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The greatest country, the richest country, is not that which has the most capitalists, monopolists, immense grabbings, vast fortunes, with its sad, sad soil of extreme, degrading, damning poverty, but the land in which there are the most homesteads, freeholds - where wealth does not show such contrasts high and low, where all men have enough - a modest living- and no man is made possessor beyond the sane and beautiful necessities.
Walt Whitman
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Wealth should not be measured just by riches, but by the well-being and equality of its people.

Walt Whitman's quote emphasizes that the true measure of a country's greatness lies not in its accumulation of wealth and riches by a few, but in the abundance and quality of life that it offers to all its citizens. He argues that a society where everyone has enough to live modestly, free from extreme poverty and inequality, is far more admirable than one characterized by vast fortunes and social disparities.

Themes

WealthEqualityPovertyCountryQuality Of Life

In practice

Example use cases

During a speech on social justice, one might quote Whitman to emphasize the importance of equality.

More from Walt Whitman

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A morning-glory at my window satisfies me more than the metaphysics of books.
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And whoever walks a furlong without sympathy walks to his own funeral drest in his shroud.
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