Quotes about greed

The ant is no lender; that is the least of her faults.

... a wise man knows

Gold comes but slowly, quickly goes;

I never touched it." "Gracious me!"

Replied the other, "why, then, be

So wretched? for if you say true,

You never touched it, plain the case;

Put back that stone upon the place,

'Twill be the very same to you."

This man sold his country for gold.

Ill-gotten gains work evil.

“Throughout the history of men there’s always been some kind of drug, and the people stuck on it. The people who push the stuff are on a different kind of drug, one so powerful that they are not aware of its own, ravaging, animalistic effect on them.”

“What’s that?”

“Power and greed,” he told her. “The ugliest—no, the second ugliest ravager of people ever known.”

“What’s the ugliest then?” she asked him.

“Fear,” he replied seriously. “It destroys, rots, and touches everyone around.”

Lord, if only you would give me this and this and this, then I will thank you and ask for nothing more except for this and this and this.…

The prosperity of all Arum might well hinge upon what we do here in this day... [If] Arum Chiefs are dishonorable men, who will ever come to these sacred mountains again with gold to deal with us? '''Take less, my sons, that ye may gain more.

“I wouldn’t have any trouble working for a woman,” Chief Gweti bleated, “as long as she’s rich enough. I’d work for a rich goat, if he offered me enough gold.”

It was hardly fair to his opponents, but I have never had much sympathy for the victims of gambling sharks. If they were not trying to get something for nothing, they would not expose themselves to being taken.

[...] of all the world's races, our love—or rather our rapacity—for treasure, gold, spices & dominion, oh, most of all, sweet dominion, is the keenest, the hungriest, the most unscrupulous! This rapacity, yes, powers, our Progress; for ends infernal or divine I know not. Nor do you know, sir. Nor do I overly care. I feel only gratitude that my Maker cast me on the winning side.

Yay, Old Uns’ Smart mastered sicks, miles, seeds an' made miracles ord’nary, but it din’t master one thing, nay, a hunger in the hearts o' humans, yay, a hunger for more.

“We're losing our livelihood. Our self-respect. We've had enough.” Alleline took back the report and jammed it under his arm.

“And like everyone who's had enough,” said Control, as Alleline noisily left the room, “he wants more.”