Charity is an ugly trick. It is a virtue grown by the rich on the graves of the poor. Unless it is accompanied by sincere revolt against the present social system, it is a cheap moral swagger. In former times it was used as fire insurance by the rich, but now that the fear of Hell has gone along with the rest of revealed religion, it is used either to gild mean lives with nobility or as a political instrument.

Famous Quotes / Rebecca West

Authors: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Rebecca West: "Charity is an ugly trick. It is a virtue grown by the rich on the graves of the poor. Unless it is accompanied by sincere revolt against the present social system, it is a cheap moral swagger. In former times it was used as fire insurance by the rich, but now that the fear of Hell has gone along with the rest of revealed religion, it is used either to gild mean lives with nobility or as a political instrument."

Quotations about

Accompanied	Against	Along	Charity
Cheap	Either	Fear	Fire
Former	Gild	Gone	Graves
Grown	Hell	Instrument	Insurance
Lives	Mean	Moral	Nobility
Political	Poor	Present	Religion
Rest	Revealed	Revolt	Rich
Sincere	Social	Swagger	System
Times	Trick	Ugly	Unless
Used	Virtue

Quotes by Power Quotations

Charity is an ugly trick. It is a virtue grown by the rich on the graves of the poor. Unless it is accompanied by sincere revolt against the present social system, it is a cheap moral swagger. In former times it was used as fire insurance by the rich, but now that the fear of Hell has gone along with the rest of revealed religion, it is used either to gild mean lives with nobility or as a political instrument. - Rebecca West