Karl Marx, a visionary, figured out that you can control a slave much better by convincing him he is an employee. I wonder how many people would seek excessive wealth if it did not carry a measure of status with it. Catholic countries had more serial monogamy than today, but without the need for divorce—life expectancy was short; marriage duration was much, much shorter. To figure out how well you will do ten years from now relative to someone else, count your enemies, count his, and square the ratio. The fastest way to become rich is to socialize with the poor; the fastest way to become poor
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