---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Need' now means wanting someone else's…"
description: "\"Need' now means wanting someone else's money. 'Greed' means wanting to keep your own. 'Compassion' is when a politician arranges the transfer.\" — Josep..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44e/joseph-sobran-6902_compassion_need-now-means-wanting-someone-else-s-mo_2968325.jpg"
---

#  Need' now means wanting someone else's money. 'Greed'…

![“Need' now means wanting someone else's money. 'Greed' means wanting to keep your own. 'Compassion' is when a politician arranges the transfer.” quote by Joseph Sobran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44e/joseph-sobran-6902_compassion_need-now-means-wanting-someone-else-s-mo_2968325.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44e/joseph-sobran-6902_compassion_need-now-means-wanting-someone-else-s-mo_2968325.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44e/joseph-sobran-6902_compassion_need-now-means-wanting-someone-else-s-mo_2968325.jpg)

> “Need' now means wanting someone else's money. 'Greed' means wanting to keep your own. 'Compassion' is when a politician arranges the transfer.”

[Joseph Sobran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-sobran/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Need reflects desire for others’ wealth; greed is self‑preservation; compassion is political redistribution.

**In simple terms:** Need, greed, compassion differ.

Key Takeaway

Distinguish motives behind economic actions.

Themes

politics economics ethics

Mood

critical analytical

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- policy analysis
- public debate
- social activism

Key Concepts

need vs greed political compassion

Questions to Reflect On

- What drives your economic choices?
- How does compassion differ from self‑interest?

A Different Perspective

Motives can be complex.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [Greed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greed/) [Libertarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/libertarian/) [Libertarianism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/libertarianism/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Politician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politician/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Wanting someone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanting-someone/)

## Related quotes

> [What happened under communism - and increasingly, is happening in America, as Joseph Sobran put it: 'Need' now means wanting someone else's money. 'Greed'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/what-happened-under-communism-and-increasingly-is-happening-in/)

[John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/)

> [Unrestrained greed means the ruin of the great woods and the drying up of the sources of the rivers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/unrestrained-greed-means-the-ruin-of-the-great-woods-and-the-drying/)

[Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/)

> [“Kashaya (attachment-abhorrence, anger-pride-deceit-greed) means that the relative self (pratisthit atma) within continuously experiences misery, experiences continuous restlessness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/kashaya-attachment-abhorrence-anger-pride-deceit-greed-means-that-the/)

[Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/)

> [When there is money, there is also greed. Everyone wants to talk to you when there is money. Only if you have the passion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sudha-murty/when-there-is-money-there-is-also-greed-everyone-wants-to-talk-to-you/)

[Sudha Murty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sudha-murty/)

> [“Greed, one of the badliest capital sins, is not good, is not good for knolege, love, money. Greed "the capital sin" is necessary”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-m-camacho/greed-one-of-the-badliest-capital-sins-is-not-good-is-not-good-for/)

S.M Camacho

> [Many people and companies only have one goal: money, money, and more money. Greed is ok when you let others profit from it, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/many-people-and-companies-only-have-one-goal-money-money-and-more/)

[Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/)

> [New York City is a great monument to the power of money and greed... a race for rent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lloyd-wright/new-york-city-is-a-great-monument-to-the-power-of-money-and-greed-a/)

[Frank Lloyd Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lloyd-wright/)

> [I'm a very smart guy. I haven't a feeling or a scruple in the world. All I have the itch for is money. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/i-m-a-very-smart-guy-i-haven-t-a-feeling-or-a-scruple-in-the-world/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [I fear just one thing : Money! Greed was what motivated Judas to sell Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-fear-just-one-thing-money-greed-was-what-motivated-judas-to-sell/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Mankind's obsession with money and greed has them going down a one way street to their demise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/mankind-s-obsession-with-money-and-greed-has-them-going-down-a-one/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [“The more we make the more we (think we) need, and the more we (think we) need means the more we must work and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-y-wilson/the-more-we-make-the-more-we-think-we-need-and-the-more-we-think-we/)

Kathy Y. Wilson

> [Always express yourself to someone who cares for u, not to someone who needs u.. because care means personal commitment & need means personal requirement! -](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/always-express-yourself-to-someone-who-cares-for-u-not-to-someone-who/)

[Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/)

> [If I tell you I need you, do not take it lightly. I do everything I can to never have to depend on anyone,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-i-tell-you-i-need-you-do-not-take-it-lightly-i-do-everything-i-can/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Maybe I need something that means something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-sheehan-miles/maybe-i-need-something-that-means-something/)

[Charles Sheehan-Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-sheehan-miles/)

> [Express Yourself To Someone Who Cares For You. Not To Someone Who Need You... Because CARE Means 'Personal Commitment' And 'Need' Means 'Personal Requirement'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/express-yourself-to-someone-who-cares-for-you-not-to-someone-who-need/)

Pacifiersucker

## More by Joseph Sobran

> [Government is the agent of those who are too refined to do their own mugging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sobran/government-is-the-agent-of-those-who-are-too-refined-to-do-their-own/)

[Joseph Sobran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-sobran/)

> [Liberalism's fatal flaw,... is that it has no permanent norms, only a succession of enthusiasms espoused by minor prophets. Each of these seems like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sobran/liberalism-s-fatal-flaw-is-that-it-has-no-permanent-norms-only-a/)

[Joseph Sobran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-sobran/)

> [Altering the Constitution has become the daily business of the Federal Government which the document is supposed to guide and limit. Both Congress and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sobran/altering-the-constitution-has-become-the-daily-business-of-the/)

[Joseph Sobran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-sobran/)

> [The prevailing notion is that the state should be neutral as to religion, and furthermore, that the best way to be neutral about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sobran/the-prevailing-notion-is-that-the-state-should-be-neutral-as-to/)

[Joseph Sobran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-sobran/)

> [Controlling the interpretation of the Constitution is vital to the leftist agenda of expanding the federal government's power. That means keeping the federal judiciary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sobran/controlling-the-interpretation-of-the-constitution-is-vital-to-the/)

[Joseph Sobran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-sobran/)

> [Government has ceased to mean upholding and reinforcing the traditional rights and morals of the governed; it now means compulsion in the service of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sobran/government-has-ceased-to-mean-upholding-and-reinforcing-the/)

[Joseph Sobran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-sobran/)

> [The chances of your being harmed by terrorists are mathematically minute. The chance of your being robbed by your own government? That's easy: 100…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sobran/the-chances-of-your-being-harmed-by-terrorists-are-mathematically/)

[Joseph Sobran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-sobran/)

> [Liberals have a new wish every time their latest wish is granted. Conservatives should make them spell out their principles and ideals. Instead of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sobran/liberals-have-a-new-wish-every-time-their-latest-wish-is-granted/)

[Joseph Sobran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-sobran/)

> [Politics is the conspiracy of the unproductive but organized against the productive but unorganized.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sobran/politics-is-the-conspiracy-of-the-unproductive-but-organized-against/)

[Joseph Sobran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-sobran/)

> [ ...\[T\]he Constitution conferred only a few specific powers on the federal government, all others being denied to it (as the Tenth Amendment would make… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sobran/t-he-constitution-conferred-only-a-few-specific-powers-on-the-federal/)

[Joseph Sobran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-sobran/)

> [ ...\[T\]oday's Washington is about as attentive to the Tenth Amendment as the Unitarian Church is to the Book of Revelation. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sobran/t-oday-s-washington-is-about-as-attentive-to-the-tenth-amendment-as/)

[Joseph Sobran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-sobran/)

> [I call the present system 'Post-Constitutional America.' As I sometimes put it, the U.S. Constitution poses no serious threat to our form of government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sobran/i-call-the-present-system-post-constitutional-america-as-i-sometimes/)

[Joseph Sobran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-sobran/)

> [Most Americans aren't the sort of citizens the Founding Fathers expected; they are contented serfs. Far from being active critics of government, they assume…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sobran/most-americans-aren-t-the-sort-of-citizens-the-founding-fathers/)

[Joseph Sobran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-sobran/)

> [Because the state can no longer protect us from crime, it wants to take away from us the means of protecting ourselves. This is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sobran/because-the-state-can-no-longer-protect-us-from-crime-it-wants-to/)

[Joseph Sobran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-sobran/)

> [Some people don't mind a little constitutional sophistry in a good cause; and for liberals, centralizing all power in the federal government is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sobran/some-people-don-t-mind-a-little-constitutional-sophistry-in-a-good/)

[Joseph Sobran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-sobran/)

[Explore all 96 Joseph Sobran quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-sobran/)

## More Compassion quotes

> [Half the misery of human life might be extinguished if men would alleviate the general curse they lie under by mutual offices of compassion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/half-the-misery-of-human-life-might-be-extinguished-if-men-would/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [“I fight with love and kindness as my weapons and compassion as my defense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/i-fight-with-love-and-kindness-as-my-weapons-and-compassion-as-my/)

[Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/)

> [I really enjoy making people laugh; I've discovered that's a great technique. That's as powerful as stirring their sorrow, stirring their compassion, because that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/i-really-enjoy-making-people-laugh-i-ve-discovered-that-s-a-great/)

[Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/)

> [“If you refuse to use physical force, then you will be at the mercy of your oppressor!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/segun-magbagbeola/if-you-refuse-to-use-physical-force-then-you-will-be-at-the-mercy-of/)

Segun Magbagbeola

> [For some reason, we are truly convinced that if we criticize ourselves, the criticism will lead to change. If we are harsh, we believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/for-some-reason-we-are-truly-convinced-that-if-we-criticize-ourselves/)

[Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/)

> [I could not have slept tonight if I had left that helpless little creature to perish on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-could-not-have-slept-tonight-if-i-had-left-that-helpless-little/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [We are puzzled and bewildered whenever we see suffering in this world because we have become accustomed to the mercy and the long-suffering of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/we-are-puzzled-and-bewildered-whenever-we-see-suffering-in-this-world/)

[R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/)

> [“Helpers in every corner, helpers in every hood. That's how we'll make the move, to reform from rude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/helpers-in-every-corner-helpers-in-every-hood-that-s-how-we-ll-make/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [There are a number of qualities which are important for mental peace, but from the little experience I have, I believe that one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/there-are-a-number-of-qualities-which-are-important-for-mental-peace/)

[Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/)

> [May the gods have mercy on whoever pisses them off, because Zarek and Jericho will have none for them. (Madoc) You’d better be glad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/may-the-gods-have-mercy-on-whoever-pisses-them-off-because-zarek-and/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

> [When you need empathy, you cannot give empathy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-b-rosenberg/when-you-need-empathy-you-cannot-give-empathy/)

[Marshall B. Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-b-rosenberg/)

> [But victimhood was seductive, a release from responsibility and caring. Fear would be transmuted into weary resignation; failure would no longer generate guilt but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/but-victimhood-was-seductive-a-release-from-responsibility-and-caring/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“No one has any right to tell you that the way you perceive yourself is wrong. Because by doing so, they also discourage the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/no-one-has-any-right-to-tell-you-that-the-way-you-perceive-yourself/)

[Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/)

> [“la ilaha ilallah muhammadun rasulullah, alaihi salatullah wa alihi wal ahibba "shine your mercy like the sun, and be gracious as the earth let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-al-habib/la-ilaha-ilallah-muhammadun-rasulullah-alaihi-salatullah-wa-alihi-wal/)

Talib al Habib

> [The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/the-love-for-all-living-creatures-is-the-most-noble-attribute-of-man/)

[Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/)

[Browse all 9,892 Compassion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Need' now means wanting someone else's money. 'Greed' means wanting to keep your own. 'Compassion' is when a politician arranges the transfer.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Joseph Sobran"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sobran/need-now-means-wanting-someone-else-s-money-greed-means-wanting-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Compassion"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sobran/need-now-means-wanting-someone-else-s-money-greed-means-wanting-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44e/joseph-sobran-6902_compassion_need-now-means-wanting-someone-else-s-mo_2968325.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44e/joseph-sobran-6902_compassion_need-now-means-wanting-someone-else-s-mo_2968325.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44e/joseph-sobran-6902_compassion_need-now-means-wanting-someone-else-s-mo_2968325.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Need' now means wanting someone else's money. 'Greed' means wanting to keep your own. 'Compassion' is when a…” — Joseph Sobran",
                "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": "Joseph Sobran",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-sobran/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Need' now means wanting someone else's...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sobran/need-now-means-wanting-someone-else-s-money-greed-means-wanting-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sobran/need-now-means-wanting-someone-else-s-money-greed-means-wanting-to/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```