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Lewis H. Lapham

Lewis H. Lapham Quotes

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Famous Lewis H. Lapham Quotes

“As a child growing up in the precincts of wealth, and later as a college student, newspaper reporter and resident of New York's Upper East Side, I got used to listening to the talk of financial killings and sexual misalliance that animates the conversation of the rich and the familiars of the rich.”

ChildrenUsedSidesWealthGrowing UpRichGrowingNew YorkStudentsCollegeListeningConversationKillingFinancialEastNewspapersReportersResidentsCollege StudentsChildren Growing UpEast SideGrowing ChildrenNewspaper ReportersUpper East Side
Book:Money and Class in America: Notes and Observations on the Civil Religion
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“The genius of capitalism consists precisely in its lack of morality. Unless he is rich enough to hire his own choir, a capitalist is a fellow who, by definition, can ill afford to believe in anything other than the doctrine of the bottom line. Deprive a capitalist of his God-given right to lie and cheat and steal, and the poor sap stands a better than even chance of becoming one of the abominable wards of the state from whose grimy fingers the Reagan Administration hopes to snatch the ark of democracy.”

BelieveWarStatesEnoughLyingGivenLinesChancePoorDemocracyRichGeniusBecomingMoralityCapitalismFellowsFingersBottomIllDefinitionsStealingDoctrineAdministrationCapitalistCheatBottom LineChoirSapArkBecoming One
Author:Lewis H. Lapham
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“Among all the emotions, the rich have the least talent for love. It is possible to love one's dog, dress or duck-shooting hat, but a human being presents a more difficult problem. The rich might wish to experience feelings of affection, but it is almost impossible to chip away the enamel of their narcissism. They take up all the space in all the mirrors in the house. Their children, who represent the most present and therefore the most annoying claim on their attention, usually receive the brunt of their irritation.”

LoveHumansChildrenFeelingsProblemMightHouseWishDifficultHuman BeingsSpaceEmotionAttentionRichImpossibleTalentDogClaimsMirrorsDressesAffectionShootingHatsAnnoyingDucksNarcissismChipsIrritationDifficult Problems
Book:Money and Class in America: Notes and Observations on the Civil Religion
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“A certain kind of rich man afflicted with the symptoms of moral dandyism sooner or later comes to the conclusion that it isn't enough merely to make money. He feels obliged to hold views, to espouse causes and elect Presidents, to explain to a trembling world how and why the world went wrong.”

MenWorldFeelsKindEnoughCertainCausesPresidentViewsMoneyMoralRichConclusionComicMaking MoneySooner Or LaterSymptomsObligedTremblingRich ManDandyism
Author:Lewis H. Lapham
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