Samuel Smiles：Thrift, Excerpt 138

Nor has the poverty of the people so much to do with their social degradation as is commonly supposed. The question is essentially a moral one. If the income of the labouring community could be suddenly doubled, their happiness will not necessarily be increased; for happiness does not consist in money. In fact, the increased wages might probably prove a curse instead of a blessing. In the case of many, there would be an increased consumption of drink, with the usual results,--an increase of drunken violence, and probably an increase of crime.

Source： https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/14418
Locator：Excerpt 138 · Verified：2026-10-19 · Verification：Short excerpt

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