When friendship disappears then there is a space left open to that awful loneliness of the outside world which is like the cold space between the planets. It is an air in which men perish utterly.
The control of the production of wealth is the control of human life itself.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Wealth production impacts every aspect of human existence, as it governs our resources and opportunities in life.
Hilaire Belloc's quote suggests that the ability to control the production of wealth directly influences the quality and direction of human life. This idea reflects the notion that economic systems and structures shape not only material conditions but also the opportunities and experiences available to individuals and societies. Therefore, gaining insight into and potentially controlling wealth production becomes a crucial endeavor that ultimately affects humanity's future.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate about economic policies, one might say, 'As Hilaire Belloc wisely noted, the control of the production of wealth is the control of human life itself.'
More from Hilaire Belloc
All quotes βFrom quiet homes and first beginning, out to the undiscovered ends, there's nothing worth the wear of winning, but laughter and the love of friends.
It has been discovered that with a dull urban population, all formed under a mechanical system of State education, a suggestion or command, however senseless and unreasoned, will be obeyed if it be sufficiently repeated.
Write as the wind blows and command all words like an army!
An institute run with such knavish imbecility that if it were not the work of God it would not last a fortnight.
When I am dead, I hope it may be said: His sins were scarlet, but his books were read.
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You take fantasies, which for thousands of years belonged to the religious realm - overcoming death or our merging with the universe - and you suddenly start talking about them in a more technical perspective as something that can be achieved, not after you die with the help of supernatural beings, but in this very life with the help of technology.
If in a country, most of the wealth is concentrated in the hands of the few, then this country can hardly witness harmony and stability.
Liberty is a word which, according as it is used, comprehends the most good and the most evil of any in the world.
Nothing is sadder than laughter; nothing more beautiful, more magnificent, more uplifting and enriching than the terror of deep despair.
Contemplation is an alternative consciousness that refuses to identify with or feed what are only passing shows. It is the absolute opposite of addiction, consumerism or any egoic consciousness.