Howards End Wealth Quotes

How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #7

"I'll stand injustice no longer. I'll show up the wretchedness that lies under this luxury, this talk of impersonal forces, this cant about God doing what we're too slack to do ourselves." (26.27)

Helen, with the Basts in tow, has just crashed Evie's wedding in rather an insane fashion. She's on an anti-Wilcox crusade to show the wealthy people of the world how irresponsible they are. However, her mode of doing so doesn't seem entirely effective – she just comes off as stark raving mad.

Quote #8

"I wish I was wrong, but--the clergyman--he has money of his own, or else he's paid; the poet or the musician--just the same; the tramp--he's no different. The tramp goes to the workhouse in the end, and is paid for with other people's money. Miss Schlegel, the real thing's money and all the rest is a dream." (27.16)

Leonard, unlike Helen, has come to understand that life is impossible without money – even dreams themselves are impossible without cold, hard cash.

Quote #9

Helen had begun bungling with her money by this time, and had even sold out her shares in the Nottingham and Derby Railway. For some weeks she did nothing. Then she reinvested, and, owing to the good advice of her stockbrokers, became rather richer than she had been before. (30.23)

After her money is rejected by Leonard, Helen freaks out and doesn't know what to do with it. Without meaning to, she ends up even richer than before, emphasizing the idea that in this world, the rich just get richer while the poor (Leonard and Jacky) get poorer.