---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The perception of poverty as morally…"
description: "\"The perception of poverty as morally intolerable in a rich society had to await the emergence of a rich society\" — Nathan Rosenberg"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/nathan-rosenberg-73976_money_the-perception-of-poverty-as-morally-int_296781.jpg"
---

#  The perception of poverty as morally intolerable in a rich…

![“The perception of poverty as morally intolerable in a rich society had to await the emergence of a rich society” quote by Nathan Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/nathan-rosenberg-73976_money_the-perception-of-poverty-as-morally-int_296781.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/nathan-rosenberg-73976_money_the-perception-of-poverty-as-morally-int_296781.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/nathan-rosenberg-73976_money_the-perception-of-poverty-as-morally-int_296781.jpg)

> “The perception of poverty as morally intolerable in a rich society had to await the emergence of a rich society”

[Nathan Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-rosenberg/)

## About This Quote

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

The quote suggests that recognizing poverty as a moral failing requires a wealthy society to develop first.

**In simple terms:** Rich societies must first become affluent before they can see poverty as a moral issue.

Key Takeaway

Wealth precedes moral awareness of poverty.

Themes

wealth morality poverty societal development

Mood

thoughtful critical

Type

analytical philosophical

When to use this quote

- policy making
- social reform
- education campaigns
- philanthropy
- public discourse

Key Concepts

economic development ethical perception

Questions to Reflect On

- How does wealth influence moral priorities?
- Can poverty be seen as immoral without wealth?

A Different Perspective

Wealth alone does not guarantee moral concern; cultural values also matter.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Intolerable Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intolerable-rich-2843343/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Perception](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perception/) [Perception Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perception-poverty-2843340/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) [Poverty Morally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty-morally-2843339/) [Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rich/) [Rich Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rich-society-2843341/) [Society Await](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society-await-2843342/)

## Related quotes

> [“Yet, even then I wasn’t unhappy. We had no objective perception of our own poverty because we had nothing to compare it to. Most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-parker/yet-even-then-i-wasn-t-unhappy-we-had-no-objective-perception-of-our/)

[Willie Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-parker/)

> [As long as men are men, a poor society cannot be too poor to find a right order of life, nor a rich society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-h-tawney/as-long-as-men-are-men-a-poor-society-cannot-be-too-poor-to-find-a/)

[R. H. Tawney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-h-tawney/)

> [We can neither heal nor build if, on the one hand the rich in our society see the poor as hordes of irritants or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/we-can-neither-heal-nor-build-if-on-the-one-hand-the-rich-in-our/)

[Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/)

> [“A society with values, is a rich society.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-kristian-goldmund-aumann/a-society-with-values-is-a-rich-society/)

[sir kristian goldmund aumann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sir-kristian-goldmund-aumann/)

> [There are poor societies which have too little; but where is the rich society that says: 'Halt! We have enough'? There is none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-f-schumacher/there-are-poor-societies-which-have-too-little-but-where-is-the-rich/)

[E. F. Schumacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-f-schumacher/)

> [We have the opportunity to move not only toward the rich society and the powerful society, but upward to the Great Society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/we-have-the-opportunity-to-move-not-only-toward-the-rich-society-and/)

[Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/)

> [If people in Indonesia look 'different', they are afraid. Racist insults fly if someone does not look like part of the majority. Indonesia is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-vltchek/if-people-in-indonesia-look-different-they-are-afraid-racist-insults/)

[Andre Vltchek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-vltchek/)

> [“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/)

> [The laws of thermodynamics, as empirically determined, express the approximate and probable behavior of systems of a great number of particles, or, more precisely,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-willard-gibbs/the-laws-of-thermodynamics-as-empirically-determined-express-the/)

[J. Willard Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-willard-gibbs/)

> [Bring the viewer to your side, include him in your thought. He is not a bystander. You have the power to increase his perceptions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothea-lange/bring-the-viewer-to-your-side-include-him-in-your-thought-he-is-not-a/)

[Dorothea Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothea-lange/)

> [We're trapped on this very thin slice of perception ... But even at that slice of reality that we call home, we're not seeing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/we-re-trapped-on-this-very-thin-slice-of-perception-but-even-at-that/)

[David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/)

> [When you hang the 'bipartisan' tag on something, the perception is that differences have been worked out, and there's a broad agreement that that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-mcconnell/when-you-hang-the-bipartisan-tag-on-something-the-perception-is-that/)

[Mitch McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-mcconnell/)

> [There's no reason for men to be better at maths than women - it's just about our perception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-riley/there-s-no-reason-for-men-to-be-better-at-maths-than-women-it-s-just/)

[Rachel Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-riley/)

> [“According to this model, human beings are, at least in one aspect, sensation-receiving machines; and although our receptory apparatus is competent to select and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cruce-stark/according-to-this-model-human-beings-are-at-least-in-one-aspect/)

[Cruce Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cruce-stark/)

> [Our biggest challenge is to eliminate the popular perception that economists don't have anything useful to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zandi/our-biggest-challenge-is-to-eliminate-the-popular-perception-that/)

[Mark Zandi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zandi/)

## More by Nathan Rosenberg

> [The English practice of accommodating the rules of commercial law to commercial practice. The line of causation ran from economic need to legal response](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-rosenberg/the-english-practice-of-accommodating-the-rules-of-commercial-law-to/)

[Nathan Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-rosenberg/)

> [Experimentation has been the key factor in the success of Western capitalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-rosenberg/experimentation-has-been-the-key-factor-in-the-success-of-western/)

[Nathan Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-rosenberg/)

> [Innovation often originates outside existing organizations, in part because successful organizations acquire a commitment to the status quo and a resistance to ideas that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-rosenberg/innovation-often-originates-outside-existing-organizations-in-part/)

[Nathan Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-rosenberg/)

[Explore all 4 Nathan Rosenberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-rosenberg/)

## More Money quotes

> [You've got to tell your money what to do or it will leave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-ramsey/you-ve-got-to-tell-your-money-what-to-do-or-it-will-leave/)

[Dave Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-ramsey/)

> [Don't let's lose sight of what creates wealth. It is open markets, it is capitalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/don-t-let-s-lose-sight-of-what-creates-wealth-it-is-open-markets-it/)

[Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [Money is the kind of instrument which is very speedily produced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatoly-chubais/money-is-the-kind-of-instrument-which-is-very-speedily-produced/)

[Anatoly Chubais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatoly-chubais/)

> [I would borrow money all day long, if the cost of borrowing is less than the expected return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/i-would-borrow-money-all-day-long-if-the-cost-of-borrowing-is-less/)

[Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/)

> [If you restore a car, and you're making money, then you're doing it wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/if-you-restore-a-car-and-you-re-making-money-then-you-re-doing-it/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [Maybe you can,t buy a big house.. A new car.. A huge diamond ring.. But if you have just one true friend who loves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy/maybe-you-can-t-buy-a-big-house-a-new-car-a-huge-diamond-ring-but-if/)

[Cathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy/)

> [“Don't allow money to become the yardstick by which you measure the worth of the world around you!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-james-pritchard/don-t-allow-money-to-become-the-yardstick-by-which-you-measure-the/)

[Andrew James Pritchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-james-pritchard/)

> [Academically, I was never that interested. I skipped classes. My biggest dream was to have a coffee shop, but I had no idea how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-espinosa/academically-i-was-never-that-interested-i-skipped-classes-my-biggest/)

[Daniel Espinosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-espinosa/)

> [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/)

[Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/)

> [I doubt that we Americans can come to terms with our money neuroses without understanding the more florid pathology of the very rich for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-slater/i-doubt-that-we-americans-can-come-to-terms-with-our-money-neuroses/)

[Philip Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-slater/)

> [“The writer must earn money in order to be able to live and to write, but he must by no means live and write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goins/the-writer-must-earn-money-in-order-to-be-able-to-live-and-to-write/)

[Jeff Goins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goins/)

> [Jobs and money are never the primary cause of stress. Thinking, negative thinking causes stress. The real cause of all problems lie in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/jobs-and-money-are-never-the-primary-cause-of-stress-thinking/)

[Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/)

> [Most paper money initially existed as a substitute for gold. That's what gave it value. But right now what gives a currency value is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/most-paper-money-initially-existed-as-a-substitute-for-gold-that-s/)

[Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/)

> [The man who works for the gold in the job rather than for the money in the pay envelope, is the fellow who gets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-french-johnson/the-man-who-works-for-the-gold-in-the-job-rather-than-for-the-money/)

[Joseph French Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-french-johnson/)

[Browse all 45,172 Money quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The perception of poverty as morally intolerable in a rich society had to await the emergence of a rich society",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Nathan Rosenberg"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-rosenberg/the-perception-of-poverty-as-morally-intolerable-in-a-rich-society/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Money"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-rosenberg/the-perception-of-poverty-as-morally-intolerable-in-a-rich-society/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/nathan-rosenberg-73976_money_the-perception-of-poverty-as-morally-int_296781.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/nathan-rosenberg-73976_money_the-perception-of-poverty-as-morally-int_296781.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/nathan-rosenberg-73976_money_the-perception-of-poverty-as-morally-int_296781.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The perception of poverty as morally intolerable in a rich society had to await the emergence of a rich…” — Nathan Rosenberg",
                "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": "Nathan Rosenberg",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-rosenberg/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The perception of poverty as morally...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-rosenberg/the-perception-of-poverty-as-morally-intolerable-in-a-rich-society/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-rosenberg/the-perception-of-poverty-as-morally-intolerable-in-a-rich-society/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
