Bread and Roses

phrase; the belief all people, regardless of ability, deserve the necessities (bread) and enjoyments of life (roses)


About

The phrase became popular due to a 1912 workers’ strike, led primarily by women, in Massachusetts. Strikers held signs demanding both bread and roses, which later inspired a poem on the same topic. It resonates strongly with leftists who base their value of humans beyond their ability to generate wealth, and with most people who appreciate things like sports or music or art; who understand things do not have to possess financial potential to be valuable.

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