--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: were now not only affluent themselves but…" description: "\"“were now not only affluent themselves but were also able to help family members-hut only so long as they stayed in office.'-”\" — Thomas Sowell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce0/thomas-sowell-247_affluent_were-now-not-only-affluent-themselves-bu_452182.jpg" --- # were now not only affluent themselves but were also able… ![“were now not only affluent themselves but were also able to help family members-hut only so long as they stayed in office.'-” quote by Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce0/thomas-sowell-247_affluent_were-now-not-only-affluent-themselves-bu_452182.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce0/thomas-sowell-247_affluent_were-now-not-only-affluent-themselves-bu_452182.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce0/thomas-sowell-247_affluent_were-now-not-only-affluent-themselves-bu_452182.jpg) > ““were now not only affluent themselves but were also able to help family members-hut only so long as they stayed in office.'-”” [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Affluence can be used to aid relatives, but only while they remain in positions of power, highlighting conditional generosity. **In simple terms:** Rich people help family only if they stay powerful. Key Takeaway Be aware of conditional motives in family assistance. Themes wealth family politics conditional aid power dynamics Mood critical analytical skeptical Type sociopolitical economic When to use this quote - political appointments - family business - inheritance negotiations Key Concepts social capital patronage nepotism Questions to Reflect On - Why do people tie assistance to power? - How does this affect fairness? A Different Perspective May ignore merit and broader societal impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affluent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affluent/) [Affluent Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affluent-able-3943937/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Family members](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family-members/) [Help Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/help-family-399170/) [Stayed Office](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stayed-office-3888719/) ## Related quotes > [“stopped coming home for lunch. He just stayed in his office”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/stopped-coming-home-for-lunch-he-just-stayed-in-his-office/) [Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) > [If you're prematurely born or if you have things happening when you're like a baby being born. If you have to learn how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/queen-latifah/if-you-re-prematurely-born-or-if-you-have-things-happening-when-you/) [Queen Latifah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/queen-latifah/) > [In truth a family is what you make it. It is made strong, not by number of heads counted at the dinner table, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marge-kennedy/in-truth-a-family-is-what-you-make-it-it-is-made-strong-not-by-number/) [Marge Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marge-kennedy/) > [ The overall goal \[of counseling\] is to help family members become 'systems experts' who could know \[their\] family system so well that the family… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-bowen/the-overall-goal-of-counseling-is-to-help-family-members-become/) [Murray Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-bowen/) > [Growing up in my family, it was just a little bit chaotic. It was a little bit damaged, and I saw that and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-morgan/growing-up-in-my-family-it-was-just-a-little-bit-chaotic-it-was-a/) [Liv Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-morgan/) > [If I can help one family embrace their child and not displace them and throw them out, I'm happy about that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yance-ford/if-i-can-help-one-family-embrace-their-child-and-not-displace-them/) [Yance Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yance-ford/) > [“This was how to help a family who has just lost their child. Wash the clothes, make soup. Don't ask them what they need,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-hood/this-was-how-to-help-a-family-who-has-just-lost-their-child-wash-the/) [Ann Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-hood/) > [“He ordered a family pack of chicken, and sat and finished it off without any help from anyone else in his family.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/he-ordered-a-family-pack-of-chicken-and-sat-and-finished-it-off/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [I want to be on stage and perform and win Grammys and help out my family in Bulgaria, because they are struggling, and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-labelle/i-want-to-be-on-stage-and-perform-and-win-grammys-and-help-out-my/) [Leah LaBelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-labelle/) > [Really, I just want to help my family, my friends and people in general.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-max/really-i-just-want-to-help-my-family-my-friends-and-people-in-general/) [Ava Max](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-max/) > [Now I'm at the Premier League and help my family. That's all that matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richarlison/now-i-m-at-the-premier-league-and-help-my-family-that-s-all-that/) [Richarlison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richarlison/) > [To be in a position to help my family out and change the trajectory of the Wagner family it's a pretty dope feeling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-wagner/to-be-in-a-position-to-help-my-family-out-and-change-the-trajectory/) [Bobby Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-wagner/) > [“You didn't wind up on a pole without a lot of help from your family.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-unger/you-didn-t-wind-up-on-a-pole-without-a-lot-of-help-from-your-family/) [Lisa Unger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-unger/) > [If we can't help our family, who are we going to help?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristiano-ronaldo/if-we-can-t-help-our-family-who-are-we-going-to-help/) [Cristiano Ronaldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristiano-ronaldo/) > [Since the death of my father four years ago, our lives have become difficult, and I must help my family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/since-the-death-of-my-father-four-years-ago-our-lives-have-become/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) ## More by Thomas Sowell > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [There is no bigger waste of time than doing 90% of what is necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/there-is-no-bigger-waste-of-time-than-doing-90-of-what-is-necessary/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [If you have always believed that everyone should play by the same rules and be judged by the same standards, that would have gotten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/if-you-have-always-believed-that-everyone-should-play-by-the-same/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“In 1962, Democratic President John F. Kennedy, like both Democratic and Republican Presidents and Secretaries of the Treasury in earlier years, pointed out that “it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/in-1962-democratic-president-john-f-kennedy-like-both-democratic-and/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Ideological bigotry has become the norm on even our most prestigious campuses, where students can go for years without reading or hearing anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/ideological-bigotry-has-become-the-norm-on-even-our-most-prestigious/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Bailing out people who made ill-advised mortgages makes no more sense that bailing out people who lost their life savings in Las Vegas casinos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/bailing-out-people-who-made-ill-advised-mortgages-makes-no-more-sense/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“One third of all Scots in the mid-nineteenth century moved from one county to another”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/one-third-of-all-scots-in-the-mid-nineteenth-century-moved-from-one/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [The difference is that we have the hardest and most painful evidence that there was a Holocaust. But, for the global warming scenario that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-difference-is-that-we-have-the-hardest-and-most-painful-evidence/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“Just as price fluctuations allocate scarce resources which have alternative uses, price controls which limit those fluctuations reduce the incentives for individuals to limit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/just-as-price-fluctuations-allocate-scarce-resources-which-have/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [The greatest danger to the liberal vision are facts about the consequences of liberalism itself and the laws, policies, and ways of life that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-greatest-danger-to-the-liberal-vision-are-facts-about-the/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Having spent years ruining the housing markets with their interference, leading to a housing meltdown that has taken the whole economy down with it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/having-spent-years-ruining-the-housing-markets-with-their/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Do all children have some inherent right to live in America if they have done nothing wrong? If not, then why should the children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/do-all-children-have-some-inherent-right-to-live-in-america-if-they/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [What 'eminent domain' laws mean in practice is that politicians have a right to seize your property and turn it over to someone else,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/what-eminent-domain-laws-mean-in-practice-is-that-politicians-have-a/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“those parts of the British Isles without the advantage of coal deposits or ports, industrialization was as handicapped as in other countries.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/those-parts-of-the-british-isles-without-the-advantage-of-coal/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [The whole idea of equal justice under law is completely incompatible with the idea of judges deciding cases according to "empathy".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-whole-idea-of-equal-justice-under-law-is-completely-incompatible/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) [Explore all 823 Thomas Sowell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) ## More Affluent quotes > [From the clayey soil of northern Wyoming is mined bentonite, which is used as filler in candy, gum, and lipstick. 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Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-gardner/) > [Professionalism in medicine has given us medial miracles for the affluent but hospitals that will charge $35 for aspirin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-james/professionalism-in-medicine-has-given-us-medial-miracles-for-the/) [Bill James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-james/) > [We fought hard for socialism in a devastating war of independence and reunification. To build an affluent and prosperous society, we chose the path…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nguyen-minh-triet/we-fought-hard-for-socialism-in-a-devastating-war-of-independence-and/) [Nguyen Minh Triet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nguyen-minh-triet/) > [We get richer and richer in filthier and filthier communities until we reach a final state of affluent misery - crocus on a garbage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-gardner/we-get-richer-and-richer-in-filthier-and-filthier-communities-until/) [John W. Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-gardner/) > [When I first began visiting West Germany in the early 1980s, I was startled by the contrast between Birmingham, where I went to school,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-harding/when-i-first-began-visiting-west-germany-in-the-early-1980s-i-was/) [Luke Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-harding/) > [The American people are extraordinarily comfortable, affluent, and secure. It's easy for us to make the argument that God's purpose is being fulfilled through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-russell-mead/the-american-people-are-extraordinarily-comfortable-affluent-and/) [Walter Russell Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-russell-mead/) > [“It rankled her that people richer than she were so often less worthy and attractive. More slobbish and louty. Comfort could be found in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/it-rankled-her-that-people-richer-than-she-were-so-often-less-worthy/) [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) > [I come from a very affluent family. I have been educated in one of the finest institutions of the world. Money was never a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adnan-sami/i-come-from-a-very-affluent-family-i-have-been-educated-in-one-of-the/) [Adnan Sami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adnan-sami/) > [Rich people in poor places want to show off their wealth. And their less affluent counterparts feel pressure to fake it, at least in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/rich-people-in-poor-places-want-to-show-off-their-wealth-and-their/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [...no matter how complex or affluent, human societies are nothing but subsystems of the biosphere, the Earth's thin veneer of life, which is ultimately…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-smil/no-matter-how-complex-or-affluent-human-societies-are-nothing-but/) [Vaclav Smil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-smil/) > [Obama's assault on the affluent rests upon a sky-high stack of lies. Obama is too well staffed and too well informed not to know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deroy-murdock/obama-s-assault-on-the-affluent-rests-upon-a-sky-high-stack-of-lies/) [Deroy Murdock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deroy-murdock/) > [“Integrity is more significant than income. Honor is more opulent than fame. 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