WIST Quotations16h ago

A quotation from Victor Hugo

“Their vanity is full of phantoms which move as in a sublime night, armed with helm and cuirass, spurs on their heels and the sceptres in their hands, saying in a grave voice, ‘We are the ancestors!’ The canker-worms eat the roots, and panoplies eat the people. Why not? Are we to change the laws? The peerage is part of the order of society. Do you know that there is a duke in Scotland who can ride ninety miles without leaving his own estate? Do you know that the Archbishop of Canterbury has a revenue of £40,000 a year? Do you know that her Majesty has £700,000 sterling from the civil list, besides castles, forests, domains, fiefs, tenancies, freeholds, prebendaries, tithes, rent, confiscations, and fines, which bring in over a million sterling? Those who are not satisfied are hard to please.”
“Yes,” murmured Gwynplaine sadly, “the paradise of the rich is made out of the hell of the poor.”
 
— Leur vanité est pleine de fantômes qui s’y promènent comme dans une nuit sublime, armés, casqués, cuirassés, éperonnés, le bâton d’empire à la main, et disant d’une voix grave: Nous sommes les aïeux ! Les scarabées mangent les racines, et les panoplies mangent le peuple. Pourquoi pas? Allons-nous changer les lois? La seigneurie fait partie de l’ordre. Sais-tu qu’il y a un duc en Écosse qui galope trente lieues sans sortir de chez lui? Sais-tu que le lord archevêque de Canterbury a un million de Francs de revenu? Sais-tu que sa majesté a par an sept cent mille livres sterling de liste civile, sans compter les châteaux, forêts, domaines, fiefs, tenances, alleux, prébendes, dîmes et redevances, confiscations et amendes, qui dépassent un million sterling ? Ceux qui ne sont pas contents sont difficiles.
— Oui, murmura Gwynplaine pensif, c’est de l’enfer des pauvres qu’est fait le paradis des riches.

Victor Hugo (1802-1885) French writer
The Man Who Laughs [L’Homme qui rit; The Laughing Man; By Order of the King], Part 2, Book 2, ch. 11 (2.2.11) (1869) [Auth. trans. (1871)]

More about (and translations of) this quote: wist.info/hugo-victor/82457/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #victorhugo #themanwholaughs #aristocracy #classwarfare #economicinjustice #exploitation #meme #oligarchy #poor #poverty #power #rich #riches #wealth

WIST QuotationsMar 26

A quotation from Melville

Of all the preposterous assumptions of humanity over humanity, nothing exceeds most of the criticisms made on the habits of the poor by the well-housed, well-warmed, and well-fed.

Herman Melville (1819-1891) American writer
Story (1854-06), “Poor Man’s Pudding and Rich Man’s Crumbs,” “Picture First,” Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, Vol. 9

More about this quote: wist.info/melville-herman/8281…

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #melville #hermanmelville #classwarfare #criticism #economicinequality #economicinjustice #perspective #poor #poverty #wealthy #welltodo

Melville, Herman - Story (1854-06), "Poor Man's Pudding and Rich Man's Crumbs," "Picture First," Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol. 9 | WIST Quotations

Of all the preposterous assumptions of humanity over humanity, nothing exceeds most of the criticisms made on the habits of the poor by the well-housed, well-warmed, and well-fed. (Alternate Source)

WIST Quotations
WIST QuotationsMar 16

A quotation from Victor Hugo

   You are right, sir, when you tell me that Les Misérables is written for all nations. I do not know whether it will be read by all, but I wrote it for all. It is addressed to England as well as to Spain, to Italy as well as to France, to Germany as well as to Ireland, to Republics which have slaves as well as to Empires which have serfs. Social problems overstep frontiers. The sores of the human race, those great sores which cover the globe, do not halt at the red or blue lines traced upon the map.
   In every place where man is ignorant and despairing, in every place where woman is sold for bread, wherever the child suffers for lack of the book which should instruct him and of the hearth which should warm him, the book of Les Misérables knocks at the door and says: “Open to me, I come for you.”
 
   [Vous avez raison, monsieur, quand vous me dites que le livre les Misérables est écrit pour tous les peuples. Je ne sais s’il sera lu par tous, mais je l’ai écrit pour tous. Il s’adresse à l’Angleterre autant qu’à l’Espagne, à l’Italie autant qu’à la France, à l’Allemagne autant qu’à l’Irlande, aux républiques qui ont des esclaves aussi bien qu’aux empires qui ont des serfs. Les problèmes sociaux dépassent les frontières. Les plaies du genre humain, ces larges plaies qui couvrent le globe, ne s’arrêtent point aux lignes bleues ou rouges tracées sur la mappemonde.
   Partout où l’homme ignore et désespère, partout où la femme se vend pour du pain, partout où l’enfant souffre faute d’un livre qui l’enseigne et d’un foyer qui le réchauffe, le livre les Misérables frappe à la porte et dit: Ouvrez-moi, je viens pour vous.]

Victor Hugo (1802-1885) French writer
Letter (1862-10-18) to M. Daelli

More about this quote: wist.info/hugo-victor/13238/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #victorhugo #lesmiserables #borders #downtrodden #economicinjustice #global #humancondition #poor #poverty #serfdom #slavery #socialills #socialinjustice #socialproblem

Hugo, Victor - Letter (1862-10-18) to M. Daelli | WIST Quotations

You are right, sir, when you tell me that Les Misérables is written for all nations. I do not know whether it will be read by all, but I wrote it for all. It is addressed to England as well as to Spain, to Italy as well as to France,…

WIST Quotations
WIST QuotationsMar 12

A quotation from Teddy Roosevelt

Our worst revolutionaries today are those reactionaries who do not see and will not admit that there is any need for change.

Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) American politician, statesman, conservationist, writer, US President (1901–1909)
Autobiography, ch. 13 “Social and Industrial Justice” (1913)

More about this quote: wist.info/roosevelt-theodore/7…

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #teddyroosevelt #theodoreroosevelt #change #conservative #economicinjustice #moniedinterests #progress #reactionary #revolution #socialunrest

Bot Verification

WIST QuotationsMar 2

A quotation from Victor Hugo

“Their vanity is full of phantoms, which move as in a sublime night, armed with helm and cuirass, spurs on their heels and sceptres in their hands, saying in a grave voice, ‘We are the ancestors!’ The canker-worms eat the roots, and panoplies eat the people. Why not? Are we to change the laws? The peerage is part of the order of society. Do you know there is a duke in Scotland who can ride ninety miles without leaving his own estate? Do you know that the Archbishop of Canterbury has a revenue of forty thousand pounds a year? Do you know that her majesty has seven hundred thousand pounds sterling from the civil list, besides castles, forests, domains, fiefs, tenancies, feeholds, prebendaries, tithes, rent, confiscations, and fines, which bring in over a million sterling? Those who are not satisfied are hard to please.”
   Yes,” murmured Gwynplaine, sadly; “the paradise of the rich is made out of the hell of the poor.”
 
Leur vanité est pleine de fantômes qui s’y promènent comme dans une nuit sublime, armés, casqués, cuirassés, éperonnés, le bâton d’empire à la main, et disant d’une voix grave : Nous sommes les aïeux ! Les scarabées mangent les racines, et les panoplies mangent le peuple. Pourquoi pas ? Allons-nous changer les lois ? La seigneurie fait partie de l’ordre. Sais-tu qu’il y a un duc en Écosse qui galope trente lieues sans sortir de chez lui ? Sais-tu que le lord archevêque de Canterbury a un million de Francs de revenu ? Sais-tu que sa majesté a par an sept cent mille livres sterling de liste civile, sans compter les châteaux, forêts, domaines, fiefs, tenances, alleux, prébendes, dîmes et redevances, confiscations et amendes, qui dépassent un million sterling ? Ceux qui ne sont pas contents sont difficiles.
   — Oui, murmura Gwynplaine pensif, c’est de l’enfer des pauvres qu’est fait le paradis des riches.

Victor Hugo (1802-1885) French writer
The Man Who Laughs [L’Homme qui rit], Part 2, Book 2, ch. 11 (1869) [tr. (1888)]

More about this quote: wist.info/hugo-victor/82457/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #victorhugo #classwarfare #economicinjustice #exploitation #poor #poverty #power #rich #wealth #meme

mokomokaiFeb 19

"... No One is too wealthy or too powerful to be above the law❗"

#EpsteinFiles #EconomicInjustice
#Inequality
#Trumpism
#Authoritarianism
#PoliticalCommunication

http://youtube.com/post/UgkxC_9PmLvh7EiN4DH22nYP7xUnZfYm_CCJ?si=LQMzHYKhSNb6MyBD

Post from NowThis Impact

The global scale of this coverup and lack of accountability is astounding.

YouTube
WIST QuotationsFeb 6

A quotation from George Orwell

One ought not to pay any attention to Hitler’s recent line of talk about being the friend of the poor man, the enemy of plutocracy, etc etc. Hitler’s real self is in Mein Kampf, and in his actions. He has never persecuted the rich, except when they were Jews or when they tried actively to oppose him. He stands for a centralised economy which robs the capitalist of most of his power but leaves the structure of society much as before. The State controls industry, but there are still rich and poor, masters and men. Therefore, as against genuine Socialism, the moneyed class have always been on his side. This was crystal clear at the time of the Spanish civil war, and clear again at the time when France surrendered. Hitler’s puppet government are not working men, but a gang of bankers, gaga generals and corrupt right-wing politicians.

George Orwell (1903-1950) English journalist, essayist, writer [pseud. of Eric Arthur Blair]
Essay (1941-02-19), “The Lion and the Unicorn: Socialism and the English Genius,” Part 2 “Shopkeepers at War,” sec. 3, The Searchlight Books [ed. Fyvel and Orwell]

More about this quote: wist.info/orwell-george/81894/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #orwell #georgeorwell #autocracy #classwarfare #economicinjustice #economicsystem #nationalsocialism #Nazi #plutocracy #rulingclass #socialism #upperclass

Orwell, George - Essay (1941-02-19), "The Lion and the Unicorn: Socialism and the English Genius," Part 2 "Shopkeepers at War," sec. 3, The Searchlight Books [ed. Fyvel and Orwell] | WIST Quotations

One ought not to pay any attention to Hitler’s recent line of talk about being the friend of the poor man, the enemy of plutocracy, etc etc. Hitler’s real self is in Mein Kampf, and in his actions. He has never persecuted the rich, except when they were Jews or…

WIST Quotations
ecosentidoJan 19

Doctor King did not leave room for misinterpretation of his #economicvision. In 1967, while addressing the board of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), he said:

“The evils of #capitalism are as real as the evils of #militarism and #racism. The problems of #racialinjustice and #economicinjustice cannot be solved without a radical redistribution of political and economic power”.
#MLK
This Is America, Now What: Part III: A Letter to the Working Class https://ninaturner.substack.com/p/this-is-america-now-what-part-iii

This Is America, Now What: Part III: A Letter to the Working Class

There are but two economic classes in the United States—the ruling class and everybody else.

Nina’s Substack
WIST QuotationsJan 14

A quotation from Douglas Adams

NARRATOR: This planet has, or had, a problem which was this: most of the people living on it were unhappy for pretty much of the time. Many solutions were suggested for this problem, but most of these were largely concerned with the movements of small green pieces of paper, which is odd because on the whole it wasn’t the small green pieces of paper that were unhappy.

Douglas Adams (1952-2001) English author, humourist, screenwriter
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Phase 1, “Fit the 2nd” (BBC Radio) (1978-03-15)

More about this quote: wist.info/adams-douglas/34708/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #douglasadams #hitchhikersguide #hitchhikersguidetothegalaxy #avarice #economicinjustice #economics #greed #incomeinequality #money #poverty #redistribution #spending #unhappiness
#wealth

Adams, Douglas - Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Phase 1, "Fit the 2nd" (BBC Radio) (1978-03-15) | WIST Quotations

NARRATOR: This planet has, or had, a problem which was this: most of the people living on it were unhappy for pretty much of the time. Many solutions were suggested for this problem, but most of these were largely concerned with the movements of small green pieces of paper, which…

WIST Quotations
WIST QuotationsJan 5

A quotation from Wendell Berry

We Americans are not usually thought to be a submissive people, but of course we are. Why else would we allow our country to be destroyed? Why else would we be rewarding its destroyers? Why else would we all — by proxies we have given to greedy corporations and corrupt politicians — be participating in its destruction? Most of us are still too sane to piss in our own cistern, but we allow others to do so and we reward them for it. We reward them so well, in fact, that those who piss in our cistern are wealthier than the rest of us.

Wendell Berry (b. 1934) American farmer, educator, poet, conservationist
Essay (1970-01-01), “Compromise, Hell!” Orion Magazine

More about this quote: wist.info/berry-wendell/81189/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #wendellberry #America #bigbusiness #economicinjustice #environment #politics #pollution #profit #selfdestruction #wealth #submission #acquiescence

Berry, Wendell - Essay (1970-01-01), "Compromise, Hell!" Orion Magazine | WIST Quotations

We Americans are not usually thought to be a submissive people, but of course we are. Why else would we allow our country to be destroyed? Why else would we be rewarding its destroyers? Why else would we all -- by proxies we have given to greedy corporations and corrupt…

WIST Quotations