--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People would rather earn 60 grand in an…" description: "\"People would rather earn 60 grand in an area where their neighbours earn 40, than earn 80 in an area where their neighbours earn a hundred.\" — John Lan..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9c/john-lanchester-2601_areas_people-would-rather-earn-60-grand-in-an_1933871.png" --- # People would rather earn 60 grand in an area where their… ![“People would rather earn 60 grand in an area where their neighbours earn 40, than earn 80 in an area where their neighbours earn a hundred.” quote by John Lanchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9c/john-lanchester-2601_areas_people-would-rather-earn-60-grand-in-an_1933871.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9c/john-lanchester-2601_areas_people-would-rather-earn-60-grand-in-an_1933871.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9c/john-lanchester-2601_areas_people-would-rather-earn-60-grand-in-an_1933871.png) > “People would rather earn 60 grand in an area where their neighbours earn 40, than earn 80 in an area where their neighbours earn a hundred.” [John Lanchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lanchester/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Relative earnings influence satisfaction more than absolute income. **In simple terms:** People compare to peers, not just totals. Key Takeaway Focus on fair compensation and community standards. Themes economics psychology social comparison well‑being Mood reflective analytical Type sociology philosophical When to use this quote - salary negotiations - team bonuses - community budgeting - performance reviews Key Concepts relative deprivation status anxiety income perception Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance fairness with market rates? - Can transparency reduce envy? A Different Perspective Absolute pay still matters for basic needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Neighbour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neighbour/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [Where do people earn the Per Capita Income? More than one poor starving soul would like to know. In our countries, numbers live better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/where-do-people-earn-the-per-capita-income-more-than-one-poor/) [Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/) > [The people who have wealth and the people who earn money are going to be a little reluctant to part with it, particularly if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-d-souza/the-people-who-have-wealth-and-the-people-who-earn-money-are-going-to/) [Dinesh D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-d-souza/) > [There's nothing good, there's nothing moral about taking money from people who earn it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/there-s-nothing-good-there-s-nothing-moral-about-taking-money-from/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [You don't go to the people that are just like you. You go to the people that you have to earn their credit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-haley/you-don-t-go-to-the-people-that-are-just-like-you-you-go-to-the/) [Nikki Haley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-haley/) > [It's not fair to say that people who work with their head or with their hands ought to pay taxes, but people who earn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-gramm/it-s-not-fair-to-say-that-people-who-work-with-their-head-or-with/) [Phil Gramm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-gramm/) > [It is wrong to take half or more of what people earn; wrong to force some people to pay for the support of others,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bethell/it-is-wrong-to-take-half-or-more-of-what-people-earn-wrong-to-force/) [Tom Bethell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bethell/) > [The system that enables the most people to earn the most success is free enterprise, by matching up people's skills, interests, and abilities. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-brooks/the-system-that-enables-the-most-people-to-earn-the-most-success-is/) [Arthur C. Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-brooks/) > [Some people do not earn the tears that are shed for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-walters/some-people-do-not-earn-the-tears-that-are-shed-for-them/) [Tim Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-walters/) > [Most poor people earn more than minimum wage when they are working; their problem is not low wages. 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I think 45 per cent tax is a colossal amount to take off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthea-turner/people-who-earn-reasonable-amounts-are-being-turned-into-the-anti/) [Anthea Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthea-turner/) > [I worked at McDonald's. I cooked. It was one of the toughest jobs I've ever had. These people earn every single penny they get.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ellison/i-worked-at-mcdonald-s-i-cooked-it-was-one-of-the-toughest-jobs-i-ve/) [Keith Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-ellison/) > [The most lucrative work I have done is presenting primetime TV shows. I do not know what other people earn but a six-figure salary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-thornton/the-most-lucrative-work-i-have-done-is-presenting-primetime-tv-shows/) [Kate Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-thornton/) > [If we are able to allow people to earn a decent rate of return, with sufficient scale, we can all do well by doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lo/if-we-are-able-to-allow-people-to-earn-a-decent-rate-of-return-with/) [Andrew Lo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lo/) ## More by John Lanchester > [In a democracy, people tend to get the kind of government they deserve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lanchester/in-a-democracy-people-tend-to-get-the-kind-of-government-they-deserve/) [John Lanchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lanchester/) > [My standard Nando's order is a chicken breast burger served 'medium,' which is still fairly spicy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lanchester/my-standard-nando-s-order-is-a-chicken-breast-burger-served-medium/) [John Lanchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lanchester/) > [“Bastiat (1801–1850) was a strikingly clear-minded early advocate of what came to be known as liberal economics, whose central idea is that the state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lanchester/bastiat-1801-1850-was-a-strikingly-clear-minded-early-advocate-of/) [John Lanchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lanchester/) > [“What was going on here was something Smitty had seen before: a young person’s first real farewell to the world of school and college,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lanchester/what-was-going-on-here-was-something-smitty-had-seen-before-a-young/) [John Lanchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lanchester/) > [“It seemed too as if many of the people were on display, behaving as if they expected to be looked at, as if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lanchester/it-seemed-too-as-if-many-of-the-people-were-on-display-behaving-as-if/) [John Lanchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lanchester/) > [But knowing that you had gone wrong, and knowing how you had gone wrong, were not the same thing as knowing how to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lanchester/but-knowing-that-you-had-gone-wrong-and-knowing-how-you-had-gone/) [John Lanchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lanchester/) > [Video games are the first new artistic medium since television, but they are more different from television than television was from cinema; they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lanchester/video-games-are-the-first-new-artistic-medium-since-television-but/) [John Lanchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lanchester/) > ['Dead peasants insurance' is a term that sounds as if it comes straight out of Monty Python. 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