>>I suspect a THAT is the heart of capitalism<< I'm assuming this is a typo, but I can't quite make out what you mean. Are you saying that inheritance is the

>>I suspect a THAT is the heart of capitalism<< I'm assuming this is a typo, but I can't quite make out what you mean. Are you saying that inheritance is the heart of, presumably, the capitalism in practice today? Even if we accept this as true, I don't think it refutes the main point that delayed gratification is the heart of capitalism. Even if you have inherited capital, this is almost certainly because your ancestor practiced delayed gratification. That capital was accumulated because someone didn't gratify himself by spending it. Simply because the current owner of the capital didn't have to delay gratification to get it doesn't mean that delayed gratification isn't the ultimate source of that capital (nor does it mean the current owner doesn't practice delayed gratification to keep or grow that capital). Of course, in some very, very rare instances (which of course are highly publicized, so it's what we immediately think of when we think of "inherited wealth"), so much wealth gets accumulated that its more or less impossible to spend it all, and thus no delayed gratification is necessary. But, pick out any time frame, and you'll find that the vast majority of this hallowed class of inheritors squander the inherited wealth by the end of the third generation. If they managed not to, it’s almost certainly because they have learned to practice delayed gratification.