--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We Athenians hold that it is not poverty…" description: "\"We Athenians hold that it is not poverty that is disgraceful but the failure to struggle against it.\" — Pericles" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/002/pericles-11474_athenians_we-athenians-hold-that-it-is-not-poverty_3109351.png" --- # We Athenians hold that it is not poverty that is… ![“We Athenians hold that it is not poverty that is disgraceful but the failure to struggle against it.” quote by Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/002/pericles-11474_athenians_we-athenians-hold-that-it-is-not-poverty_3109351.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/002/pericles-11474_athenians_we-athenians-hold-that-it-is-not-poverty_3109351.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/002/pericles-11474_athenians_we-athenians-hold-that-it-is-not-poverty_3109351.png) > “We Athenians hold that it is not poverty that is disgraceful but the failure to struggle against it.” [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It is not poverty itself that is shameful, but the inability to resist or overcome it through effort. **In simple terms:** Poverty is not disgraceful; failing to fight it is. Key Takeaway Strive against hardship rather than accept it. Themes poverty dignity effort resilience social responsibility Mood determined reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal finance - public policy - community aid - social welfare - education Key Concepts Stoicism civic virtue self‑efficacy Questions to Reflect On - How can societies support those unable to struggle alone? - What personal actions best combat poverty? A Different Perspective Even with effort, structural barriers may limit success. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Athenians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/athenians/) [Athenians Hold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/athenians-hold-5424576/) [Disgraceful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disgraceful/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Failure Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure-struggle-1179138/) [Hold Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hold-poverty-5424578/) [Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) [Poverty Disgraceful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty-disgraceful-5424577/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) ## Related quotes > [When poverty is more disgraceful than even vice, is not morality cut to the quick?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft/when-poverty-is-more-disgraceful-than-even-vice-is-not-morality-cut/) [Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft/) > [Failure, struggle and knowledge are the keys to unlock the path of success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/failure-struggle-and-knowledge-are-the-keys-to-unlock-the-path-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“We cannot tolerate failure in our struggle with sin chiefly because we are success-oriented, not because we know it is offensive to God. God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-hunt/we-cannot-tolerate-failure-in-our-struggle-with-sin-chiefly-because/) [Josh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-hunt/) > [“We cultivate refinement without extravagance and knowledge without effeminacy; wealth we employ more for use than for show, and place the real disgrace of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/we-cultivate-refinement-without-extravagance-and-knowledge-without/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [An Athenian citizen does not neglect his state because he takes care of his own household; even those of us who are engaged in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/an-athenian-citizen-does-not-neglect-his-state-because-he-takes-care/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [ “It was about that time \[415 BCE\] that the poet Diagoras of Melos was proscribed for atheism, he having declared that the non-punishment of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-robertson/it-was-about-that-time-415-bce-that-the-poet-diagoras-of-melos-was/) [J. M. Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-robertson/) > [Being summoned by the Athenians out of Sicily to plead for his life, Alcibiades absconded, saying that that criminal was a fool who studied…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/being-summoned-by-the-athenians-out-of-sicily-to-plead-for-his-life/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [What made the war inevitable was the growth of Athenian power and the fear which this caused in Sparta.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/what-made-the-war-inevitable-was-the-growth-of-athenian-power-and-the/) [Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/) > [Eloquence, when at its highest pitch, leaves little room for reason or reflection; but addressing itself entirely to the fancy or the affections, captivates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/eloquence-when-at-its-highest-pitch-leaves-little-room-for-reason-or/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The growth of the power of Athens, and the alarm which this inspired in Sparta, made war inevitable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/the-growth-of-the-power-of-athens-and-the-alarm-which-this-inspired/) [Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/) > [Eutrapelia . "A happy and gracious flexibility," Pericles calls this quality of the Athenians...lucidity of thought, clearness and propriety of language, freedom from prejudice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/eutrapelia-a-happy-and-gracious-flexibility-pericles-calls-this/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [Demosthenes told Phocion, "The Athenians will kill you some day when they once are in a rage." "And you," said he, "if they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/demosthenes-told-phocion-the-athenians-will-kill-you-some-day-when/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [ Everyone, including the Athenians \[...\] are right to accept advice from anyone, since it is incumbent on everyone to share in that sort of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/protagoras/everyone-including-the-athenians-are-right-to-accept-advice-from/) [Protagoras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/protagoras/) > [The great thing about writing about the ancient Spartans or Athenians is that so much knowledge is no longer extant that no one, except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/the-great-thing-about-writing-about-the-ancient-spartans-or-athenians/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [“The revolt in Asia Minor was snugged out in 494, and the Athenians realized that they had acquired a dangerous enemy. Darius I's first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-ryan/the-revolt-in-asia-minor-was-snugged-out-in-494-and-the-athenians/) [Alan Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-ryan/) ## More by Pericles > [Your great glory is not to be inferior to what you have been given by nature, and the greatest glory of a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/your-great-glory-is-not-to-be-inferior-to-what-you-have-been-given-by/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [Although only a few may originate a policy, we are all able to judge it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/although-only-a-few-may-originate-a-policy-we-are-all-able-to-judge-it/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [Time is the king of all men, he is their parent and their grave, and gives them what he will and not what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/time-is-the-king-of-all-men-he-is-their-parent-and-their-grave-and/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [She is best who is least spoken of among men, whether for good or evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/she-is-best-who-is-least-spoken-of-among-men-whether-for-good-or-evil/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/what-you-leave-behind-is-not-what-is-engraved-in-stone-monuments-but/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [For grief is felt not so much for the want of what we have never known, as for the loss of that to which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/for-grief-is-felt-not-so-much-for-the-want-of-what-we-have-never/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/just-because-you-do-not-take-an-interest-in-politics-doesn-t-mean/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [All who have taken it upon themselves to rule over others have incurred hatred and unpopularity for a time; but if one has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/all-who-have-taken-it-upon-themselves-to-rule-over-others-have/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [As for poverty, no one need be ashamed to admit it, the real shame is in not taking practical measures to escape from it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/as-for-poverty-no-one-need-be-ashamed-to-admit-it-the-real-shame-is/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [I am more afraid of our own mistakes than of our enemies' designs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/i-am-more-afraid-of-our-own-mistakes-than-of-our-enemies-designs/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [We alone regard a man who takes no interest in public affairs not as harmless but as a useless character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/we-alone-regard-a-man-who-takes-no-interest-in-public-affairs-not-as/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [“Wait for that wisest of all counselores, Time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/wait-for-that-wisest-of-all-counselores-time/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [Trees, though they are cut and loped, grow up again quickly, but if men are destroyed, it is not easy to get them again](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/trees-though-they-are-cut-and-loped-grow-up-again-quickly-but-if-men/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [Time as he grows old teaches many lessons. - Aeschylus Time is the wisest counselor of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/time-as-he-grows-old-teaches-many-lessons-aeschylus-time-is-the/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [In private matters everyone is equal before the law. In public matters, when it is a question of putting power and responsibility into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/in-private-matters-everyone-is-equal-before-the-law-in-public-matters/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) [Explore all 59 Pericles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) ## More Athenians quotes > [“The revolt in Asia Minor was snugged out in 494, and the Athenians realized that they had acquired a dangerous enemy. Darius I's first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-ryan/the-revolt-in-asia-minor-was-snugged-out-in-494-and-the-athenians/) [Alan Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-ryan/) > [The great thing about writing about the ancient Spartans or Athenians is that so much knowledge is no longer extant that no one, except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/the-great-thing-about-writing-about-the-ancient-spartans-or-athenians/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [ Everyone, including the Athenians \[...\] are right to accept advice from anyone, since it is incumbent on everyone to share in that sort of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/protagoras/everyone-including-the-athenians-are-right-to-accept-advice-from/) [Protagoras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/protagoras/) > [Demosthenes told Phocion, "The Athenians will kill you some day when they once are in a rage." "And you," said he, "if they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/demosthenes-told-phocion-the-athenians-will-kill-you-some-day-when/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [Eutrapelia . "A happy and gracious flexibility," Pericles calls this quality of the Athenians...lucidity of thought, clearness and propriety of language, freedom from prejudice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/eutrapelia-a-happy-and-gracious-flexibility-pericles-calls-this/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [The growth of the power of Athens, and the alarm which this inspired in Sparta, made war inevitable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/the-growth-of-the-power-of-athens-and-the-alarm-which-this-inspired/) [Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/) > [Eloquence, when at its highest pitch, leaves little room for reason or reflection; but addressing itself entirely to the fancy or the affections, captivates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/eloquence-when-at-its-highest-pitch-leaves-little-room-for-reason-or/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What made the war inevitable was the growth of Athenian power and the fear which this caused in Sparta.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/what-made-the-war-inevitable-was-the-growth-of-athenian-power-and-the/) [Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/) > [Being summoned by the Athenians out of Sicily to plead for his life, Alcibiades absconded, saying that that criminal was a fool who studied…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/being-summoned-by-the-athenians-out-of-sicily-to-plead-for-his-life/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [ “It was about that time \[415 BCE\] that the poet Diagoras of Melos was proscribed for atheism, he having declared that the non-punishment of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-robertson/it-was-about-that-time-415-bce-that-the-poet-diagoras-of-melos-was/) [J. M. Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-robertson/) > [The wide difference between the two characters, the slowness and want of energy of the Spartans as contrasted with the dash and enterprise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/the-wide-difference-between-the-two-characters-the-slowness-and-want/) [Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/) > [The greatest and truest models for all oratorsis Demosthenes. One who has not studied deeply and constantly all the great speeches of the great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/the-greatest-and-truest-models-for-all-oratorsis-demosthenes-one-who/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [I will not allow the Athenians to sin twice against philosophy,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/i-will-not-allow-the-athenians-to-sin-twice-against-philosophy/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [ \[Regarding legislative assemblies,\] the number ought at most to be kept within a certain limit, in order to avoid the confusion and intemperance of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/regarding-legislative-assemblies-the-number-ought-at-most-to-be-kept/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [The Athenians are right to accept advice from anyone, since it is incumbent on everyone to share in that sort of excellence, or else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/protagoras/the-athenians-are-right-to-accept-advice-from-anyone-since-it-is/) [Protagoras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/protagoras/) [Browse all 53 Athenians quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/athenians/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We Athenians hold that it is not poverty that is disgraceful but the failure to struggle against it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Pericles" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/we-athenians-hold-that-it-is-not-poverty-that-is-disgraceful-but-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Athenians" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/we-athenians-hold-that-it-is-not-poverty-that-is-disgraceful-but-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/002/pericles-11474_athenians_we-athenians-hold-that-it-is-not-poverty_3109351.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/002/pericles-11474_athenians_we-athenians-hold-that-it-is-not-poverty_3109351.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/002/pericles-11474_athenians_we-athenians-hold-that-it-is-not-poverty_3109351.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We Athenians hold that it is not poverty that is disgraceful but the failure to struggle against it.” — Pericles", "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": "Pericles", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We Athenians hold that it is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/we-athenians-hold-that-it-is-not-poverty-that-is-disgraceful-but-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/we-athenians-hold-that-it-is-not-poverty-that-is-disgraceful-but-the/#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 } } ] } ```