William Easterly Quotes

Let us be the ones who say we do not accept that a child dies every three seconds simply because he does not have the drugs you and I have. Let us be the ones to say we are not satisfied that your place of birth determines your right for life. Let us be outraged; let us be loud; let us be bold.

The greatest difficulty with the world is not its ability to produce, but the unwillingness to share.

We are the nation the most powerful, the most armed and we are supplying arms and money to the rest of the world where we are not ourselves fighting. We are eating while there is famine in the world.

It’s scandalous when one thinks about the people who live in a world in which they need not be hungry, in which they need not die without medical care, in which they need not be illiterate, they need not feel hopeless and miserable so much of the time, and yet they are.

We live in the richest country in the world. There's plenty and to spare for no man, woman, or child to be in want. And in addition to this our country was founded on what should have been a great, true principle - the freedom, equality, and rights of each individual. Huh! And what has come of that start? There are corporations worth billions of dollars - and hundreds of thousands of people who don't get to eat.

All around the world, there are children wishing they had some cool sneakers like you do. But before you decide to give them your old pair, they'd first like a decent meal, some fluid, and some medication so they can walk comfortably in your shoes.

There is nothing new about poverty. What is new, however, is that we have the resources to get rid of it.

These days there is a lot of poverty in the world, and that's a scandal when we have so many riches and resources to give to everyone. We all have to think about how we can become a little poorer.

We have no right to luxuries while the poor want bread.

If someone offered me a hundred million dollars to make a movie? I would first remind him that there are 850 million people in the world who don't have enough to eat.

We spend more on cows than the poor.

In my view, the humanity of our world can be measured against the fate of Africa.

As the earth spins through space, a view from above the North Pole would encompass most of the wealth of the world - most of its food, productive machines, doctors, engineers and teachers. A view from the opposite pole would encompass most of the world's poor.

Whereas it has long been known and declared that the poor have no right to the property of the rich, I wish it also to be known and declared that the rich have no right to the property of the poor.

Ridding the world of poverty is, of course, a fantasy.

The needs of the poor take priority over the desires of the rich

I didn't believe one man should have so much services and another man should have none.

You're not going to solve the problems of poverty in the world with less energy.

Very few governments have the money to meet the needs of their people….The private sector has most of the resources.

How many more infants must die every day in Africa because resources are being swallowed up in debt repayment.

Income inequality is the central problem all the way across the world.

The world is rich enought today that the idea of millions of children dying of disease is unacceptable. We have the resouurces and know how to prevent this.

Something is wrong that we have to feed so many. Why should there be poverty with all of our science and technology? There is no deficit in human resources - it is a deficit in human will.

There's enough wealth in the world that no one should go without.

Poverty is not natural; it is man-made