10 Money Quotes Worth Remembering

If you’re lucky, your parents will have instilled you with advice to help you manage your personal finances on your own. However, these words of wisdom were likely only drawn from their own limited experiences, whereas these 10 money quotes are sourced from academics, artists, playwrights and even the church and together can ensure you have a well-rounded monetary education and understand both how to have a healthy relationship with money and use it to achieve your goals.

‘Money can’t buy you happiness but it does bring you a more pleasant form of misery.’

-Spike Milligan

My Take: You shouldn’t expect to be happy just because you have money, instead you have to be happy with your life.  Money makes life easier but it doesn’t always make it better if you are already unhappy.  This means you shouldn’t trample all of the things which are important to you in pursuit of wealth, because when you get there, you will find that money alone doesn’t make for a full life.

‘Lack of money is the root of all evil.’

-George Bernard Shaw

My Take: Don’t let people tell you that money isn’t important.  You may be told that there are more important things in life like love, happiness and family, however, this doesn’t mean you should disregard the importance of money.  Money is the currency of life and without it, you will find it harder to truly pursue the things which are important to you.

‘Let us not be satisfied with just giving money. Money is not enough, money can be got, but they need your hearts to love them. So, spread your love everywhere you go.’

-Mother Teresa

My Take: It is easy to give money, especially when you have ample amounts, but what is more important is what you give when you can’t afford to.  We are all so time poor that giving of ourselves is the real sacrifice because it is harder to give your time.  The gift of your time is also likely to be more important to some people than a gift of money, and when you understand that there are more important things in life than money, you are able to appreciate and respect it greatly.  You will also learn that when you give your heart, you get back more than if you give money.

‘Time is money.’

-Benjamin Franklin

My Take: Never forget that your time is worth something, it is worth something to you and to your family.  Make sure you are not taken advantage of whether you are doing overtime at work or helping someone out, make sure that the needs of your family are cared for too.

Frugality is also understanding the difference between spending time or spending money – rather than paying someone to wash your car or mow your lawn, you can use your money frugally to do those things yourself.

‘A rich man is nothing but a poor man with money.’

-WC Fields

My Take: It isn’t money which makes you rich, it is how you fill your life with friends, family and experiences, which make you rich.  Having money doesn’t make you any better than someone without money, it simply means that you live in a bigger house and drive a newer car.

Also remember to make the distinction between money and wealth because being able to buy the bigger house and the more expensive car doesn’t always make you the wealthiest person.  The wealthiest person is the one with the higher net worth – where net worth is the calculation of what you own, less what you owe.  This is the true measure of whether you are rich and has nothing to do with where you live, and everything to do with how you live.

‘I don’t like money, actually, but it quiets my nerves.’

-Joe E Lewis

My Take: You should always maintain a healthy respect for money and it is important to not become obsessed with having and accumulating money, and reveling it in.  Instead, acknowledge that money is simply a commodity, which makes life easier, it doesn’t make your world go around.

‘You can be young without money but you can’t be old without it.’

-Tennessee Williams, Cat On a Hot Tin Roof.

My Take: No matter how old you are, you should have some form of savings for the future.  Your retirement is the time when you should be enjoying the spoils of working so hard for so many years.  You should not become so miserly that you hoard your money in your old age, because after all, you can’t take it with you.  Instead make sure you have enough to enjoy the things you’ve always wanted to do in your golden years.

‘Well, whiles I am a beggar, I will rail,
And say there is no sin, but to be rich;
And being rich, my virtue then shall be,
To say there is no vice, but beggary.’

-William Shakespeare

My Take: Regardless of how much money you accumulate in your life, never forget where you came from.  Don’t view money as a divider of the classes and never judge people who have little money.  If you are lucky enough to be financially stable, do not be self-righteous about it, instead appreciate what you have, and what it is like ‘on the other side’.

‘Money was never a big motivation for me, except as a way to keep score. The real excitement is playing the game.’

-Donald Trump

My Take: The importance of this money quote is the person who said it – when you have as much money and power as Donald Trump, you can afford to treat it as a game.  However, rather than playing with your money carelessly, and keeping score against others, keep score with yourself.  Don’t compare yourself to others because you never truly know what is really going on. Instead, enjoy playing the game of life, and aim to have enough money to enjoy that game.

‘A wise man should have money in his head, but not in his heart.’

-Jonathan Swift

My Take: Your financial decisions should be made based on detailed information, facts and comparisons, rather than emotions.  For example, don’t buy an investment property which you have fallen in love with, instead seek out a property which would appeal to your target demographic, and is the right price for the area.

Also, don’t try and fill your heart with money, if there is something missing in your heart, money won’t fill the gap.

What do you think of these quotes?  Favorite?  Have a different one?

Alban is a personal finance writer at Home Loan Finder, a home loan comparison website.