--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Men would rather be starving and free…" description: "\"Men would rather be starving and free than fed in bonds.\" — Pearl S. Buck" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22c/pearl-s-buck-1024_bonds_men-would-rather-be-starving-and-free-th_906850.png" --- # Men would rather be starving and free than fed in bonds. ![“Men would rather be starving and free than fed in bonds.” quote by Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22c/pearl-s-buck-1024_bonds_men-would-rather-be-starving-and-free-th_906850.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22c/pearl-s-buck-1024_bonds_men-would-rather-be-starving-and-free-th_906850.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22c/pearl-s-buck-1024_bonds_men-would-rather-be-starving-and-free-th_906850.png) > “Men would rather be starving and free than fed in bonds.” [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Prefers liberty even in hardship over comfort under oppression. **In simple terms:** Freedom is valued over material security. Key Takeaway Choose freedom, even if it means sacrifice. Themes freedom poverty choice politics values Mood defiant thoughtful Type political philosophical When to use this quote - activism - career choices - social movements - personal budgeting Key Concepts political philosophy human rights economic liberty Questions to Reflect On - What does freedom mean to you? - Can poverty be a choice? A Different Perspective Freedom without resources can be precarious. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bonds/) [Free Fed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-fed-1294853/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men Starving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-starving-1294851/) [Starving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/starving/) [Starving Free](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/starving-free-1294852/) ## Related quotes > [“I need to move. I don’t fit in here. I almost tried a juice cleanse once, but quickly remembered that I could starve, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kidd/i-need-to-move-i-don-t-fit-in-here-i-almost-tried-a-juice-cleanse/) [Kris Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kidd/) > [We can be free, and we can be fed. We can demand what we deserve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zohran-mamdani/we-can-be-free-and-we-can-be-fed-we-can-demand-what-we-deserve/) [Zohran Mamdani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zohran-mamdani/) > [It's a Crime for the Slave to Love her Bonds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ghada-al-samman/it-s-a-crime-for-the-slave-to-love-her-bonds/) [Ghada al-Samman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ghada-al-samman/) > [The positive aspect of my negative view is essentially that you shouldn't own cash and government bonds, but you should be in assets like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-faber/the-positive-aspect-of-my-negative-view-is-essentially-that-you/) [Marc Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-faber/) > [We are acknowledging the close personal nature of our 10 years at war and the strong bonds of fidelity that Marines have for one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-f-amos/we-are-acknowledging-the-close-personal-nature-of-our-10-years-at-war/) [James F. Amos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-f-amos/) > [“Being afraid of building bonds because of the hurt you felt from those who betrayed your trust before, is a foolish sentiment. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imania-margria/being-afraid-of-building-bonds-because-of-the-hurt-you-felt-from/) [Imania Margria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imania-margria/) > [“Don't get entangled With what you long for or dislike. Not seeing what you long for is suffering; So also is seeing what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-get-entangled-with-what-you-long-for-or-dislike-not-seeing-what/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [By the mid-1950s, the young bond traders on the Street were becoming more and more of a fraternity. We organized informal luncheons every Thursday…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-e-simon/by-the-mid-1950s-the-young-bond-traders-on-the-street-were-becoming/) [William E. Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-e-simon/) > [“It is so simple and easy to hate and so grueling and hard to love, when the emotional “love forever”- revelation has become a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/it-is-so-simple-and-easy-to-hate-and-so-grueling-and-hard-to-love/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [“To have deep roots in a place means having dead buried there. It is almost that literal, the dead forming your bond to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julene-bair/to-have-deep-roots-in-a-place-means-having-dead-buried-there-it-is/) [Julene Bair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julene-bair/) > [I've seen few things more depressing than the end-of-season Giants-Padres series in 2001 in which Barry Bonds hit his 68th homer of the year…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-rodrick/i-ve-seen-few-things-more-depressing-than-the-end-of-season-giants/) [Stephen Rodrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-rodrick/) > [Bonds are guaranteed certificates of confiscation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-pick/bonds-are-guaranteed-certificates-of-confiscation/) [Franz Pick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-pick/) > [“If you cannot wait for time to unearth roots, you must dig.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelou-keramati/if-you-cannot-wait-for-time-to-unearth-roots-you-must-dig/) [Nelou Keramati](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelou-keramati/) > [“The bonds between a family are strange indeed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/the-bonds-between-a-family-are-strange-indeed/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [“It was a popular belief in Victorian society that women, with their mercurial natures and lesser brains, could not have the same quality of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/it-was-a-popular-belief-in-victorian-society-that-women-with-their/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) ## More by Pearl S. Buck > [For war to man, like childbirth to women, is simplifying in its emotions and activities. All the real problems of life can be put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/for-war-to-man-like-childbirth-to-women-is-simplifying-in-its/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [Hunger makes a thief of any man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/hunger-makes-a-thief-of-any-man/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [War is the most devastating endemic and epidemic disease the human race has to endure, and yet too little has been done to discover…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/war-is-the-most-devastating-endemic-and-epidemic-disease-the-human/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [In our changing world nothing changes more than geography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/in-our-changing-world-nothing-changes-more-than-geography/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [No one really understood music unless he was a scientist, her father had declared, and not just a scientist, either, oh, no, only the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/no-one-really-understood-music-unless-he-was-a-scientist-her-father/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [Upon the profound discontent of the young in every country do I set my faith. I beg you, the young, to be discontented. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/upon-the-profound-discontent-of-the-young-in-every-country-do-i-set/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [“Wang Lung sat smoking, thinking of the silver as it had lain upon the table. It had come out of the earth, this silver,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/wang-lung-sat-smoking-thinking-of-the-silver-as-it-had-lain-upon-the/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [The secret of joy in work is contained in one word - excellence. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/the-secret-of-joy-in-work-is-contained-in-one-word-excellence-to-know/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [If our American way of life fails the child, it fails us all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/if-our-american-way-of-life-fails-the-child-it-fails-us-all/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [“Mind and body were well or ill together.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/mind-and-body-were-well-or-ill-together/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [“U meni postoji mjesto gdje živim posve sama; tu obnavljam svoja proljeća koja nikad ne presahnu”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/u-meni-postoji-mjesto-gdje-ivim-posve-sama-tu-obnavljam-svoja-prolje/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [“Brave young American men climbed the rugged slopes of Korean mountains and fought in homesickness and desperate weariness for the sake of a people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/brave-young-american-men-climbed-the-rugged-slopes-of-korean/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [Truth is always exciting. Speak it, then; life is dull without it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/truth-is-always-exciting-speak-it-then-life-is-dull-without-it/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [“All scientific effort must now be concentrated in the area of defence (sic). We have learned our lesson. We, the most civilized of people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/all-scientific-effort-must-now-be-concentrated-in-the-area-of-defence/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [to know how to read is to light a lamp in the mind, to release the soul from prison, to open a gate to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/to-know-how-to-read-is-to-light-a-lamp-in-the-mind-to-release-the/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) [Explore all 304 Pearl S. Buck quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) ## More Bonds quotes > [“It was a popular belief in Victorian society that women, with their mercurial natures and lesser brains, could not have the same quality of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/it-was-a-popular-belief-in-victorian-society-that-women-with-their/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) > [“The bonds between a family are strange indeed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/the-bonds-between-a-family-are-strange-indeed/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [“If you cannot wait for time to unearth roots, you must dig.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelou-keramati/if-you-cannot-wait-for-time-to-unearth-roots-you-must-dig/) [Nelou Keramati](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelou-keramati/) > [Bonds are guaranteed certificates of confiscation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-pick/bonds-are-guaranteed-certificates-of-confiscation/) [Franz Pick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-pick/) > [I've seen few things more depressing than the end-of-season Giants-Padres series in 2001 in which Barry Bonds hit his 68th homer of the year…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-rodrick/i-ve-seen-few-things-more-depressing-than-the-end-of-season-giants/) [Stephen Rodrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-rodrick/) > [“To have deep roots in a place means having dead buried there. It is almost that literal, the dead forming your bond to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julene-bair/to-have-deep-roots-in-a-place-means-having-dead-buried-there-it-is/) [Julene Bair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julene-bair/) > [“It is so simple and easy to hate and so grueling and hard to love, when the emotional “love forever”- revelation has become a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/it-is-so-simple-and-easy-to-hate-and-so-grueling-and-hard-to-love/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [By the mid-1950s, the young bond traders on the Street were becoming more and more of a fraternity. We organized informal luncheons every Thursday…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-e-simon/by-the-mid-1950s-the-young-bond-traders-on-the-street-were-becoming/) [William E. Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-e-simon/) > [“Don't get entangled With what you long for or dislike. Not seeing what you long for is suffering; So also is seeing what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-get-entangled-with-what-you-long-for-or-dislike-not-seeing-what/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Being afraid of building bonds because of the hurt you felt from those who betrayed your trust before, is a foolish sentiment. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imania-margria/being-afraid-of-building-bonds-because-of-the-hurt-you-felt-from/) [Imania Margria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imania-margria/) > [We are acknowledging the close personal nature of our 10 years at war and the strong bonds of fidelity that Marines have for one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-f-amos/we-are-acknowledging-the-close-personal-nature-of-our-10-years-at-war/) [James F. Amos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-f-amos/) > [The positive aspect of my negative view is essentially that you shouldn't own cash and government bonds, but you should be in assets like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-faber/the-positive-aspect-of-my-negative-view-is-essentially-that-you/) [Marc Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-faber/) > [It's a Crime for the Slave to Love her Bonds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ghada-al-samman/it-s-a-crime-for-the-slave-to-love-her-bonds/) [Ghada al-Samman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ghada-al-samman/) > [Markets themselves are looking for stability, and I think we have underestimated the capacity of Europe... to actually create a more stable framework for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-papandreou/markets-themselves-are-looking-for-stability-and-i-think-we-have/) [George Papandreou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-papandreou/) > [“If money is the bond binding me to human life, binding society to me, connecting me with nature and man, is not money the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/if-money-is-the-bond-binding-me-to-human-life-binding-society-to-me/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) [Browse all 156 Bonds quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bonds/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Men would rather be starving and free than fed in bonds.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Pearl S. 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