---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Curst greed of gold, what crimes thy…"
description: "\"Curst greed of gold, what crimes thy tyrant power has caused\" — Virgil"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/471/virgil-1205_crime_curst-greed-of-gold-what-crimes-thy-tyra_2403532.jpg"
---

#  Curst greed of gold, what crimes thy tyrant power has caused

![“Curst greed of gold, what crimes thy tyrant power has caused” quote by Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/471/virgil-1205_crime_curst-greed-of-gold-what-crimes-thy-tyra_2403532.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/471/virgil-1205_crime_curst-greed-of-gold-what-crimes-thy-tyra_2403532.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/471/virgil-1205_crime_curst-greed-of-gold-what-crimes-thy-tyra_2403532.jpg)

> “Curst greed of gold, what crimes thy tyrant power has caused”

[Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Greed for wealth drives destructive, tyrannical behavior.

**In simple terms:** Gold greed creates tyranny.

Key Takeaway

Beware the corrupting power of wealth.

Themes

greed power corruption

Mood

cautionary somber

Type

literary ethical

When to use this quote

- politics
- business
- personal finance

Key Concepts

mythology ethics

Questions to Reflect On

- What costs does unchecked greed exact on society?
- How can one balance ambition with integrity?

A Different Perspective

Wealth can enslave both ruler and subject.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Crimes Thy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crimes-thy-6027486/) [Curst Greed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curst-greed-6027485/) [Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gold/) [Gold Crimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gold-crimes-3062629/) [Greed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greed/) [Greed Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greed-gold-1403386/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Tyrants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tyrants/)

## Related quotes

> [“Cursed greed of gold, what crimes thy tyrant power has caused. -- Virgil”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-grahl/cursed-greed-of-gold-what-crimes-thy-tyrant-power-has-caused-virgil/)

[Debby Grahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-grahl/)

> [Then the hard, dry Spaniards came exploring through, greedy and realistic, and their greed was for gold or God. They collected souls as they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/then-the-hard-dry-spaniards-came-exploring-through-greedy-and/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [And their greed was for gold or God. They collected souls as they collected jewels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/and-their-greed-was-for-gold-or-god-they-collected-souls-as-they/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [“Kings will be tyrants from policy when subjects are rebels from principle,” Burke writes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-levin/kings-will-be-tyrants-from-policy-when-subjects-are-rebels-from/)

[Yuval Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-levin/)

> [The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/the-limits-of-tyrants-are-prescribed-by-the-endurance-of-those-whom/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [The statesmen will invent cheap lies, putting the blame upon the nation that is attacked, and every man will be glad of those conscience-soothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-statesmen-will-invent-cheap-lies-putting-the-blame-upon-the/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [To our strongest impulse, to the tyrant in us, not only our reason but also our conscience yields.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/to-our-strongest-impulse-to-the-tyrant-in-us-not-only-our-reason-but/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [Perhaps the greatest consolation of the oppressed is to consider themselves superior to their tyrants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julien-green/perhaps-the-greatest-consolation-of-the-oppressed-is-to-consider/)

[Julien Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julien-green/)

> [The shortest way to change a radical into a conservative, a liberal into a tyrant, a man into a beast, is to give him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-tucker/the-shortest-way-to-change-a-radical-into-a-conservative-a-liberal/)

[Benjamin Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-tucker/)

> [I don't really think in terms of the future of literature. I think literature will be around "forever" - but in a relatively niche…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-antosca/i-don-t-really-think-in-terms-of-the-future-of-literature-i-think/)

[Nick Antosca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-antosca/)

> [We immerse ourselves in escapist mass entertainment, such as 'reality T.V.' programs. We support fanatical politicians and preachers. Our politicians, in turn, support dictators…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-myers/we-immerse-ourselves-in-escapist-mass-entertainment-such-as-reality-t/)

[Brendan Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendan-myers/)

> [Do you want to know something about tyrants? When faced with death, they weep and they beg just like the rest of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-marchetta/do-you-want-to-know-something-about-tyrants-when-faced-with-death/)

[Melina Marchetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-marchetta/)

> [The tyrant has fallen, and Iraq is free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/the-tyrant-has-fallen-and-iraq-is-free/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [“Many of the greatest tyrants on the records of history have begun their reigns in the fairest manner. But the truth is, this unnatural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/many-of-the-greatest-tyrants-on-the-records-of-history-have-begun/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [When you stop a dictator, there are always risks. But there are greater risks in not stopping a dictator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/when-you-stop-a-dictator-there-are-always-risks-but-there-are-greater/)

[Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/)

## More by Virgil

> [We may be masters of our every lot By bearing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/we-may-be-masters-of-our-every-lot-by-bearing-it/)

[Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/)

> [“Facilis descensus Averni: noctes atque dies patet atri ianua Ditis; sed revocare gradium superasque evadere ad auras. hoc opus, hic labor est.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/facilis-descensus-averni-noctes-atque-dies-patet-atri-ianua-ditis-sed/)

[Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/)

> [The descent to the infernal regions is easy enough, but to retrace one's steps, and reach the air above, there's the rub.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/the-descent-to-the-infernal-regions-is-easy-enough-but-to-retrace-one/)

[Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/)

> [If I am unable to make the gods above relent, I shall move hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/if-i-am-unable-to-make-the-gods-above-relent-i-shall-move-hell/)

[Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/)

> [Such is the love of praise, so great the anxiety for victory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/such-is-the-love-of-praise-so-great-the-anxiety-for-victory/)

[Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/)

> [“Spare the meek, but subdue the arrogant.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/spare-the-meek-but-subdue-the-arrogant/)

[Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/)

> [We have to thank God for this retirement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/we-have-to-thank-god-for-this-retirement/)

[Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/)

> [“..and why the winter suns so rush to bathe themselves in the sea and what slows down the nights to a long lingering crawl...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/and-why-the-winter-suns-so-rush-to-bathe-themselves-in-the-sea-and/)

[Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/)

> [“forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit. and perhaps it will be pleasing to have remembered these things one day”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/forsan-et-haec-olim-meminisse-iuvabit-and-perhaps-it-will-be-pleasing/)

[Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/)

> [“Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/timeo-danaos-et-dona-ferentes/)

[Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/)

> [The Britons are quite separated from all the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/the-britons-are-quite-separated-from-all-the-world/)

[Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/)

> [One man excels in eloquence, another in arms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/one-man-excels-in-eloquence-another-in-arms/)

[Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/)

> [“But the Danaan princes and Agamemnon’s battalions, soon as they saw the man and his arms flashing amid the glom, trembled with mighty fear;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/but-the-danaan-princes-and-agamemnon-s-battalions-soon-as-they-saw/)

[Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/)

> [“What a tale he's told, what a bitter bowl of war he's drunk to the dregs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/what-a-tale-he-s-told-what-a-bitter-bowl-of-war-he-s-drunk-to-the/)

[Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/)

> [“Non ignora mali, miseris succurrere disco.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/non-ignora-mali-miseris-succurrere-disco/)

[Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/)

[Explore all 273 Virgil quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/)

## More Crime quotes

> [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/)

[Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/)

> [“Crime and punishment can be summed up in two classifications: there are bad people and there are people who get into bad situations. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnie-dent-jr/crime-and-punishment-can-be-summed-up-in-two-classifications-there/)

[Johnnie Dent Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnie-dent-jr/)

> [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/)

[Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/)

> [“The jailers, the Court, everyone in that building – it wasn’t about justice; it was about obedience and intimidation…about maintaining order. Fear accomplished that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-allan/the-jailers-the-court-everyone-in-that-building-it-wasn-t-about/)

[Jay Allan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-allan/)

> [Taking notes while watching Forensic Files and Snapped. I don't want to make the same mistakes the criminals do! ;)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/taking-notes-while-watching-forensic-files-and-snapped-i-don-t-want/)

[Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/)

> [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [Nations sometimes flourish by denying the crimes that brought them into being. Only when the original invasion, occupation, extermination or usurpation has been safely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/nations-sometimes-flourish-by-denying-the-crimes-that-brought-them/)

[Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/)

> [The danger that may really threaten (crime fiction) is that soon there will be more writers than readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/the-danger-that-may-really-threaten-crime-fiction-is-that-soon-there/)

[Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/)

> [“a crime to fell a tree and light it on fire, where coals of hardened shit warmed and stunk up homes,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/a-crime-to-fell-a-tree-and-light-it-on-fire-where-coals-of-hardened/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [A great read; an exciting, frightening account of organized crime today. But like all important works of nonfiction, it goes further… This book is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/le-ly-hayslip/a-great-read-an-exciting-frightening-account-of-organized-crime-today/)

[Le Ly Hayslip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/le-ly-hayslip/)

> [History is the study of the world's crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/history-is-the-study-of-the-world-s-crime/)

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

> [If it comes to a question of law, the charges they brought against me - the Espionage Act - is called the quintessential political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/if-it-comes-to-a-question-of-law-the-charges-they-brought-against-me/)

[Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/)

> [Too much virtue can be criminal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-racine/too-much-virtue-can-be-criminal/)

[Jean Racine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-racine/)

> [The federal prison population increased by almost 800 percent between 1980 and 2013, often at a far faster rate than the Bureau of Prisons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-yates/the-federal-prison-population-increased-by-almost-800-percent-between/)

[Sally Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-yates/)

> [ \[P\]rogress, however, has not sufficiently infiltrated the Interior Ministry, affording protection to those who participated in the Bytyqi murders and other egregious Milosevic-era crimes. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avis-bohlen/p-rogress-however-has-not-sufficiently-infiltrated-the-interior/)

[Avis Bohlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avis-bohlen/)

[Browse all 8,359 Crime quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Curst greed of gold, what crimes thy tyrant power has caused",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Virgil"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/curst-greed-of-gold-what-crimes-thy-tyrant-power-has-caused/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Crime"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/curst-greed-of-gold-what-crimes-thy-tyrant-power-has-caused/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/471/virgil-1205_crime_curst-greed-of-gold-what-crimes-thy-tyra_2403532.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/471/virgil-1205_crime_curst-greed-of-gold-what-crimes-thy-tyra_2403532.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/471/virgil-1205_crime_curst-greed-of-gold-what-crimes-thy-tyra_2403532.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Curst greed of gold, what crimes thy tyrant power has caused” — Virgil",
                "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": "Virgil",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Curst greed of gold, what crimes...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/curst-greed-of-gold-what-crimes-thy-tyrant-power-has-caused/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/curst-greed-of-gold-what-crimes-thy-tyrant-power-has-caused/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
