The citizen must indeed be happy and good, and the legislator will seek to make him so; but very rich and very good at the same time he cannot be, not, at least, in the sense in which the many speak of riches.

For they mean by 'the rich' the few who have the most valuable possessions, although the owner of them may quite well be a rogue.

And if this is true, I can never assent to the doctrine that the rich man will be happy--he must be good as well as rich.

And good in a high degree, and rich in a high degree at the same time, he cannot be.
Some one will ask, why not?
And we shall answer--Because acquisitions which come from sources which are just and unjust indifferently, are more than double those which come from just sources only; and the sums which are expended neither honourably nor disgracefully, are only half as great as those which are expended honourably and on honourable purposes.

Thus, if the one acquires double and spends half, the other who is in the opposite case and is a good man cannot possibly be wealthier than he.