--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This country has so much wealth and so…" description: "\"This country has so much wealth and so much poverty, and that seemed wrong to me. 'Evicted' was my Ph.D. dissertation.\" — Matthew Desmond" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f31/matthew-desmond-1529_country_this-country-has-so-much-wealth-and-so-m_1259045.jpg" --- # This country has so much wealth and so much poverty, and… ![“This country has so much wealth and so much poverty, and that seemed wrong to me. 'Evicted' was my Ph.D. dissertation.” quote by Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f31/matthew-desmond-1529_country_this-country-has-so-much-wealth-and-so-m_1259045.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f31/matthew-desmond-1529_country_this-country-has-so-much-wealth-and-so-m_1259045.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f31/matthew-desmond-1529_country_this-country-has-so-much-wealth-and-so-m_1259045.jpg) > “This country has so much wealth and so much poverty, and that seemed wrong to me. 'Evicted' was my Ph.D. dissertation.” [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author observes stark wealth inequality in the country, noting it conflicted with his values, leading to a dissertation on eviction. **In simple terms:** Wealth inequality felt wrong, prompting research on eviction. Key Takeaway Address systemic inequality. Themes inequality poverty housing research Mood concerned analytical Type academic philosophical When to use this quote - urban planning - academic study - advocacy Key Concepts policy analysis social justice Questions to Reflect On - What policies could reduce eviction rates? - How does wealth disparity affect society? A Different Perspective Complex causes of poverty extend beyond eviction alone. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Evicted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evicted/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) [Wealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth/) ## Related quotes > [“...poor countries are poor because those who have power make choices that create poverty. They get it wrong not by mistake or ignorance but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/poor-countries-are-poor-because-those-who-have-power-make-choices/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Moms that get evicted are depressed and have higher rates of depressive symptoms two years later. That has to affect their interactions with their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/moms-that-get-evicted-are-depressed-and-have-higher-rates-of/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [I saw people get fired after their eviction. But when I found that if you get evicted, your chances of losing your job increase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/i-saw-people-get-fired-after-their-eviction-but-when-i-found-that-if/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [African American women, and moms in particular, are evicted at disproportionately high rates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/african-american-women-and-moms-in-particular-are-evicted-at/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [When you ask people why they were evicted, the big reason is nonpayment of rent. They can't afford to keep a roof over their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/when-you-ask-people-why-they-were-evicted-the-big-reason-is/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Forests are precious resources of the country and a wealth to be handed down to posterity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-jong-un/forests-are-precious-resources-of-the-country-and-a-wealth-to-be/) [Kim Jong-un](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-jong-un/) > [If in a country, most of the wealth is concentrated in the hands of the few, then this country can hardly witness harmony and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wen-jiabao/if-in-a-country-most-of-the-wealth-is-concentrated-in-the-hands-of/) [Wen Jiabao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wen-jiabao/) > [This country of ours has more wealth than any nation, but that's not what makes us rich. We have the most powerful military on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/this-country-of-ours-has-more-wealth-than-any-nation-but-that-s-not/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Our family's fortune is growing faster than ever. We're a part of a small number of American families that own most of the country's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-johnson/our-family-s-fortune-is-growing-faster-than-ever-we-re-a-part-of-a/) [Jamie Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-johnson/) > [You can gauge a country's wealth, its real wealth, by its tree cover.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-st-barbe-baker/you-can-gauge-a-country-s-wealth-its-real-wealth-by-its-tree-cover/) [Richard St. Barbe Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-st-barbe-baker/) > [“Extremes of wealth and poverty are a scandal to Christian brotherhood. They must not be allowed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-j-foster/extremes-of-wealth-and-poverty-are-a-scandal-to-christian-brotherhood/) [Richard J. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-j-foster/) > [“Since nothing is less stable among men than those external relationships which chance brings about more often than wisdom, and which are called weakness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/since-nothing-is-less-stable-among-men-than-those-external/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [Wealth and poverty do not lie in a man's estate, but in men's souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antisthenes/wealth-and-poverty-do-not-lie-in-a-man-s-estate-but-in-men-s-souls/) [Antisthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antisthenes/) > [The poor of the world cannot be made rich by the redistribution of wealth. Poverty can't be eliminated by punishing people who've escaped poverty,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/the-poor-of-the-world-cannot-be-made-rich-by-the-redistribution-of/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Wealth and poverty are seen for what they are. It begins to be seen that the poor are only they who feel poor, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/wealth-and-poverty-are-seen-for-what-they-are-it-begins-to-be-seen/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) ## More by Matthew Desmond > [I don't think we can fix poverty without fixing housing, and I don't think we can address housing without understanding landlords.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/i-don-t-think-we-can-fix-poverty-without-fixing-housing-and-i-don-t/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [If we continue to tolerate this level of poverty in our cities, and go along with eviction as commonplace in poor neighborhoods, it's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/if-we-continue-to-tolerate-this-level-of-poverty-in-our-cities-and-go/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [You see one eviction, and you're overcome, but then there's another one and another one and another one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/you-see-one-eviction-and-you-re-overcome-but-then-there-s-another-one/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [When I talk to booksellers, they tell me how hard it is to hand-sell some of my books because I do keep popping around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/when-i-talk-to-booksellers-they-tell-me-how-hard-it-is-to-hand-sell/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Housing being a top-order issue for cities is something that's not trivial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/housing-being-a-top-order-issue-for-cities-is-something-that-s-not/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [I think that we value fairness in this country. We value equal opportunity. Without a stable home, those ideals really fall apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/i-think-that-we-value-fairness-in-this-country-we-value-equal/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Exploitation. Now, there's a word that has been scrubbed out of the poverty debate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/exploitation-now-there-s-a-word-that-has-been-scrubbed-out-of-the/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [I think there are ways that graduate students can fact-check their work. 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Especially for poor African-American families - who live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/it-was-once-said-that-the-poor-are-constantly-exposed-to-evidence-of/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [A universal voucher program would change the face of poverty in this country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/a-universal-voucher-program-would-change-the-face-of-poverty-in-this/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“Wildland firefighters do not enjoy the cultural prestige that structural firefighters do. They do not wax their fire engines and cruise down the local…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/wildland-firefighters-do-not-enjoy-the-cultural-prestige-that/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) [Explore all 230 Matthew Desmond quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) ## More Country quotes > [I love playing for my country, getting the support. 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