"The real tragedy of the poor is the poverty of their aspirations."
— Adam Smith
The Real Tragedy Of The Poor
The real tragedy of the poor is the poverty of their aspirations.
About this quote
This aphorism is widely attributed to Smith but does not appear verbatim in his published works; it is drawn from paraphrases in later collections. It reflects a theme developed in The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759), where Smith argues that limited expectations — not just limited means — perpetuate poverty. The idea anticipates modern behavioral economics research on aspiration and social mobility.
Source
Attributed, reported in collections of Smith's works
