Two Sowell Quotes

I wanted to share some Sowell quotes. If you haven't bought the book yet (see prior post), you really should because it is a treasure trove of education and thought provoking chapters.

In the special issues final chapter, on page 526:

Nowhere is the weighing of some values against other values obscured more often by rhetoric than when discussing government policies. Taxing away what other people have earned, in order to finance one's own moral adventures via social programs, is often depicted as a humanitarian endeavor, while allowing others the same freedom and dignity as oneself, so that they can make their own choices with their earnings, is considered to be pandering to "greed." Greed for power is no less dangerous than greed for money, and has historically shed far more blood in the process.

On page 527:

People who deplore greed often show a disdain for wealth. Although a disdain for wealth may be admired, only those who already have a certain amount of wealth can afford to disdain any further pursuit of it. The hungry do not disdain food nor the homeless disdain shelter. Wealth means options and who would want fewer options? More important, from the standpoint of society as a whole, wealth is the only thing that can prevent poverty. Yet many people who claim to be concerned about poverty show remarkably little interest in how wealth is generated or which policies make it harder or easier to create more wealth.