--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think most of us would rather have an…" description: "\"“I think most of us would rather have an audience than countless riches. If we wanted to be rich we would be doing something else.”\" — John Green" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb9/john-green-12_money_i-think-most-of-us-would-rather-have-an_929157.jpg" --- # I think most of us would rather have an audience than… ![“I think most of us would rather have an audience than countless riches. If we wanted to be rich we would be doing something else.” quote by John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb9/john-green-12_money_i-think-most-of-us-would-rather-have-an_929157.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb9/john-green-12_money_i-think-most-of-us-would-rather-have-an_929157.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb9/john-green-12_money_i-think-most-of-us-would-rather-have-an_929157.jpg) > ““I think most of us would rather have an audience than countless riches. If we wanted to be rich we would be doing something else.”” [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He suggests people prefer admiration over wealth, implying purpose matters more than money. **In simple terms:** People value being admired more than being rich. Key Takeaway Seek purpose, not just profit. Themes values audience wealth purpose Mood thoughtful contemplative Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career decisions - creative projects - public speaking - philanthropy Key Concepts existentialism psychology social status Questions to Reflect On - Do you prefer fame or financial security? - What gives your life meaning? A Different Perspective Wealth can also bring freedom and security. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) ## Related quotes > [ I think that most of us \[writers\] would rather have an audience than countless riches. If we wanted to be rich, we'd be doing… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-that-most-of-us-writers-would-rather-have-an-audience-than/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I never wanted to be rich or successful or famous. I just wanted to be happy and have fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-leon/i-never-wanted-to-be-rich-or-successful-or-famous-i-just-wanted-to-be/) [Donna Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-leon/) > [The trickle-down experiment that began in the Reagan years failed America's middle class. Sure, the rich are doing great. Giant corporations are doing great.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/the-trickle-down-experiment-that-began-in-the-reagan-years-failed/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [The key to happiness is not being rich; it's doing something arduous and creating something of value and then being able to reflect on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-brooks/the-key-to-happiness-is-not-being-rich-it-s-doing-something-arduous/) [Arthur C. Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-brooks/) > [I consider those are rich who are doing something they feel worthwhile and which they enjoy doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/i-consider-those-are-rich-who-are-doing-something-they-feel/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [One has to commit their life to music and not expect to get famous or rich doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-akiko-meyers/one-has-to-commit-their-life-to-music-and-not-expect-to-get-famous-or/) [Anne Akiko Meyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-akiko-meyers/) > [I think that everyone is saying all kinds of things about 'rich.' Not only am I rich from doing some of things I've been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nene-leakes/i-think-that-everyone-is-saying-all-kinds-of-things-about-rich-not/) [NeNe Leakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nene-leakes/) > [No one really gets rich doing this. A couple people do, Black Sabbath does. We don't sell any records anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurston-moore/no-one-really-gets-rich-doing-this-a-couple-people-do-black-sabbath/) [Thurston Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurston-moore/) > [A wise man once said that you don't get rich at work. You get rich by doing your homework.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-wise-man-once-said-that-you-don-t-get-rich-at-work-you-get-rich-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When I'm on set, I don't really think about what an audience is going to think about a scene. I'm just thinking about how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/when-i-m-on-set-i-don-t-really-think-about-what-an-audience-is-going/) [Tom Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/) > [That's the thing that we said about the horn before: it's a focus issue. It's like a singer versus a drummer. If a drummer's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-hunter/that-s-the-thing-that-we-said-about-the-horn-before-it-s-a-focus/) [Charlie Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-hunter/) > [Personally when I listen to a script, I think from the audience's point of view. I would ask myself whether they would like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uday-chopra/personally-when-i-listen-to-a-script-i-think-from-the-audience-s/) [Uday Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uday-chopra/) > [I don't think about who the audience is for my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/i-don-t-think-about-who-the-audience-is-for-my-books/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [I wanted to get rich, not because I like money but because I wanted to give that money to charity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-bankman-fried/i-wanted-to-get-rich-not-because-i-like-money-but-because-i-wanted-to/) [Sam Bankman-Fried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-bankman-fried/) > [When I first dreamt of becoming a movie star, I wanted to be a Gary Cooper: I wanted to be rich and famous, living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naseeruddin-shah/when-i-first-dreamt-of-becoming-a-movie-star-i-wanted-to-be-a-gary/) [Naseeruddin Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naseeruddin-shah/) ## More by John Green > [Issac:"I dislike living in a world without Augustus Waters." Computer: "I don't understand-" Issac: "Me neither. Pause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/issac-i-dislike-living-in-a-world-without-augustus-waters-computer-i/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“I just want to stay away from people and read books and think”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-just-want-to-stay-away-from-people-and-read-books-and-think/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [She smiled with all the delight of a kid on Christmas morning and said, "Y'all smoke to enjoy it. I smoke to die." -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/she-smiled-with-all-the-delight-of-a-kid-on-christmas-morning-and/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [A Margo for each of us--and each more mirror than window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/a-margo-for-each-of-us-and-each-more-mirror-than-window/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“No one ever says good-bye unless they want to see you again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/no-one-ever-says-good-bye-unless-they-want-to-see-you-again/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/neither-novels-or-their-readers-benefit-from-any-attempts-to-divine/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Traffic's not too bad on Sheridan, and I'm cornering the car like it's the Indy 500, and we're listening to my favorite NMH song,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/traffic-s-not-too-bad-on-sheridan-and-i-m-cornering-the-car-like-it-s/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Praise God for good nurses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/praise-god-for-good-nurses/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [So I was ugly. I was never fat, really, and I never wore headgear or had zits or anything. But I was ugly. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/so-i-was-ugly-i-was-never-fat-really-and-i-never-wore-headgear-or-had/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Nothing has ever looked like that ever in all of human history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/nothing-has-ever-looked-like-that-ever-in-all-of-human-history/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“said to him quietly, as if I couldn’t hear or something. Dad was about to respond but I interrupted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/said-to-him-quietly-as-if-i-couldn-t-hear-or-something-dad-was-about/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I believe humans have souls, and I believe in the conservation of souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-believe-humans-have-souls-and-i-believe-in-the-conservation-of-souls/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“He was hot. A nonhotboy stares at you relentlessly and it is, at best, awkward and, at worst, a form of assault. But a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/he-was-hot-a-nonhotboy-stares-at-you-relentlessly-and-it-is-at-best/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I think if you keep the box closed long enough you do kill the cat, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-if-you-keep-the-box-closed-long-enough-you-do-kill-the-cat/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia. (...) You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/imagining-the-future-is-a-kind-of-nostalgia-you-spend-your-whole-life/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) [Explore all 3,614 John Green quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## More Audience quotes > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It's those moments, those odd moments that you look for and sometimes by creating this kind of loose atmosphere you find those little moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-levinson/it-s-those-moments-those-odd-moments-that-you-look-for-and-sometimes/) [Barry Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-levinson/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/one-of-the-best-moments-of-any-liars-show-is-hearing-the-crowd-squawk/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [It's the adrenaline rush you only get from being in front of an audience. It's addictive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-saadiq/it-s-the-adrenaline-rush-you-only-get-from-being-in-front-of-an/) [Raphael Saadiq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-saadiq/) > [If I had to speak in front of a Korean audience, I would be hard pressed to sound other than a little girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/an-na/if-i-had-to-speak-in-front-of-a-korean-audience-i-would-be-hard/) [An Na](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/an-na/) > [The liveness of theater, and the excitement of experiencing it alongside an audience, is something you can't get at home. That makes the theater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-blaemire/the-liveness-of-theater-and-the-excitement-of-experiencing-it/) [Nick Blaemire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-blaemire/) > [One of the things that touches me most when I play for an audience is that although we may be unable to communicate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/one-of-the-things-that-touches-me-most-when-i-play-for-an-audience-is/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/) [Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/) > [When you lived it for years and years and years and seen different characters just get pummeled and squashed because 'I said so,' it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arn-anderson/when-you-lived-it-for-years-and-years-and-years-and-seen-different/) [Arn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arn-anderson/) > [“During the first few minutes of your presentation, your job is to assure the audience members that you are not going to waste their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/during-the-first-few-minutes-of-your-presentation-your-job-is-to/) [Dale Ludwig and Greg Owen-Boger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/) > [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. I've been trying to say for I don't know how many months now that the traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-is-a-different-ball-of-wax-i-ve-been-trying-to-say-for-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I don't think about who the audience is for my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/i-don-t-think-about-who-the-audience-is-for-my-books/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [I feel I have been playing all primary characters. And if your character forms a connect with the audience, it doesn't matter if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angad-bedi/i-feel-i-have-been-playing-all-primary-characters-and-if-your/) [Angad Bedi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angad-bedi/) > [When I was playing piano, it was like, 'I'm going to write a song using all the white keys.' My music director, who knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tesh/when-i-was-playing-piano-it-was-like-i-m-going-to-write-a-song-using/) [John Tesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tesh/) [Browse all 9,118 Audience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I think most of us would rather have an audience than countless riches. 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