QuoteProject
There is no force more potent in the modern world than stupidity fueled by greed.
Edward Abbey
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Greed can amplify ignorance, leading to significant societal issues.

Edward Abbey's quote highlights the dangerous combination of stupidity and greed, suggesting that when ignorance and the desire for wealth intersect, they create a powerful force that can lead to destructive outcomes in the modern world. This statement serves as a cautionary reminder about the consequences of prioritizing personal gain over wisdom and understanding.

Themes

StupidityGreedIgnoranceSocietyConsequences

In practice

Example use cases

During a discussion on the impact of corporate greed, one might cite this quote to illustrate how harmful decisions are often made without regard for wisdom.

More from Edward Abbey

Married couples who quarrel bitterly every day may really need each other as deeply as those who appear to be desperately in love.
Edward AbbeyRead
I love America because it is a confused, chaotic mess - and I hope we can keep it this way for at least another thousand years. The permissive society is the free society.
Edward AbbeyRead
If it's knowledge and wisdom you want, then seek out the company of those who do real work for an honest purpose.
Edward AbbeyRead
The earth is real. Only a fool, milking his cow, denies the cow's reality.
Edward AbbeyRead
I believe in nothing that I cannot touch, kiss, embrace.... The rest is only hearsay.
Edward AbbeyRead
Why can't we simply borrow what is useful to us from Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, especially Zen, as we borrow from Christianity, science, American Indian traditions and world literature in general, including philosophy, and let the rest go hang? Borrow what we need but rely principally upon our own senses, common sense and daily living experience.
Edward AbbeyRead

Similar quotes

I believe with all my heart that America remains 'the great idea' that inspires the world. It is a privilege to be born here. It is an honor to become a citizen here. It is a gift to raise your family here, to vote here, and to live here.
Arnold SchwarzeneggerRead
Ask yourself these two questions: Do I remember at every moment that I am dying, and that everyone and everything else is, and so treat all beings at all times with compassion? Has my understanding of death and impermanence become so keen and so urgent that I am devoting every second to the pursuit of enlightenment? If you can answer "yes" to both of these, then you really understand impermanence.
Sogyal RinpocheRead
I think that people in general, whether they are male or female, who are inhibited by the clichés of what women are or what men are, really don't like themselves. Because personality traits are not necessarily sexual.
Debbie HarryRead
Like dear St. Francis of Assisi I am wedded to Poverty: but in my case the marriage is not a success.
Oscar WildeRead
All too often when liberals cite statistics, they forget the statisticians' warning that correlation is not causation.
Thomas SowellRead
Philosophy dwells aloft in the Temple of Science, the divinity of its inmost shrine; her dictates descend among men, but she herself descends not : whoso would behold her must climb with long and laborious effort, nay, still linger in the forecourt, till manifold trial have proved him worthy of admission into the interior solemnities.
Thomas CarlyleRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.