It only serves to show what sort of person a man must be who can't even get testimonials. No, no; if a man brings references, it proves nothing; but if he can't, it proves a great deal.
Joseph PulitzerRead
Money is the great power today. Men sell their souls for it. Women sell their bodies for it. Others worship it. The money power has grown so great that the issue of all issues is whether the corporation shall rule this country or the country shall again rule the corporations.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the overwhelming influence of money in society and its impact on people's values and decisions.
Joseph Pulitzer's quote critiques the immense power that money holds in contemporary society, suggesting that people compromise their integrity and humanity in pursuit of wealth. It raises a fundamental question about the balance of power between corporations and the government, insinuating that the growing financial might of corporations threatens the democratic principles by which the country was founded. Pulitzer's reflection is a cautionary reminder of the ethical dilemmas we face in a capitalistic society where financial interests may overshadow moral considerations.
Themes
MoneyPowerCorporationSocietyValues
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate about the influence of corporations in politics, this quote can be used to illustrate the point.
More from Joseph Pulitzer
All quotes →What a newspaper needs in its news, in its headlines, and on its editorial page is terseness, humor, descriptive power, satire, originality, good literary style, clever condensation, and accuracy, accuracy, accuracy!
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Put it before them briefly so they will read it, clearly so they will appreciate it, picturesquely so they will remember it and, above all, accurately so they will be guided by its light.
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If you will give the matter a moment's thought, you'll see that memory is the highest faculty of the human mind.
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An able, disinterested, public-spirited press, with trained intelligence to know the right and courage to do it, can preserve that public virtue without which popular government is a sham and a mockery
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The American people want something terse, forcible, picturesque, striking - something that will arrest their attention, enlist their sympathy, arouse their indignation, stimulate their imagination, convince their reason, awaken their conscience.
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