--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Samuel thundered that no American factory…" description: "\"“Samuel thundered that no American factory hand was worth more than eighty cents a day. And yet he could be thankful for the opportunity to pay a hundr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38a/kurt-vonnegut-41_quote_samuel-thundered-that-no-american-factor_1639349.jpg" --- # Samuel thundered that no American factory hand was worth… ![“Samuel thundered that no American factory hand was worth more than eighty cents a day. And yet he could be thankful for the opportunity to pay a hundred thousand dollars or more for a painting by an Italian three centuries dead. And he capped this insult by giving paintings to museums for the…” quote by Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38a/kurt-vonnegut-41_quote_samuel-thundered-that-no-american-factor_1639349.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38a/kurt-vonnegut-41_quote_samuel-thundered-that-no-american-factor_1639349.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38a/kurt-vonnegut-41_quote_samuel-thundered-that-no-american-factor_1639349.jpg) > ““Samuel thundered that no American factory hand was worth more than eighty cents a day. And yet he could be thankful for the opportunity to pay a hundred thousand dollars or more for a painting by an Italian three centuries dead. And he capped this insult by giving paintings to museums for the spiritual elevation of the poor. The museums were closed on Sundays.”” [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Critiques wealth disparity and the irony of philanthropy. **In simple terms:** Richness can blind moral judgment. Key Takeaway Question the motives behind charity. Themes inequality irony philanthropy Mood critical thoughtful Type philosophical satirical When to use this quote - art patronage - museum funding - social justice Key Concepts social critique economic disparity Questions to Reflect On - Is giving always noble? - How does wealth affect values? A Different Perspective Charity can be self‑serving; impact may be limited. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [“And Samuel bought newspapers, and preachers, too. He gave them this simple lesson to teach, and they taught it well: Anybody who thought that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-samuel-bought-newspapers-and-preachers-too-he-gave-them-this/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Without love, what are we worth? Eighty-nine cents! Eighty-nine cents worth of chemicals walking around lonely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/without-love-what-are-we-worth-eighty-nine-cents-eighty-nine-cents/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The man who has his millions will want everything he can lay his hands on and then raise his voice against the poor devil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-gompers/the-man-who-has-his-millions-will-want-everything-he-can-lay-his/) [Samuel Gompers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-gompers/) > [For fifteen cents a day you can feed an African, they eat pennies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/for-fifteen-cents-a-day-you-can-feed-an-african-they-eat-pennies/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [A country that has few museums is both materially poor and spiritually poor...Museums, like theaters and libraries, are a means to freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-beckett/a-country-that-has-few-museums-is-both-materially-poor-and/) [Wendy Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-beckett/) ## More by Kurt Vonnegut > [“You must bloom as a writer and I must bloom as a painter. 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Lucky me, lucky mud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-was-some-of-the-mud-that-got-to-sit-up-and-look-around-lucky-me/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“The town was Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.A., Earth, Solar System, Milky Way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-town-was-newport-rhode-island-u-s-a-earth-solar-system-milky-way/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Her face was one of a kind, a surprising variation that made observers think, Yes--that would be another very nice way for people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/her-face-was-one-of-a-kind-a-surprising-variation-that-made-observers/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“You finally fell in love, I see,” said Salo. “Only an Earthling year ago,” said Constant. “It took us that long to realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-finally-fell-in-love-i-see-said-salo-only-an-earthling-year-ago/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Like all Earthlings at the point of death, Mary Young sent faint reminders of herself to those who had known her. She released a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/like-all-earthlings-at-the-point-of-death-mary-young-sent-faint/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“And contrast Mary Kathleen, if you will, with my wife Ruth, the Ophelia of the death camps, who believed that even the most intelligent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-contrast-mary-kathleen-if-you-will-with-my-wife-ruth-the-ophelia/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Someday, someday, this crazy world will have to end, And our God will take things back that He to us did lend. And if,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/someday-someday-this-crazy-world-will-have-to-end-and-our-god-will/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“They were going back to the slaughterhouse for souvenirs of the war.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/they-were-going-back-to-the-slaughterhouse-for-souvenirs-of-the-war/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“There are plenty of good reasons for fighting," I said, "but no good reason ever to hate without reservation, to imagine that God Almighty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/there-are-plenty-of-good-reasons-for-fighting-i-said-but-no-good/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) [Explore all 2,089 Kurt Vonnegut quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## More Poor Museums quotes > [“And Samuel bought newspapers, and preachers, too. He gave them this simple lesson to teach, and they taught it well: Anybody who thought that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-samuel-bought-newspapers-and-preachers-too-he-gave-them-this/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [A country that has few museums is both materially poor and spiritually poor...Museums, like theaters and libraries, are a means to freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-beckett/a-country-that-has-few-museums-is-both-materially-poor-and/) [Wendy Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-beckett/) Browse all 3 Poor Museums quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Samuel thundered that no American factory hand was worth more than eighty cents a day. And yet he could be thankful for the opportunity to pay a hundred thousand dollars or more for a painting by an Italian three centuries dead. 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