to-the-children-and-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [That is the American experiment. An ethnic group arriving on America's shores, to be reviled and hazed, living in squalor, or if they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/that-is-the-american-experiment-an-ethnic-group-arriving-on-america-s/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [There is something deeply attractive, at least to quite a lot of people, about squalor, misery, and vice. They are regarded as more authentic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/there-is-something-deeply-attractive-at-least-to-quite-a-lot-of/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [I absolutely relate to being alone in squalor, trying to come up with something adequate. I relate to that, and I've been known to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diablo-cody/i-absolutely-relate-to-being-alone-in-squalor-trying-to-come-up-with/) [Diablo Cody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diablo-cody/) > [Better a sovereign in squalor than a slave in splendor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-james/better-a-sovereign-in-squalor-than-a-slave-in-splendor/) [Donald James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-james/) > [Nowhere more than in New York does the contest between squalor and splendor so sharply present itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-fern/nowhere-more-than-in-new-york-does-the-contest-between-squalor-and/) [Fanny Fern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-fern/) > [To want simply what is enough nowadays suggests to people primitiveness and squalor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/to-want-simply-what-is-enough-nowadays-suggests-to-people/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [Organisation of social insurance should be treated as one part only of a comprehensive policy of social progress. Social insurance fully developed may provide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-beveridge/organisation-of-social-insurance-should-be-treated-as-one-part-only/) [William Beveridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-beveridge/) > [“Out of all its squalor and human decay, its eruptions of butchery, India produced so many people of grace and beauty, ruled by elaborate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/out-of-all-its-squalor-and-human-decay-its-eruptions-of-butchery/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## 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.", "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/", "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/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c1/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_affluence_there-s-no-question-that-in-my-lifetime_2105470.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c1/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_affluence_there-s-no-question-that-in-my-lifetime_2105470.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c1/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_affluence_there-s-no-question-that-in-my-lifetime_2105470.png", "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/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/there-s-no-question-that-in-my-lifetime-the-contrast-between-what-i/#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 } } ] } ```