--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: After my accident, the stuff that…" description: "\"After my accident, the stuff that mattered was stuff that made a difference in the world, not the stuff that made money.\" — Kimbal Musk" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d09/kimbal-musk-6353_accident_after-my-accident-the-stuff-that-mattere_1627503.jpg" --- # After my accident, the stuff that mattered was stuff that… ![“After my accident, the stuff that mattered was stuff that made a difference in the world, not the stuff that made money.” quote by Kimbal Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d09/kimbal-musk-6353_accident_after-my-accident-the-stuff-that-mattere_1627503.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d09/kimbal-musk-6353_accident_after-my-accident-the-stuff-that-mattere_1627503.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d09/kimbal-musk-6353_accident_after-my-accident-the-stuff-that-mattere_1627503.jpg) > “After my accident, the stuff that mattered was stuff that made a difference in the world, not the stuff that made money.” [Kimbal Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimbal-musk/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. After a crisis, priorities shift toward impact rather than profit, valuing contributions that improve lives over personal wealth. **In simple terms:** Crises reveal what truly matters: impact over money. Key Takeaway Focus on meaningful work, not just earnings. Themes values impact priorities reflection Mood thoughtful inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - recovering from injury - career decisions - philanthropy - business strategy Key Concepts existentialism humanism wealth vs purpose Questions to Reflect On - What would you change if money were not a concern? - How can you align profit with impact? A Different Perspective Money still sustains life; balancing financial stability with purpose can be challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accident](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accident/) [Difference](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difference/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“You go through so many changes as a child, then you grow up and discover that none of that stuff mattered, except for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-walton-collaso/you-go-through-so-many-changes-as-a-child-then-you-grow-up-and/) Joan Walton Collaso > [Dogs are how people would be if the important stuff is all that mattered to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashly-lorenzana/dogs-are-how-people-would-be-if-the-important-stuff-is-all-that/) [Ashly Lorenzana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashly-lorenzana/) > [As a teenager, I was teased at school about my height and long legs, but now they are my best assets. Kids can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmine-guinness/as-a-teenager-i-was-teased-at-school-about-my-height-and-long-legs/) [Jasmine Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmine-guinness/) > [To make a difference is not a matter of accident...People CHOOSE to make a difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/to-make-a-difference-is-not-a-matter-of-accident-people-choose-to/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [At this point in my life I'd like to live as if only love mattered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-chapman/at-this-point-in-my-life-i-d-like-to-live-as-if-only-love-mattered/) [Tracy Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-chapman/) > [“Your first kiss isn’t as important as your last. The math test really didn’t matter. The pie really did. The stuff you’re good at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-wate/your-first-kiss-isn-t-as-important-as-your-last-the-math-test-really/) Ethan Wate > [He was the closest thing I'd ever had to something, or someone, that mattered. But in the end, close didn't count. You were either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/he-was-the-closest-thing-i-d-ever-had-to-something-or-someone-that/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [His face was in my neck and he was breathing hard. Was he grieving me? Already? Would he miss me? Had I, in some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/his-face-was-in-my-neck-and-he-was-breathing-hard-was-he-grieving-me/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [“I don't. If it mattered to me even one bit, I wouldn't be here with you, Nakano-san!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maki-murakami/i-don-t-if-it-mattered-to-me-even-one-bit-i-wouldn-t-be-here-with-you/) [Maki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maki-murakami/) > [Why was it that they could never shout like that about anything that mattered?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/why-was-it-that-they-could-never-shout-like-that-about-anything-that/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Death mattered not -- It was a mere puncutation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-huggins/death-mattered-not-it-was-a-mere-puncutation/) [Nathan Huggins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-huggins/) > [“There it was, Hema must have thought; it was both the sorry and the thank-you that was so long overdue, and the funny thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/there-it-was-hema-must-have-thought-it-was-both-the-sorry-and-the/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [“Knowing you don’t have much time left changes things. You get kind of philosophical. And you figure things out—more like, they figure themselves out—and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kami-garcia/knowing-you-don-t-have-much-time-left-changes-things-you-get-kind-of/) [Kami Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kami-garcia/) > [“Climbing mattered. The danger bathed the world in a halogen glow that caused everything—the sweep of the rock, the orange and yellow lichens, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/climbing-mattered-the-danger-bathed-the-world-in-a-halogen-glow-that/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [“History mattered. But it could not guarantee what might happen next.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-gable/history-mattered-but-it-could-not-guarantee-what-might-happen-next/) [Michelle Gable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-gable/) ## More by Kimbal Musk > [Newspapers have an extraordinary amount of local content, including real estate listings and restaurant reviews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimbal-musk/newspapers-have-an-extraordinary-amount-of-local-content-including/) [Kimbal Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimbal-musk/) > [People are overweight and starving at the same time. It's a tragedy for both the individual and society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimbal-musk/people-are-overweight-and-starving-at-the-same-time-it-s-a-tragedy/) [Kimbal Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimbal-musk/) > [Twenty-first-century food is going to be real food. Real food is food that is truly nourishing for the consumer, the community, and the planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimbal-musk/twenty-first-century-food-is-going-to-be-real-food-real-food-is-food/) [Kimbal Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimbal-musk/) > [We're moving to be more of a plant-based society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimbal-musk/we-re-moving-to-be-more-of-a-plant-based-society/) [Kimbal Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimbal-musk/) > [It's pretty rough in South Africa. It's a rough culture. Imagine rough - well, it's rougher than that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimbal-musk/it-s-pretty-rough-in-south-africa-it-s-a-rough-culture-imagine-rough/) [Kimbal Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimbal-musk/) > [I was very afraid of failure because if you fail at something you love, then you ruin what you love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimbal-musk/i-was-very-afraid-of-failure-because-if-you-fail-at-something-you/) [Kimbal Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimbal-musk/) > [Back in 1995, I saw an incredible wave coming. The Internet. I knew I needed to be a part of it no matter what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimbal-musk/back-in-1995-i-saw-an-incredible-wave-coming-the-internet-i-knew-i/) [Kimbal Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimbal-musk/) > [Young people contact me all the time to articulate issues with the industrial food system, but they are frustrated by their perceived inability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimbal-musk/young-people-contact-me-all-the-time-to-articulate-issues-with-the/) [Kimbal Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimbal-musk/) > [Community through food is my mission; it is what I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimbal-musk/community-through-food-is-my-mission-it-is-what-i-do/) [Kimbal Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimbal-musk/) > [My family were all entrepreneurs, including my parents and grandparents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimbal-musk/my-family-were-all-entrepreneurs-including-my-parents-and-grandparents/) [Kimbal Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimbal-musk/) > [The Kitchen's mission is to strengthen communities by bringing local, real food to everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimbal-musk/the-kitchen-s-mission-is-to-strengthen-communities-by-bringing-local/) [Kimbal Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimbal-musk/) > [My mother was a consulting dietician, and my father was a consulting engineer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimbal-musk/my-mother-was-a-consulting-dietician-and-my-father-was-a-consulting/) [Kimbal Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimbal-musk/) > [Food is the new Internet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimbal-musk/food-is-the-new-internet/) [Kimbal Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimbal-musk/) > [It's relatively easy to set up a tech company, join an accelerator, and progress down a pathway towards success. It's more complex to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimbal-musk/it-s-relatively-easy-to-set-up-a-tech-company-join-an-accelerator-and/) [Kimbal Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimbal-musk/) > [Start with the young, work with them until they are adults, and they will demand real food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimbal-musk/start-with-the-young-work-with-them-until-they-are-adults-and-they/) [Kimbal Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimbal-musk/) [Explore all 99 Kimbal Musk quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimbal-musk/) ## More Accident quotes > [Fame, we may understand, is no sure test of merit, but only a probability of such: it is an accident, not a property, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/fame-we-may-understand-is-no-sure-test-of-merit-but-only-a/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [I went to school at night in L.A. to brush up on my engineering while I applied to the astronaut program. I really did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-jemison/i-went-to-school-at-night-in-l-a-to-brush-up-on-my-engineering-while/) [Mae Jemison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-jemison/) > [“The accident in your rearview mirror already happened. The one in front of you is still preventable. Pay attention.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nakia-r-laushaul/the-accident-in-your-rearview-mirror-already-happened-the-one-in/) [Nakia R. Laushaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nakia-r-laushaul/) > [People dont get married by accident and they dont get divorced by accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-hayes/people-dont-get-married-by-accident-and-they-dont-get-divorced-by/) [Darren Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-hayes/) > [My father had Parkinson's, though he actually died following a bicycle accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kt-tunstall/my-father-had-parkinson-s-though-he-actually-died-following-a-bicycle/) [KT Tunstall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kt-tunstall/) > [A tragic car accident put me in a wheelchair and dashed my hopes and dreams for the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-cawthorn/a-tragic-car-accident-put-me-in-a-wheelchair-and-dashed-my-hopes-and/) [Madison Cawthorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-cawthorn/) > [My musical career was an accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sade-adu/my-musical-career-was-an-accident/) [Sade Adu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sade-adu/) > [The spirit in the body is like wine in a glass; when it spills, it seeps into air and earth and light….It’s a mistake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-michaels/the-spirit-in-the-body-is-like-wine-in-a-glass-when-it-spills-it/) [Anne Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-michaels/) > [accident ruled every corner of the universe except the chambers of the human heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-guterson/accident-ruled-every-corner-of-the-universe-except-the-chambers-of/) [David Guterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-guterson/) > [There is a French expression that says: to be exposed to an accident, to cross a street without looking at the cars means exposing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-virilio/there-is-a-french-expression-that-says-to-be-exposed-to-an-accident/) [Paul Virilio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-virilio/) > [It's no accident that most self-help groups use 'anonymous' in their names; to Americans, the first step toward redemption is a ritual wiping out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/it-s-no-accident-that-most-self-help-groups-use-anonymous-in-their/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [High birth is an accident, not a virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pietro-metastasio/high-birth-is-an-accident-not-a-virtue/) [Pietro Metastasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pietro-metastasio/) > [“I just got out of the hospital. I was in a speed reading accident. I hit a book mark and flew across the room.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/i-just-got-out-of-the-hospital-i-was-in-a-speed-reading-accident-i/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [However, I met with a horrible accident while riding my bike in Sangla Valley. The accident was a wakeup call for me stop getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhinav-shukla/however-i-met-with-a-horrible-accident-while-riding-my-bike-in-sangla/) [Abhinav Shukla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhinav-shukla/) > [“Because the core of my personal philosophy is that everything that happens to us benefits us, I was also spared the futility of cursing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/because-the-core-of-my-personal-philosophy-is-that-everything-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 922 Accident quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accident/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "After my accident, the stuff that mattered was stuff that made a difference in the world, not the stuff that made money.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kimbal Musk" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimbal-musk/after-my-accident-the-stuff-that-mattered-was-stuff-that-made-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Accident" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimbal-musk/after-my-accident-the-stuff-that-mattered-was-stuff-that-made-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d09/kimbal-musk-6353_accident_after-my-accident-the-stuff-that-mattere_1627503.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d09/kimbal-musk-6353_accident_after-my-accident-the-stuff-that-mattere_1627503.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d09/kimbal-musk-6353_accident_after-my-accident-the-stuff-that-mattere_1627503.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“After my accident, the stuff that mattered was stuff that made a difference in the world, not the stuff that…” — Kimbal Musk", "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": "Kimbal Musk", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimbal-musk/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "After my accident, the stuff that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimbal-musk/after-my-accident-the-stuff-that-mattered-was-stuff-that-made-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimbal-musk/after-my-accident-the-stuff-that-mattered-was-stuff-that-made-a/#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 } } ] } ```