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The super-rich watch each other like envious owls, to see who's got a slightly better loafer, a pullover made from some even more absurdly endangered fur. They will go to any lengths to find the best tailors.
A. A. Gill
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The super-rich are constantly comparing their luxuries and status to one another.

In this quote, A. A. Gill critiques the behavior of the ultra-wealthy, suggesting that they obsessively monitor each other's possessions and fashion choices, competing for superiority in wealth and style. This observation highlights the absurdity and superficiality of their pursuits, indicating a lifestyle driven by envy and the desire for status rather than genuine fulfillment or happiness.

Themes

WealthEnvyLuxuryStatusSuper-Rich

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion about consumerism, one might quote this to illustrate the pitfalls of excessive wealth.

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The trouble with righting some wrongs is that it makes the remaining ones seem even more unbearable.
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Sport is how poor kids from poor countries pass through the eye of the needle to riches and recognition.
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Being able to afford everything you desire is not, by any means, the worst thing that can happen to you. But, depressingly, and more profoundly, neither is it the best.
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America didn’t bypass or escape civilization. It did something far more profound, far cleverer: it simply changed what civilization could be.
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Celebrity is a national drama whose characters' parts and plots are written by the tabloids, gossip columnists, websites and interactive buttons. The famous don't actually have to turn up to their own lives at all.
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Quote by A. A. Gill | QuoteProject