Untold numbers went from rags to riches, while the great majority of individuals were able to live better than their parents and grandparents had.

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For many years Charles Feeney, who went from rags to riches as co-founder of the Duty Free Shoppers chain, carried anonymous giving to extremes.

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But exactly how those stars who have elevated themselves from rags to riches handle their fame depends on several things, including how quickly they attain it and what kind of support system they surround themselves with once they have it.

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Moreover, depending on the nature of their employment contract, their fortunes could turn from riches to rags very quickly.

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These are human stories, rags to riches tales, kids from the hood who made it good.

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Zhukov's tale is, in many ways, typical of his times from the relative rags of the educated pre-revolutionary Russian peasantry to the riches of state service, party membership and an illustrious military career.

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The "riches-to-rags" concept that came up in the brainstorming session in September sprang from a recent series of stories in the New York Times, which profiled the ups and downs of entrepreneurship.

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