--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Spiders draw just enough silk out of…" description: "\"“Spiders draw just enough silk out of their bowels to catch those half-dozen flies they need to feed themselves and their loved ones; but the rich make..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e4/thornton-wilder-1495_loved-ones_spiders-draw-just-enough-silk-out-of-the_1954275.jpg" --- # Spiders draw just enough silk out of their bowels to catch… ![“Spiders draw just enough silk out of their bowels to catch those half-dozen flies they need to feed themselves and their loved ones; but the rich make silk and silk and silk. Nothing can stop them. Their houses are stuffed with it. Their banks are stuffed with it, and it’s not out of their bowels…” quote by Thornton Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e4/thornton-wilder-1495_loved-ones_spiders-draw-just-enough-silk-out-of-the_1954275.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e4/thornton-wilder-1495_loved-ones_spiders-draw-just-enough-silk-out-of-the_1954275.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e4/thornton-wilder-1495_loved-ones_spiders-draw-just-enough-silk-out-of-the_1954275.jpg) > ““Spiders draw just enough silk out of their bowels to catch those half-dozen flies they need to feed themselves and their loved ones; but the rich make silk and silk and silk. Nothing can stop them. Their houses are stuffed with it. Their banks are stuffed with it, and it’s not out of their bowels they make it, but out of the bowels and lungs and eyeballs of others.”” [Thornton Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thornton-wilder/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The metaphor compares the endless production of wealth by the rich to spiders making silk, emphasizing how the elite accumulate resources at the expense of others' labor and bodies **In simple terms:** Rich accumulate wealth by exploiting others' effort and bodies Key Takeaway Question the ethics of wealth accumulation and exploitation Themes economics power exploitation Mood critical thoughtful Type political philosophical When to use this quote - business practices - tax policy - labor rights - environmental impact Key Concepts capitalism resource extraction social inequality Questions to Reflect On - What responsibilities do the wealthy have toward those they profit from? - How can societies balance wealth creation with fairness? A Different Perspective Wealth creation often relies on systemic exploitation, which can be hard to reform ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Loved ones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loved-ones/) [Spider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spider/) ## Related quotes > [You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/you-can-t-make-a-silk-purse-out-of-a-sow-s-ear/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [You don't work with spiders very long before you start noticing how important silk is to their life and just how special that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-hayashi/you-don-t-work-with-spiders-very-long-before-you-start-noticing-how/) [Cheryl Hayashi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-hayashi/) > [The best way to make a silk purse from a sow's ear is to begin with a silk sow. The same is true of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/the-best-way-to-make-a-silk-purse-from-a-sow-s-ear-is-to-begin-with-a/) [Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/) > [For me, each day begins and ends with wanting to learn a little more about the secrets of spider silk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-hayashi/for-me-each-day-begins-and-ends-with-wanting-to-learn-a-little-more/) [Cheryl Hayashi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-hayashi/) > [Biologically inspired materials could revolutionize materials science. People looking at spider silk and abalone shells are looking for new ways to make materials better,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janine-benyus/biologically-inspired-materials-could-revolutionize-materials-science/) [Janine Benyus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janine-benyus/) > [“Think how nature makes things compared to how we humans make things." We talked about how animals don't just preserve the next generation; they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-powers/think-how-nature-makes-things-compared-to-how-we-humans-make-things/) [William Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-powers/) > [Some spider silks are really strong, but not all of them are. The ones that are really strong can actually rival steel and approach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-hayashi/some-spider-silks-are-really-strong-but-not-all-of-them-are-the-ones/) [Cheryl Hayashi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-hayashi/) > [It's like the spiders are sharing an ancient secret with me, and that's why I'm going to spend the rest of my life studying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-hayashi/it-s-like-the-spiders-are-sharing-an-ancient-secret-with-me-and-that/) [Cheryl Hayashi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-hayashi/) > [To borrow from the writings of a spider named Charlotte: 'Silk is terrific!'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-hayashi/to-borrow-from-the-writings-of-a-spider-named-charlotte-silk-is/) [Cheryl Hayashi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-hayashi/) > [Look at spiders. They use about eight different properties of silk for different functions. The spider is like a multimaterial 3D printer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neri-oxman/look-at-spiders-they-use-about-eight-different-properties-of-silk-for/) [Neri Oxman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neri-oxman/) > [“Why do I hate spiders? Gods, who doesn't? What a stupid question.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/why-do-i-hate-spiders-gods-who-doesn-t-what-a-stupid-question/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [We belong to an age where apocalypse is our daily bread, coffee's black, and we know we're part of the abyss. Red Spider White…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-aldiss/we-belong-to-an-age-where-apocalypse-is-our-daily-bread-coffee-s/) [Brian Aldiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-aldiss/) > [My biggest phobia is spiders. When I was in second grade, one of my classmates got bitten. That did it for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanna-white/my-biggest-phobia-is-spiders-when-i-was-in-second-grade-one-of-my/) [Vanna White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanna-white/) > [“And what if there are only spiders there, or something of that sort”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/and-what-if-there-are-only-spiders-there-or-something-of-that-sort/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [Note to self: If you do not know how to spell a big scary spiders name, DO NOT look it up on the internet.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becky-eisele/note-to-self-if-you-do-not-know-how-to-spell-a-big-scary-spiders-name/) Becky Eisele ## More by Thornton Wilder > [“He respected the slight nervous shadow that crossed her face when he came too near her. 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