"He is a great simpleton who imagines that the chief power of wealth is to supply wants. In ninety-nine cases out of a hundred it creates more wants than it supplies"

This quote by William Wirt is a criticism of those who think that wealth is the response to all of life's issues. He is recommending that in many cases, wealth does not in fact fix issues, but rather produces more. He is implying that those who believe that wealth is the solution to all of life's issues are naive and absurd. He is recommending that wealth is not the response to life's problems, however rather can produce more problems than it resolves. He is likewise implying that those who think that wealth is the response to all of their issues are not wise and are not using their cash in the very best way. This quote is a suggestion that wealth need to not be viewed as a service to all of life's problems, but rather need to be utilized wisely and with caution.