I Don't Want to Die Poor: Essays

I blame no one but myself for whatever choices I make, but what I would say in hindsight is that the best counsel comes from people who understand not only the way you think, but the way a given world is.

You have to be able to afford choice. Happiness is expensive.

The problem isn’t whether or not you can afford the yacht you’re showing off on television, but whether or not activities like, say, not paying people livable wages are how you were able to pay for that yacht.

didn’t know what to think about myself based on my own metrics, so it was ill-advised to measure myself by his.

He countered the way a thoughtful, socially conscious person who quit a job for one that felt like it mattered more in terms of contributions to society is expected to: stressing that money wasn’t the end all, be all. Or the key to happiness. Yeah, yeah, I get that lesson, but in terms of my life, having financial security means I can embark on the

I’ve written so much about the damage other people have done to me. It’s time to admit more of the things I’ve done to myself. It’s not just for the sake of transparency. I do not owe anyone this information. Still and all, keeping secrets like this are about maintaining control. I just want to be free.

The criticism of the rich is not rooted in people being successful enough to become wealthy, but a system that allows people to build massive fortunes based on exploitation—and using that power to consolidate power that prevents them from ever facing any consequences for such abuses.

It’s one thing to intellectualize it, but critical thinking and analysis don’t make you feel it. To feel it is to make you empathetic in ways you previously thought were implausible.

have to conquer all that leads me to rush for an escape.