Political economy came into being as a natural result of the expansion of trade, and with its appearance elementary, unscientific huckstering was replaced by a developed system of licensed fraud, an entire science of enrichment.
Friedrich EngelsRead
But the most horrible spot .... lies....immediately south west of Oxford Road and is known as Little Ireland. The race that lives in these ruinous cottages, behind broken windows, mended with oilskin, sprung doors, and rotten door-posts, or in dark, wet cellars, in measureless filth and stench....must surely have reached the lowest stage of humanity.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote illustrates the dire conditions faced by the impoverished and the degradation of human dignity in such environments.
Friedrich Engels vividly describes the extreme poverty and squalor found in a specific area known as Little Ireland, emphasizing the appalling living conditions that reduce the inhabitants to a state of 'measureless filth and stench.' This stark portrayal serves as a critique of societal neglect and underscores the harsh realities experienced by those living in destitution, provoking thought about the nature of humanity when faced with such circumstances.
Themes
PovertyHumanitySqualorNeglectDegradation
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech on social reform, one could reference this quote to highlight the urgent need for change in impoverished areas.
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Just as Darwin discovered the law of evolution in organic nature, so Marx discovered the law of evolution in human history; he discovered the simple fact, hitherto concealed by an overgrowth of idealogy [sic], that mankind must first of all eat and drink, have shelter and clothing, before it can pursue politics, science, religion, art etc.
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People have learned by bitter experience that the "European fraternal union of peoples" cannot be achieved by mere phrases and pious wishes, but only by profound revolutions and bloody struggles; they have learned that the question is not that of a fraternal union of all European peoples under a single republican flag, but of an alliance of the revolutionary peoples against the counter-revolutionary peoples, an alliance which comes into being not on paper, but only on the battlefield.
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