There's a dark underside to philanthropy. People who give a bunch of money are deferred to, even when they are wrong. The emperor cannot be shown to have no clothes.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
What seems to be generosity is often no more than disguised ambition, which overlooks a small interest in order to secure a great one.
At the end of the day, philanthropy can only ever be an adjunct to what governments provide. And government coffers need to be replenished.
The responsibility of philanthropy rests with us. The wealthier we are, the more powerful we get. We cannot put the entire onus on the government.
Today, we don't blink an eye when the world's wealthiest individuals donate enormous sums of money to charitable causes. In fact, we expect them to do so.
There are a handful of people whom money won't spoil, and we all count ourselves among them.
One must beware of ministers who can do nothing without money, and those who want to do everything with money.
I think that money spoils most things, once it becomes the primary motivating force.
I always like to reveal the fact that the emperor has no clothes. And children are best at that. They teach us how to see the world in that sense. They are without artifice; they see it for what it is. I am drawn to that ruthless honesty.
A lot of writers whom I love, admire and call friends share this feeling, which is this fundamental idea that we're frauds. That we will be pushed out on to the stage, and it will be revealed that the emperor has no clothes.
There is a place and a time for philanthropy, and there is only so much money you can give away.