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Does "by constitution" mean "by nature"?

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

Update:

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)

Update 2:

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)

2 Answers

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  • 8 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    I think it looks like 'by nature'.

  • 8 years ago

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

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