--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What is the matter with the rich is…" description: "\"What is the matter with the rich is Uselessness.\" — George Bernard Shaw" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a65/george-bernard-shaw-68_matter_what-is-the-matter-with-the-rich-is-usel_965804.png" --- # What is the matter with the rich is Uselessness. ![“What is the matter with the rich is Uselessness.” quote by George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a65/george-bernard-shaw-68_matter_what-is-the-matter-with-the-rich-is-usel_965804.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a65/george-bernard-shaw-68_matter_what-is-the-matter-with-the-rich-is-usel_965804.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a65/george-bernard-shaw-68_matter_what-is-the-matter-with-the-rich-is-usel_965804.png) > “What is the matter with the rich is Uselessness.” [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It suggests that the rich are defined by their lack of purpose or usefulness, critiquing wealth without contribution. **In simple terms:** Richness without purpose is useless. Key Takeaway Seek purpose beyond wealth. Themes wealth purpose society meaning Mood critical inquisitive Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career - philanthropy - community service - personal development Key Concepts existentialism social critique Questions to Reflect On - What purpose drives your work? - How can wealth serve others? A Different Perspective Wealth can enable positive impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Rich and poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rich-and-poor/) [Uselessness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uselessness/) ## Related quotes > [What's the Matter with the Mill?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/memphis-minnie/what-s-the-matter-with-the-mill/) Memphis Minnie > [In its majestic equality, the law forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, beg in the streets and steal loaves of bread.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/in-its-majestic-equality-the-law-forbids-rich-and-poor-alike-to-sleep/) [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) > [It doesn't matter whether you are rich or poor - as long as you've got money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-e-lewis/it-doesn-t-matter-whether-you-are-rich-or-poor-as-long-as-you-ve-got/) [Joe E. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-e-lewis/) > [Lack of money is the root of of all evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/lack-of-money-is-the-root-of-of-all-evil/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [No matter how rich you are, you cannot transport yourself to the future or the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-simmons/no-matter-how-rich-you-are-you-cannot-transport-yourself-to-the/) [Russell Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-simmons/) > [It doesn't matter how rich you are - you know when you're being ripped off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petter-stordalen/it-doesn-t-matter-how-rich-you-are-you-know-when-you-re-being-ripped/) [Petter Stordalen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petter-stordalen/) > [The country is governed for the richest, for the corporations, the bankers, the land speculators, and for the exploiters of labor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/the-country-is-governed-for-the-richest-for-the-corporations-the/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [Care of the poor is incumbent on society as a whole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baruch-spinoza/care-of-the-poor-is-incumbent-on-society-as-a-whole/) [Baruch Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baruch-spinoza/) > [I have a lot of really close, important friends of mine who live in Los Angeles and a lot of good things in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-baruchel/i-have-a-lot-of-really-close-important-friends-of-mine-who-live-in/) [Jay Baruchel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-baruchel/) > [An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/an-imbalance-between-rich-and-poor-is-the-oldest-and-most-fatal/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [I don't want there to be this separation between the rich and poor. 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The way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-foreman/the-wealthy-class-often-looks-down-on-the-poor-as-those-people-and/) [George Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-foreman/) > [Both to the rich and poor, wine is the happy antidote for sorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/both-to-the-rich-and-poor-wine-is-the-happy-antidote-for-sorrow/) [Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/) > [Excuses cost a dime and that's why the poor could afford a lot of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/excuses-cost-a-dime-and-that-s-why-the-poor-could-afford-a-lot-of-it/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) ## More by George Bernard Shaw > [I love little children too but I don't cut off their heads and stick them in vases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/i-love-little-children-too-but-i-don-t-cut-off-their-heads-and-stick/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Blasphemy and sedition (meaning the truth about Church and State).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/blasphemy-and-sedition-meaning-the-truth-about-church-and-state/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [In the arts of life, man invents nothing; but in the arts of death he outdoes Nature herself, and produces by chemistry and machinery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/in-the-arts-of-life-man-invents-nothing-but-in-the-arts-of-death-he/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [“My religious convictions and scientific views cannot at present be more specifically defined than as those of a believer in creative evolution. I desire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/my-religious-convictions-and-scientific-views-cannot-at-present-be/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [What a man believes may be ascertained, not from his creed, but from the assumptions on which he habitually acts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/what-a-man-believes-may-be-ascertained-not-from-his-creed-but-from/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [You are my inspiration and my folly. You are my light across the sea, my million nameless joys, and my day's wage. 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Satisfaction is death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/as-long-as-i-have-a-want-i-have-a-reason-for-living-satisfaction-is/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The camera can represent flesh so superbly that, if I dared, I would never photograph a figure without asking that figure to take its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-camera-can-represent-flesh-so-superbly-that-if-i-dared-i-would/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [A man who is not a communist at the age of twenty is a fool. Any man who is still communist at the age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/a-man-who-is-not-a-communist-at-the-age-of-twenty-is-a-fool-any-man/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [But to admire a strong person and to live under that strong person’s thumb are two different things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/but-to-admire-a-strong-person-and-to-live-under-that-strong-person-s/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Socialism is the same as Communism, only better English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/socialism-is-the-same-as-communism-only-better-english/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The person who is ignorant enough to believe that his nourishment depends on meat is in a horrible dilemma.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-person-who-is-ignorant-enough-to-believe-that-his-nourishment/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [In the arts of peace Man is a bungler.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/in-the-arts-of-peace-man-is-a-bungler/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) [Explore all 1,640 George Bernard Shaw quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) ## More Matter quotes > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. 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If the writing is in TV or if it's in theater or in film, that's it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-driver/my-only-close-to-game-plan-is-to-follow-good-writing-if-the-writing/) [Adam Driver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-driver/) > [I've always been of the idea that is doesn't really matter where you are geographically - with 'Lonerism,' we made half the album in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-parker/i-ve-always-been-of-the-idea-that-is-doesn-t-really-matter-where-you/) [Kevin Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-parker/) > [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/) [Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/) > [No matter what I do I'll always be stuck on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-stalin/no-matter-what-i-do-i-ll-always-be-stuck-on-you/) [J Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-stalin/) > [You need to remind people that you vote, you matter, and that they can't succeed without your help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-need-to-remind-people-that-you-vote-you-matter-and-that-they-can/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I happen to think it's the politics that makes you electable, but the reason for that is politicians sometimes talk about electability as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/i-happen-to-think-it-s-the-politics-that-makes-you-electable-but-the/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) > [We released 400,000 classified documents, the most extraordinary history of a war to ever have been released in our civilization. Those documents cover 109,000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/we-released-400-000-classified-documents-the-most-extraordinary/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [I think everyone will agree that it doesn't matter how we get to an international tournament. We are going to do whatever it takes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcginn/i-think-everyone-will-agree-that-it-doesn-t-matter-how-we-get-to-an/) [John McGinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcginn/) > [“Which people take the time to care for their souls, these days? I reckon not many. 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