Want of money and the distress of a thief can never be alleged as the… — William Blake

Want of money and the distress of a thief can never be alleged as the cause of his thieving, for many honest people endure greater hardships with fortitude. We must therefore seek the cause elsewhere than in want of money, for that is the miser's passion, not the thief s.

William BlakePoet · English · 1757 – 1827

More from William Blake

He that fails in his endeavors after wealth or power will not long retain either honesty or courage. — Samuel Johnson
The honest poor can sometimes forget poverty. The honest rich can never forget it. — Gilbert K. Chesterton
Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth. — Henry David Thoreau
What is grand is necessarily obscure to weak men. That which can be made explicit to the idiot is not worth my care. — William Blake
Fun I love, but too much fun is of all things the most loathsome. Mirth is better than fun, and happiness is better than mirth. — William Blake
Can I see another's woe, and not be in sorrow too? Can I see another's grief, and not seek for kind relief? — William Blake