--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The wealthiest Americans often live as…" description: "\"The wealthiest Americans often live as though they and their children had nothing to gain from investments in education, infrastructure, clean-energy, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f8/sam-harris-457_children_the-wealthiest-americans-often-live-as-t_2478255.jpg" --- # The wealthiest Americans often live as though they and… ![“The wealthiest Americans often live as though they and their children had nothing to gain from investments in education, infrastructure, clean-energy, and scientific research.” quote by Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f8/sam-harris-457_children_the-wealthiest-americans-often-live-as-t_2478255.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f8/sam-harris-457_children_the-wealthiest-americans-often-live-as-t_2478255.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f8/sam-harris-457_children_the-wealthiest-americans-often-live-as-t_2478255.jpg) > “The wealthiest Americans often live as though they and their children had nothing to gain from investments in education, infrastructure, clean-energy, and scientific research.” [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Neglecting investment in education, infrastructure, clean energy, and research harms future generations and societal progress. **In simple terms:** Invest in public goods for long‑term benefit. Key Takeaway Support education and science for future. Themes public policy investment future generations sustainability Mood analytical concerned Type explanatory philosophical When to use this quote - government budgeting - community planning - advocacy campaigns Key Concepts long‑term planning social responsibility economic growth Questions to Reflect On - How can citizens influence policy investment? - What are the trade‑offs of short‑term vs long‑term spending? A Different Perspective Political disagreements may stall action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Clean energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clean-energy/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Infrastructure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infrastructure/) [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [Investment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investment/) [Investment in education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investment-in-education/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Scientific research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientific-research/) ## Related quotes > [I do have investments, investments in new jobs, investments in education, skill training, and the opportunities for people to get ahead and stay ahead.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-do-have-investments-investments-in-new-jobs-investments-in/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [The best investments you ever make are investments in yourself - and your education. Those investments always pay big dividends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/the-best-investments-you-ever-make-are-investments-in-yourself-and/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [ Contrary to Piketty’s rentier hypothesis, I don’t see anyone on the \[Forbes 400 list of the wealthiest Americans\] whose ancestors bought a great parcel… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/contrary-to-piketty-s-rentier-hypothesis-i-don-t-see-anyone-on-the/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [ \[T\]hese tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans are also the tax cuts that are least likely to promote growth. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/t-hese-tax-cuts-for-the-wealthiest-americans-are-also-the-tax-cuts/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Contrary to common assumption, many of the wealthiest Americans aren't worried about the weakening economy at all. They are actually excited about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-johnson/contrary-to-common-assumption-many-of-the-wealthiest-americans-aren-t/) [Jamie Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-johnson/) > [So when the only domestic social policy is tax cuts that mostly benefit the wealthiest Americans, we say, 'Where is faith being put into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-wallis/so-when-the-only-domestic-social-policy-is-tax-cuts-that-mostly/) [Jim Wallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-wallis/) > [Donald Trump would send us back into recession with his tax plans that benefit the wealthiest of Americans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/donald-trump-would-send-us-back-into-recession-with-his-tax-plans/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [“Harvard’s Ichiro Kawachi agrees. 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To top and get to the top, investment in the right place at the right time for the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrietta-newton-martin-legal-counsel/enough-is-simply-not-enough-to-top-and-get-to-the-top-investment-in/) Henrietta Newton Martin - Legal Counsel > [The Recovery Act, which helped saved the economy and prevented us going into the Great Depression, was the largest investment in green technology, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-recovery-act-which-helped-saved-the-economy-and-prevented-us/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Education technology and school construction go together. Modernization, updating education facilities, and making a capital investment in education are all included.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/major-owens/education-technology-and-school-construction-go-together/) [Major Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/major-owens/) > [In Congress, I'll work hard to encourage investment in education, particularly with respect to technology and bridging the digital divide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hakeem-jeffries/in-congress-i-ll-work-hard-to-encourage-investment-in-education/) [Hakeem Jeffries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hakeem-jeffries/) > [“Better education leads to more opportunities in life. An investment in higher education puts you amongst future leaders that can enhance your thinking, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/better-education-leads-to-more-opportunities-in-life-an-investment-in/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [There's a long list of investments that governments could and should be making. There is strengthening infrastructure, such as transport and communications; there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stiglitz/there-s-a-long-list-of-investments-that-governments-could-and-should/) [Joseph Stiglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stiglitz/) ## More by Sam Harris > [“Moderates in every faith are obliged to loosely interpret (or simply ignore) much of their canons in the interests of living in the modern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/moderates-in-every-faith-are-obliged-to-loosely-interpret-or-simply/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [There is no question but that nominally religious scientists like Francis Collins and Kenneth R. Miller are doing lasting harm to our discourse by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/there-is-no-question-but-that-nominally-religious-scientists-like/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [We have Christians against Muslims against Jews, and no matter how liberal your theology, merely identifying yourself as a Christian or a Jew lends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/we-have-christians-against-muslims-against-jews-and-no-matter-how/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“Your principal concern appears to be that the Creator of the universe will take offense at something people do while naked. This prudery of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/your-principal-concern-appears-to-be-that-the-creator-of-the-universe/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“As manuals for contemplative understanding, the Bible and the Koran are worse than useless. Whatever wisdom can be found in their pages is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/as-manuals-for-contemplative-understanding-the-bible-and-the-koran/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [About 120 million of us place the big bang 2,500 years after the Babylonians and Sumerians learned to brew beer. 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The second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-second-commandment-is-thou-shall-not-construct-any-graven-images/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“But the reality of consciousness appears irreducible. Only consciousness can know itself—and directly, through first-person experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/but-the-reality-of-consciousness-appears-irreducible-only/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“Whether or not one likes Huntington's formulation, one thing is clear: the evil that has finally reached our shores is not merely the evil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/whether-or-not-one-likes-huntington-s-formulation-one-thing-is-clear/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The problem is that religion tends to give people bad reasons to be good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-problem-is-that-religion-tends-to-give-people-bad-reasons-to-be/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [Muslim moderates, wherever they are, must be given every tool necessary to win a war of ideas with their co-religionists. Otherwise, we will have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/muslim-moderates-wherever-they-are-must-be-given-every-tool-necessary/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The idea that any one of our religions represents the infallible word of the One True God requires an encyclopedic ignorance of history, mythology,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-idea-that-any-one-of-our-religions-represents-the-infallible-word/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“What could possibly cause billions of human beings to reconsider their religious beliefs? And yet, it is obvious that an utter revolution in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/what-could-possibly-cause-billions-of-human-beings-to-reconsider/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) [Explore all 543 Sam Harris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) ## More Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. 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