# Source of this quote?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/source-of-this-quote/932488>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 9, 2021, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/source-of-this-quote/932488 "2021-02-09T02:43:35Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\
**Post date:** [February 9, 2021, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/source-of-this-quote/932488/1 "2021-02-09T02:43:36Z")

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This quote is attributed to “Anonymous”-Can anyone find out who actually said it?

“_Poverty exists not because we cannot feed the poor, but because we cannot satisfy the rich._”

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**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\
**Post date:** [February 9, 2021, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/source-of-this-quote/932488/2 "2021-02-09T15:34:20Z")

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I hear “Mark Twain” is the catch-all pen name for “Some Guy on the Internet”.

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**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\
**Post date:** [February 9, 2021, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/source-of-this-quote/932488/3 "2021-02-09T15:39:19Z")

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Not quite true, Ben Franklin, Winston Churchill and to a lesser extent Jefferson are also the very common misattributed candidates.

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [February 9, 2021, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/source-of-this-quote/932488/4 "2021-02-09T16:10:36Z")

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Don’t forget Jonathan Swift!

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [February 9, 2021, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/source-of-this-quote/932488/5 "2021-02-09T16:38:49Z")

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Google NGrams has nothing for any significant portion of this quote - searching for smaller fragments, we get ‘Poverty exists not because there isn’t enough wealth in the world , but because it is inequitably distributed’ (the same kind of sentiment in different words) from [here](https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Hearings_Reports_and_Prints_of_the_House/69c1AAAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22Poverty+exists+not+because+there+isn%27t+enough+wealth+in+the+world+,+but+because+it+is+inequitably+distributed%22&pg=RA8-PA72&printsec=frontcover)  
That’s the best I can find

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**Author:** ![Okieman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ce7236/32.png) [@Okieman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Okieman)\
**Post date:** [March 31, 2024, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/source-of-this-quote/932488/6 "2024-03-31T22:11:15Z")

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The person speaking was Martin M. McLaughlin with the Overseas Development Council. In June of 1980. Thanks for the link!

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**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\
**Post date:** [April 1, 2024, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/source-of-this-quote/932488/7 "2024-04-01T07:50:33Z")

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Bravo, bravissimo!

And that folks is why we should continue to patronise (and post) in The Dope.