Is poverty voluntary?

[Svnla]

If you are born poor, it’s not your mistake. But if you die poor, it is your mistake.

Bill Gates

 

[Victorian Gray]

"In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of."

Confucius

 

[Muse]

I don't know about it being voluntary but people in some circumstances have a very difficult time extricating themselves from poverty. It's like a bug 2 feet down a drainpipe with waste water coming down the pipe. How does the bug crawl out to safety? I like that analogy.