"I'll say this for adversity: people seem to be able to stand it, and that's more than I can say for prosperity"

Adversity, with all its hardships and uncomfortable demands, often reveals depths of strength, community, and resilience among people. Throughout history, individuals and societies facing challenges, be it economic hardship, illness, loss, or disaster, rally together, drawing on inner reserves of courage and support from each other. Difficult circumstances test limits, but also expose capacities for endurance and adaptability that might otherwise remain hidden. While suffering is never glamorous, it brings into focus the priorities of life, clear values, and truths about what truly matters. People, when confronted with trials, frequently unite, display generosity, and even find creative solutions to seemingly insurmountable problems.

Prosperity, by contrast, is typically heralded as the easier, more desirable path, promising comfort and happiness. Yet, abundance and ease can have subtle, corrosive effects on character and society. Prosperity might foster complacency, entitlement, or selfishness; sometimes, it breeds division and jealousy rather than unity. When material wants are easily met, the urgency to connect with others, to strive, or to reflect on deeper values can diminish. Some may lose perspective, become distracted by superficial pursuits, or forget the empathy born of shared difficulties.

Kin Hubbard’s observation draws on this paradox: people often weather adversity with remarkable grace, yet struggle with the responsibilities and temptations of prosperity. Comfort can invite carelessness or even vulnerability, as ease dulls the very skills and relationships hardship strengthens. In adversity, people prove themselves resilient and resourceful; in prosperity, they may become less vigilant, less communal, and less content. The quote suggests that while hardship is uncomfortable, it is not so dangerous to character as unchecked wealth and ease. People’s ability to endure suffering is, surprisingly, more reliable than their ability to thrive wisely in comfort. Ultimately, the challenges posed by good fortune can be greater and more insidious than those presented by misfortune.