Business Quote by Leo Tolstoy
““It's beyond everything what's being done in the district, according to what this doctor tells me. He's a very intelligent fellow. And as I've told you before, I tell you again; it's not right for you not to go to the meetings, and altogether to keep out of the district business. If decent people won't go into it, of course it's bound to go all wrong. We pay the money, and it all goes in salaries, and there are no schools, not district nurses, nor midwives, nor drug-stores ---nothing [...] How can you think it a matter of no importance whether the peasant, whom you love as you assert...dies without help? The ignorant peasant-women starve the children, and the people stagnate in darkness, and are helpless in the hands of every village clerk, while you have at your disposal a means of helping them, and don't help them because to your mind it's of no importance." And Sergey Ivanovitch put before him the alternative: either you are so undeveloped that you can't see all that you can do , or you won't sacrifice your ease, your vanity, or whatever IT is, to do it.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Unknown (paraphrased political commentary)
Neglecting the needs of the poor while spending on bureaucracy leads to suffering and stagnation.
In simple terms: Ignoring the poor harms everyone.
Prioritize essential services over salaries.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- rural development
- public health policy
- government budgeting
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- What can individuals do to demand better services?
- How can leaders be held accountable?
Changing entrenched systems is difficult and may face resistance.