Friday, January 15, 2016
Born to be Rich
Ernest Renan (1823-1892), Recollections of My Youth, tr. C.B. Pitman (London: Chapman and Hall, 1883), p. 85 (his mother speaking):
Cartoon by William Gropper
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There are some people who are born to be rich, while there are others who never would be so. The former have claws, and do not scruple to help themselves first. That is just what we have never been able to do. When it comes to taking the best piece out of the dish which is handed round our natural politeness stands in our way.
Il y a des gens qui naissent pour être riches, d'autres qui ne le seront jamais. Il faut avoir des griffes, se servir le premier. Or c'est ce que nous n'avons jamais su faire. Dès qu'il s'agit de prendre la meilleure portion sur le plat qui passe, notre politesse naturelle s'y oppose.
