It's a privilege to serve the poor, to be servants of noble Africans, but I better belong in the rehearsal room or in the studio with my band. That's where I want to be and I still wake up in the morning with melodies in my head.
BonoRead
When a nation is over-reliant on one or two commodities like oil or precious minerals, corrupt government ministers and their dodgy associates hoard profits and taxes instead of properly allocating them to schools and hospitals.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Over-reliance on a few resources can lead to corruption and misallocation of wealth.
Bono's quote highlights the dangers of a nation's dependence on a limited number of commodities, such as oil or minerals. When a government prioritizes profit from these resources over the welfare of its citizens, it results in corruption and a failure to invest in essential services like education and healthcare, ultimately harming the society as a whole.
Themes
CorruptionCommoditiesWealthGovernmentEducationHealthcare
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech on economic policy, one might use the quote to emphasize the importance of diversifying resource management.
More from Bono
All quotes →Perspective is the cure for depression.
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At a certain point, I just felt, you know, God is not looking for alms, God is looking for action.
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It's much easier to be successful than it is to be relevant. The tricks won't keep you relevant. Tricks might keep you popular for a while, but in all honesty, I don't know how U2 will stay relevant. I know we've got a future. I know we can fill stadiums. And yet with every record, I think, 'Is this it? Are we still relevant?'
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God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house. God is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives. God is in the cries heard under the rubble of war. God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us if we are with them.
BonoRead
Hanging out with politicians and corporations is very unhip work. But I think that the U2 audience have turned out to be incredibly subtle in their understanding.
BonoRead
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