Temporarily Embarrassed Millionaires Quotes

John Steinbeck once said that socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires.

Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires.

It’s like that John Steinbeck quote about how Americans never think of themselves as poor, but “as temporarily embarrassed millionaires.” Everybody thinks they’re just one promotion or one lottery ticket away from having to pay the Estate Tax. They forget that the lottery itself is a tax on hopelessness and dreams.

the poor in America don’t think of themselves as a repressed lower class, but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires.