7 Quotes that Forever Changed My View of Money

There are many conversations that can be had on the topic of money—probably the two most common are “how to make more” and “how to spend less.” Neither are unimportant.

But there is more to money than simple 1’s and 0’s. There is also the effect it has on our lives and psyche—both positively and negatively. As well as how it impacts the way we live.

According to the Things That Matter Survey, 69% of Americans say their desire for acquiring more money influences their daily decisions.

How we think about money matters.

With that in mind, I thought it would be helpful (both personally and corporately) to sit down and write out the seven quotes about money that changed my view of it—or, at least, the seven quotes that have been the most impactful over the last ten years of my life.

Here they are:

7 Quotes that Forever Changed My View of Money

1. 90% of Americans experience financial-related stress. —Source

This statistic, without a doubt, was the first one to send me into deeper thinking about the topic of money.

I remember thinking immediately, “America is the wealthiest nation in the history of the world. And yet, 90% of us are still stressed about money? How can this be?”

Certainly, just like in every society, there are some who do not have enough. But that number is not 90%—it’s not even close to 90%. So why are 9 out of every 10 people, in the wealthiest country in the world, stressed about money?

It’s not because they don’t have enough. There must be other reasons—probably because we keep looking to money to provide something it is never able to provide.

2. “Too many people spend money they haven’t earned to buy things they don’t want to impress people they don’t like.” —Will Rogers

If you’ve been reading about minimalism or the intentional pursuit of owning less for any period of time, you have likely seen this quote. It was one of the earliest mind-shifting realizations that I read as my family began owning less.

The connection between consumer debt and/or not being able to get ahead financially is closely tied to our spending habits. And Will Rogers drives home that connection quite succinctly with this powerful thought.

3. “You say, ‘If I had a little more, I should be very satisfied.’ You make a mistake. If you are not content with what you have, you would not be satisfied if it were doubled.” —Charles Spurgeon

I first read this quote early in my journey to minimalism and immediately applied it to physical possessions. Our life’s discontent is evidenced in our excess possessions. Why else would we continue to purchase and accumulate physical possessions that we do not need unless trying to satisfy some level of discontent in our lives believing that next purchase will bring happiness, comfort, or luxury to our lives?

I could recognize that Spurgeon was right. If I was not content with the physical possessions that I owned (which were already well-above most people in the world), why would I think owning more would somehow result in contentment?

Quickly I began to recognize this thought could equally be applied to money. Is there a magic number where we suddenly become content because we have enough money? I certainly haven’t found that to be the case as I look at my own life and the lives of others.

4. “Money won’t make you happy, but everyone wants to find out for themselves.” —Zig Ziglar

There is a similar quote by Jim Carrey that I occasionally post on social media that goes like this, “I wish everyone could get rich and famous so they can see that’s not the answer.”

The quote is immediately met by a thousand similar-sounding replies that go like this, “That’s sure easy for Jim Carrey to say. He’s worth $200 million.”

Of course, the only people who could tell us that money isn’t the answer is someone who has achieved money. And the only people who can tell us that money won’t make you happy are people who have acquired money. But, just like Zig Ziglar said, “Everybody wants to find out for themselves.”

Wise is the man or woman who can recognize money won’t make you happy before wasting their entire lives trying to earn it.

5. 87% of millionaires admit they do not feel wealthy. —Source

This is an updated version of a stat/quote that was first included in a survey done of the ultra-wealthy in The Atlantic called Secret Fears of the Super-Rich. (I’ve always appreciated the analysis and commentary included in that survey as it speaks of some of the drawbacks of wealth in a person’s life.)

But that one stat, more than anything else included in the study, changed my view of money.

Whenever people tell me they need more money to be happy or feel secure, I ask them for the specific number that will allow them to feel secure. Nobody knows what that number is. Everyone just assumes it is more than they have.

A word of warning here: If you think there is a number out there of income or net worth that will make you finally feel secure in your finances, you will never achieve it. At the very least, it’s well above $1 million. Most millionaires are still looking for it.

6. “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.” —Paul the Apostle

Nobody admits to loving money…. everybody just wants more of it.

If I were to ask a roomful of people, “How many of you love money?” Very few hands would go up. We all know what the love of money results in…

But if I were to ask, “How many of you want to be rich?” Almost every hand in the room would go up.

“Why not,” we think to ourselves, “obviously I’d like to be rich.”

The problem is that this desire affects our daily decisions more than we realize. We begin sacrificing pursuits of greater meaning and significance because of our desire to be rich—never seeing a problem with it.

But traps are subtle… and we don’t often realize we’ve fallen into one until it is too late.

7. “Money often costs too much.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

In the end, this quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson begins to summarize many of my thoughts on money these days.

Is money evil in itself? No. But our desire for it often costs us more than we think. And its negative effects on our lives, when we do obtain it, are often understated and overlooked.

Now, this is not to say that we shouldn’t be working hard to provide for our families—certainly that is the case. Nor does it mean we turn down honest compensation.

But too often, our desire to accumulate money costs us more than we think. Especially when it never returns the personal benefits we think it will.

You can never have enough of what won’t satisfy.

Keeping money in its proper place in our affections is a daily and lifelong struggle.