“When those far removed from the creation of wealth -- undergraduates, reporters, politicians -- hear that the richest 5% of the people have half the total wealth, they tend to think injustice! An experienced programmer would be more likely to think is that all? The top 5% of programmers probably write 99% of the good software.”

— Paul Graham

"How to Make Wealth" http://www.paulgraham.com/wealth.html, May 2004

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Paul Graham 43

English programmer, venture capitalist, and essayist 1964

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Ch. 24 http://historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/zinncomrev24.html
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Context: One percent of the nation owns a third of the wealth. The rest of the wealth is distributed in such a way as to turn those in the 99 percent against one another: small property owners against the propertyless, black against white, native-born against foreign-born, intellectuals and professionals against the uneducated and the unskilled. These groups have resented one another and warred against one another with such vehemence and violence as to obscure their common position as sharers of leftovers in a very wealthy country.

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Paul Graham 43

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