--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I can understand wanting to have a…" description: "\"I can understand wanting to have a million dollars but once you get beyond that, I have to tell you, it's the same hamburger.\" — Bill Gates" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d2/bill-gates-137_dollars_i-can-understand-wanting-to-have-a-milli_1874178.jpg" --- # I can understand wanting to have a million dollars but… ![“I can understand wanting to have a million dollars but once you get beyond that, I have to tell you, it's the same hamburger.” quote by Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d2/bill-gates-137_dollars_i-can-understand-wanting-to-have-a-milli_1874178.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d2/bill-gates-137_dollars_i-can-understand-wanting-to-have-a-milli_1874178.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d2/bill-gates-137_dollars_i-can-understand-wanting-to-have-a-milli_1874178.jpg) > “I can understand wanting to have a million dollars but once you get beyond that, I have to tell you, it's the same hamburger.” [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Wealth beyond a certain point loses its novelty and becomes routine, like a common meal. **In simple terms:** Money loses excitement after a certain amount. Key Takeaway Seek purpose beyond material wealth. Themes wealth materialism contentment Mood reflective neutral Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - financial planning - personal fulfillment - philanthropy Key Concepts diminishing returns value perception Questions to Reflect On - What truly brings lasting satisfaction? - How can wealth be used for broader good? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex financial psychology. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dollars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dollars/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Million dollars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/million-dollars/) ## Related quotes > [I'll pay you a million dollars if you tell your life story for true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/i-ll-pay-you-a-million-dollars-if-you-tell-your-life-story-for-true/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [They figured out a way to control that hamburger disease. You dip the hamburger into the scalding hot coffee before eating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/they-figured-out-a-way-to-control-that-hamburger-disease-you-dip-the/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [We're crazy about this city. Los Angeles? That's just a big parking lot where you buy a hamburger for the trip to San Francisco.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/we-re-crazy-about-this-city-los-angeles-that-s-just-a-big-parking-lot/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [It is the Americans who have managed to crown minced beef as hamburger, and to send it round the world so that even the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-child/it-is-the-americans-who-have-managed-to-crown-minced-beef-as/) [Julia Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-child/) > [You've never had a hamburger before?" asks Christine, her eyes wide. "No," I say. "Is that what it's called?" "Stiffs eat plain food," Four…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/you-ve-never-had-a-hamburger-before-asks-christine-her-eyes-wide-no-i/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [Give me Caviar Kaspia and give me a hamburger. I love the two extremes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kors/give-me-caviar-kaspia-and-give-me-a-hamburger-i-love-the-two-extremes/) [Michael Kors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kors/) > [Hear me out. Would you eat a hamburger if there was any chance it could punch you in the face? - How is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudia-gray/hear-me-out-would-you-eat-a-hamburger-if-there-was-any-chance-it/) [Claudia Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudia-gray/) > [You can get an Egg McMuffin all day; you just can't get the hamburger all day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/you-can-get-an-egg-mcmuffin-all-day-you-just-can-t-get-the-hamburger/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [I had a dream where my face was a hamburger. What the?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/i-had-a-dream-where-my-face-was-a-hamburger-what-the/) [Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/) > [What?" I ask. "I'm developing a theory." "And it is?" She picks up her hamburger, grins, and says, "That you have a death wish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/what-i-ask-i-m-developing-a-theory-and-it-is-she-picks-up-her/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [It requires a certain kind of mind to see beauty in a hamburger bun,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kroc/it-requires-a-certain-kind-of-mind-to-see-beauty-in-a-hamburger-bun/) [Ray Kroc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kroc/) > [I wouldn't eat a hamburger for 40,000 dollars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/river-phoenix/i-wouldn-t-eat-a-hamburger-for-40-000-dollars/) [River Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/river-phoenix/) > [Sacred cows make the best hamburger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sacred-cows-make-the-best-hamburger/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Ketchup is great on hamburgers, but if some gets on your shirt, that does not make your shirt also a hamburger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-engvall/ketchup-is-great-on-hamburgers-but-if-some-gets-on-your-shirt-that/) [Bill Engvall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-engvall/) > [What good is having the right to sit at a lunch counter if you can't afford to buy a hamburger?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/what-good-is-having-the-right-to-sit-at-a-lunch-counter-if-you-can-t/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) ## More by Bill Gates > [If you’re a person struggling to eat and stay healthy you might have heard about Michael Jordan or Muhammad Ali, but you’ll never have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/if-you-re-a-person-struggling-to-eat-and-stay-healthy-you-might-have/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [I really had a lot of dreams when I was a kid, and I think a great deal of that grew out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-really-had-a-lot-of-dreams-when-i-was-a-kid-and-i-think-a-great/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Understanding science and pushing the boundaries of science is what makes me immensely satisfied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/understanding-science-and-pushing-the-boundaries-of-science-is-what/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [We're focused on providing innovations in software, driving the continuous improvement for a much better experience, and there's a lot going on here that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/we-re-focused-on-providing-innovations-in-software-driving-the/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Paper is no longer a big part of my day. I get 90% of my news online, and when I go to a meeting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/paper-is-no-longer-a-big-part-of-my-day-i-get-90-of-my-news-online/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Software will get to be somewhat more mature, ah, but it will never be as predictable as most areas of engineering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/software-will-get-to-be-somewhat-more-mature-ah-but-it-will-never-be/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Students deserve great teachers. And teachers deserve the support they need to become great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/students-deserve-great-teachers-and-teachers-deserve-the-support-they/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [The machines need to get faster. They need to get cheaper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/the-machines-need-to-get-faster-they-need-to-get-cheaper/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Like many others, I have deep misgivings about the state of education in the United States. Too many of our students fail to graduate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/like-many-others-i-have-deep-misgivings-about-the-state-of-education/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Over time, yes, countries will need to look at specific GMO products like they look at drugs today, where they don't approve them all.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/over-time-yes-countries-will-need-to-look-at-specific-gmo-products/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Competition is always a fantastic thing, and the computer industry is intensely competitive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/competition-is-always-a-fantastic-thing-and-the-computer-industry-is/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [I don't think there's anything unique about human intellience. All the nuerons in the brain that make up perceptions and emotions operate in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-don-t-think-there-s-anything-unique-about-human-intellience-all-the/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [At every juncture, advanced tools have been the key to a new wave of applications, and each wave of applications has been key to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/at-every-juncture-advanced-tools-have-been-the-key-to-a-new-wave-of/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Software is more important than hardware.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/software-is-more-important-than-hardware/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Talking to mothers, always brings it home because they're so anxious to do everything they can for their kids and so tragic for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/talking-to-mothers-always-brings-it-home-because-they-re-so-anxious/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) [Explore all 1,165 Bill Gates quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) ## More Dollars quotes > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [This welfare for wealthy companies wastes taxpayer dollars, harms the environment, and makes a mockery of the recent reductions in federal social spending programs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/this-welfare-for-wealthy-companies-wastes-taxpayer-dollars-harms-the/) [Ralph Nader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/) > [I love being in Malibu. It's so cool there, and the water is just, it's nice and, and I love the beach. And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-evancho/i-love-being-in-malibu-it-s-so-cool-there-and-the-water-is-just-it-s/) [Jackie Evancho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-evancho/) > [The greatest charity you can contribute to is yourself. Instead of spending a dollar to help feed hungry children, why not spend that dollar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-greatest-charity-you-can-contribute-to-is-yourself-instead-of/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [If I had a million dollars, I just wouldn't just completely set back. I'd have to get out there and show my face to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muddy-waters/if-i-had-a-million-dollars-i-just-wouldn-t-just-completely-set-back-i/) [Muddy Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muddy-waters/) > [As far as Japan is concerned, I want to help all of our allies, but we are losing billions and billions of dollars. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/as-far-as-japan-is-concerned-i-want-to-help-all-of-our-allies-but-we/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Some day I'll write a book and call it 'How I Got the Nickname Pumpsie' and sell it for one dollar, and if everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pumpsie-green/some-day-i-ll-write-a-book-and-call-it-how-i-got-the-nickname-pumpsie/) Pumpsie Green > [I'm part of a team that raises millions of dollars and raises awareness of HIV and AIDS all over the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-evangelista/i-m-part-of-a-team-that-raises-millions-of-dollars-and-raises/) [Linda Evangelista](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-evangelista/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [Right now, the government is spending billions of dollars supporting the problem-makers in the U.S. economy - the polluters, despoilers, incarcerators, and warmongers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/right-now-the-government-is-spending-billions-of-dollars-supporting/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [In short, both experience and economic theory imply that the US could now t to a more competitive dollar without experiencing either increased inflation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-feldstein/in-short-both-experience-and-economic-theory-imply-that-the-us-could/) [Martin Feldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-feldstein/) > [I think we need to talk about mental illness a lot more. People complain about tax dollars and say we don't have the money.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nia-long/i-think-we-need-to-talk-about-mental-illness-a-lot-more-people/) [Nia Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nia-long/) > [A man with a million dollars can be as happy nowadays as though he were rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-mcallister/a-man-with-a-million-dollars-can-be-as-happy-nowadays-as-though-he/) Ward McAllister > [Here we were talking about economic development, about investing billions of dollars in various programs, and I could see it wasn't billions of dollars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/here-we-were-talking-about-economic-development-about-investing/) [Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/) > [I used to sit in front of McDonald's and ask people for dollars to get me a cheeseburger. It was bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-pain/i-used-to-sit-in-front-of-mcdonald-s-and-ask-people-for-dollars-to/) [T-Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-pain/) [Browse all 2,882 Dollars quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dollars/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I can understand wanting to have a million dollars but once you get beyond that, I have to tell you, it's the same hamburger.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bill Gates" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-can-understand-wanting-to-have-a-million-dollars-but-once-you-get/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dollars" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-can-understand-wanting-to-have-a-million-dollars-but-once-you-get/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d2/bill-gates-137_dollars_i-can-understand-wanting-to-have-a-milli_1874178.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d2/bill-gates-137_dollars_i-can-understand-wanting-to-have-a-milli_1874178.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d2/bill-gates-137_dollars_i-can-understand-wanting-to-have-a-milli_1874178.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I can understand wanting to have a million dollars but once you get beyond that, I have to tell you, it's…” — Bill Gates", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Bill Gates", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I can understand wanting to have...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-can-understand-wanting-to-have-a-million-dollars-but-once-you-get/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-can-understand-wanting-to-have-a-million-dollars-but-once-you-get/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```