Poverty Sayings and Quotes

Below you will find our collection of inspirational, wise, and humorous old poverty quotes, poverty sayings, and poverty proverbs, collected over the years from a variety of sources.

You might be poor, your shoes might be broken, but your mind is a palace. Frank McCourt
We are not rich by what we possess but by what we can do without. Immanuel Kant
Poverty is the worst form of violence. Mahatma Gandhi
An empty stomach is not a good political adviser. Albert Einstein
Poverty won’t allow him to lift up his head dignity won’t allow him to bow it down. Madagasy Proverb
It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor. Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Poverty wants much but avarice, everything. Publilius Syrus
One must be poor to know the luxury of giving. George Eliot
In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of. Confucius
Having been poor is no shame, but being ashamed of it, is. Benjamin Franklin
Poor is the man who is not content with what he has. Rita Gonzalez
Beggars can't be choosers. John Heywood
Hunger drives the wolf out of the wood. 14th Century French Proverb
Hunger is the best sauce. French Proverb
Let your head be more than a funnel to your stomach. German (on food and hunger)
No clock is more regular than the belly. French (on food and hunger)
Plenty sits still, hunger is a wanderer. Zulu (South African)
Poverty breeds discontent. unknown
What good is honor when you are starving. Yiddish (on food and hunger)
An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics. Plutarch
Laws grind the poor, and rich men rule the law. Oliver Goldsmith
Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime. Aristotle
I believe that, as long as there is plenty, poverty is evil. Robert F. Kennedy
There’s no scandal like rags, nor any crime so shameful as poverty. George Farquhar
Money has been the most serious handicap that we have ever met. There are times when poverty is fortunate. Clarence Darrow
Where people are really attached, poverty itself is wealth. Jane Austen
We fought a war on poverty, and poverty won. Ronald Reagan
A decent provision for the poor is the true test of civilization. Samuel Johnson
You can’t get rid of poverty by giving people money. P.J. O’Rourke
Poverty is no disgrace to a man, but it is confoundedly inconvenient. Sydney Smith