"One of the reasons inequality gets so deep in this country is that everyone wants to be rich. That's the American ideal. Poor people don't like talking about poverty because even though they might live in the projects surrounded by other poor people and have, like, ten dollars in the bank, they don't like to think of themselves as poor"

This quote by Jay-Z speaks to the deep-rooted inequality in the United States. He suggests that the American perfect of wanting to be rich is a major contributing aspect to the inequality. He also mentions that even though many individuals residing in hardship might be surrounded by other individuals in the exact same scenario, they still don't wish to think of themselves as bad. This speaks to the power of the American dream and how it can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, it can be a source of motivation and hope, however on the other hand, it can cause an incorrect sense of security and an absence of understanding of the realities of hardship. This quote highlights the value of acknowledging the realities of poverty and the need to address inequality in order to develop a more fair society.