--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You see, it is my passionately held…" description: "\"“You see, it is my passionately held belief that the right to possess property is at best a contingent one When disparities become too great, a superio..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a74/mohsin-hamid-798_faith_you-see-it-is-my-passionately-held-belie_1312524.jpg" --- # You see, it is my passionately held belief that the right… ![“You see, it is my passionately held belief that the right to possess property is at best a contingent one When disparities become too great, a superior right, that to life, outweighs the right to property. Ergo, the very poor have the right to steal from the very rich. Indeed, I would go so far as…” quote by Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a74/mohsin-hamid-798_faith_you-see-it-is-my-passionately-held-belie_1312524.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a74/mohsin-hamid-798_faith_you-see-it-is-my-passionately-held-belie_1312524.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a74/mohsin-hamid-798_faith_you-see-it-is-my-passionately-held-belie_1312524.jpg) > ““You see, it is my passionately held belief that the right to possess property is at best a contingent one When disparities become too great, a superior right, that to life, outweighs the right to property. Ergo, the very poor have the right to steal from the very rich. Indeed, I would go so far as to say the the poor have a duty to do so, for history has shown that the inaction of the working classes perpetuates their subjugation.”” [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When inequality is extreme, the right to life supersedes property rights, justifying theft by the poor as a moral duty. **In simple terms:** Extreme inequality may make stealing a moral duty for the poor. Key Takeaway Address inequality before it forces desperate measures. Themes inequality property morality Mood critical provocative Type philosophical political When to use this quote - activism - policy reform - community organizing - education Key Concepts political philosophy social justice Questions to Reflect On - Is theft ever ethically justified? - What alternatives can protect both rights? A Different Perspective Legitimizing theft can undermine rule of law. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [“You see, it is my passionately held belief that the right to possess property is at best a contingent one. When disparities become too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/you-see-it-is-my-passionately-held-belief-that-the-right-to-possess/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [Every man has by nature the right to possess property as his own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-xiii/every-man-has-by-nature-the-right-to-possess-property-as-his-own/) [Pope Leo XIII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-xiii/) > [Every man has by nature the right to possess property as his own. This is one of the chief points of distinction between man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-xiii/every-man-has-by-nature-the-right-to-possess-property-as-his-own-this/) [Pope Leo XIII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-xiii/) > [I don't think anyone has a right to possess anything he doesn't love - art or anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-baldwin/i-don-t-think-anyone-has-a-right-to-possess-anything-he-doesn-t-love/) [Billy Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-baldwin/) > [The power confided in me will be used to hold, occupy and possess the property and places belonging to the government, and to collect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/the-power-confided-in-me-will-be-used-to-hold-occupy-and-possess-the/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [The whole title by which you possess your property, is not a title of nature but of a human institution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/the-whole-title-by-which-you-possess-your-property-is-not-a-title-of/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [“Property breeds lawyers, I said, forbearing to add a belief that unfortunately property now seemed the only thing palpable enough to demand the respect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-miller/property-breeds-lawyers-i-said-forbearing-to-add-a-belief-that/) [Arthur Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-miller/) > [A right to property is founded in our natural wants, in the means with which we are endowed to satisfy these wants, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-right-to-property-is-founded-in-our-natural-wants-in-the-means-with/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [There is nothing which so generally strikes the imagination and engages the affections of mankind, as the right of property.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blackstone/there-is-nothing-which-so-generally-strikes-the-imagination-and-2/) [William Blackstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blackstone/) > [Next to the right of liberty, the right of property is the most important individual right guaranteed by the Constitution and the one which,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-howard-taft/next-to-the-right-of-liberty-the-right-of-property-is-the-most/) [William Howard Taft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-howard-taft/) > [And with respect to the mode in which these general principles affect the secure possession of property, so far am I from invalidating such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/and-with-respect-to-the-mode-in-which-these-general-principles-affect/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > [There is nothing which so generally strikes the imagination, and engages the affections of mankind, as the right of property; or that sole and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blackstone/there-is-nothing-which-so-generally-strikes-the-imagination-and-3/) [William Blackstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blackstone/) > [I'm very happy right now without any property anywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pavel-durov/i-m-very-happy-right-now-without-any-property-anywhere/) [Pavel Durov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pavel-durov/) > [No power on earth has a right to take our property from us without our consent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jay/no-power-on-earth-has-a-right-to-take-our-property-from-us-without/) [John Jay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jay/) > [The right of absolute and irresponsible dominion is the right of property, and the right of property is the right of absolute, irresponsible dominion.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/the-right-of-absolute-and-irresponsible-dominion-is-the-right-of/) [Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/) ## More by Mohsin Hamid > [Pakistan now is like a horror film franchise. You know, it's 'Friday the 13th, Episode 63: The Terrorist from Pakistan.' And each time we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/pakistan-now-is-like-a-horror-film-franchise-you-know-it-s-friday-the/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [A beard is something that is almost like a mirror to the viewer. When someone sees you wearing a beard, they're seeing something in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/a-beard-is-something-that-is-almost-like-a-mirror-to-the-viewer-when/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [And also I think the rise of other, you could say, destinations for international jihadis mean that Pakistan isn't necessarily the place where people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/and-also-i-think-the-rise-of-other-you-could-say-destinations-for/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [“I met her eyes, and for the first time I perceived that there was something broken behind them, like a tiny crack in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/i-met-her-eyes-and-for-the-first-time-i-perceived-that-there-was/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [“muscularity, made more pronounced by her gauntness, and the near-inanimate”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/muscularity-made-more-pronounced-by-her-gauntness-and-the-near/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [“In this group, everyone was foreign, and so, in a sense, no one was.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/in-this-group-everyone-was-foreign-and-so-in-a-sense-no-one-was/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [“It seemed to me then - and to be honest, sir, seems to me still - that America was engaged only in posturing. 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