"A poor person is not someone who has little, but one who needs infinitely more, and more, and more." Thus spoke José Mujica, then the President of Uruguay, before the United Nations in 2012. Paraphrasing the wisdom of the great thinker Seneca, he asked the world to question the dogma of consumption that has driven us into environmental and economic crisis. Often referred to as the worlds “poorest” president, in part because of his practice of donating 90% of his $12,000 monthly salary to charity, José Mujica lived his words and proved that one need not have money to be rich. In The World’s Poorest President Speaks Out, José Mujica’s famous speech comes to life as he asks us to remember our neighbors, our children, and the Earth.
About the Author
Yoshimi Kusaba is an editor at the publishing house Choubunsha Publishing Company in Tokyo.
An ordained monk, Gaku Nakagawa became an illustrator in 1996. He has been featured in the international magazine Monocle and in a special feature on "World Illustrators," published by Taschen. He has received numerous awards and recognitions.
Born in Singapore, Andrew Wong now lives in Tokyo, having spent six years away from major cities, living in Stirling, Scotland, and later Fukui, Japan. It was his experiences there that helped to hone his thinking about different ways of life. His passion to share stories has led to his work as a translator.