Does "by constitution" mean "by nature"?

He (man) is by constitution expensive, and needs to be rich.

2013-05-09T05:55:23Z

Every man is a consumer, and ought to be a producer. He fails to make his place good in the world, unless he not only pays his debt, but also adds something to the common wealth. Nor can he do justice to his genius, without making some larger demand on the world than a bare subsistence. He is by constitution expensive, and needs to be rich.
By Ralph Emerson (On Wealth)

2013-05-09T05:55:40Z

Every man is a consumer, and ought to be a producer. He fails to make his place good in the world, unless he not only pays his debt, but also adds something to the common wealth. Nor can he do justice to his genius, without making some larger demand on the world than a bare subsistence. He is by constitution expensive, and needs to be rich.
By Ralph Emerson (On Wealth)

Candyshopgirl2013-05-09T02:17:19Z

Favorite Answer

I think it looks like 'by nature'.

TrustMe2013-05-09T07:39:29Z

No. It means that being male is hard (and costly) even before thinking about how much money he'll need.