“There is only one class in the community that thinks more about money than the rich, and that is the poor.”
– Oscar Wilde
Almost everyone thinks about money because very few of us can do anything – that is, live our lives in relative comfort, eat healthily, and keep a roof over our heads – without it. The comfortably well off may think about money with some consistency, but they don’t allow it to cloud their thoughts because they’ve struck the magical balance of comfort on autopilot. The rich need to think about money because a lifestyle scales as the rate of income does, and there are more taxes to pay, accountants to hire, payroll to process.
The poor think about money, constantly and laboriously, desperate for the hope of it, because when you don’t have anything saved up, you don’t have next month’s rent, next winter’s coat, next school year’s school supplies. If you find yourself worrying about money, it’s important to recognize that the anomaly of having to even think about money means that you’re in a lucky position.
