" Historians have pointed out that it is in times of plenty that people feel like going to war. In times of famine they're simply trying to find enough to eat. When they've just enough to go round they tend to be polite. But when a banquet is spread before them, it's time to argue over the place settings. "

― Terry Pratchett , The Last Continent (Discworld, #22; Rincewind #6)