--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There was a time in my life when I was…" description: "\"There was a time in my life when I was independently wealthy.\" — Lonnie Johnson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ef/lonnie-johnson-16185_independently_there-was-a-time-in-my-life-when-i-was-i_2631655.jpg" --- # There was a time in my life when I was independently… ![“There was a time in my life when I was independently wealthy.” quote by Lonnie Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ef/lonnie-johnson-16185_independently_there-was-a-time-in-my-life-when-i-was-i_2631655.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ef/lonnie-johnson-16185_independently_there-was-a-time-in-my-life-when-i-was-i_2631655.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ef/lonnie-johnson-16185_independently_there-was-a-time-in-my-life-when-i-was-i_2631655.jpg) > “There was a time in my life when I was independently wealthy.” [Lonnie Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lonnie-johnson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He recalls a period of personal financial independence. **In simple terms:** He once had independent wealth. Key Takeaway Reflect on the impact of financial independence on personal values. Themes wealth independence personal growth reflection Mood contemplative nostalgic Type personal philosophical When to use this quote - financial planning - personal development - philosophical Key Concepts financial freedom self-reliance life phases Questions to Reflect On - What did wealth enable you to pursue? - How did it affect your sense of purpose? A Different Perspective Wealth can change priorities and relationships. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Take the job you would take if you were independently wealthy. You're going to do well at it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/take-the-job-you-would-take-if-you-were-independently-wealthy-you-re/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [I'm not independently wealthy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-z-danielewski/i-m-not-independently-wealthy/) [Mark Z. Danielewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-z-danielewski/) > [If I won the lottery tomorrow - which would be a real trick, since I haven't entered - and was independently wealthy for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-busiek/if-i-won-the-lottery-tomorrow-which-would-be-a-real-trick-since-i/) [Kurt Busiek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-busiek/) > [You need a constant money source to live in New York City unless you're independently wealthy, which I'm not. But, from writing about art,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/you-need-a-constant-money-source-to-live-in-new-york-city-unless-you/) [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) > [Not everybody here is rich. Not everybody here is independently wealthy. Not everybody here is free from any kind of economic concern. We run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/not-everybody-here-is-rich-not-everybody-here-is-independently/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [“Being independently wealthy is every bit as much about limiting needs as it is about how much money you have. It has less to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-l-collins/being-independently-wealthy-is-every-bit-as-much-about-limiting-needs/) [J.L. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-l-collins/) > [I have enough money to get by. I'm not independently wealthy, just independently lazy, I suppose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/montgomery-clift/i-have-enough-money-to-get-by-i-m-not-independently-wealthy-just/) [Montgomery Clift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/montgomery-clift/) > [“And he’ll indulge you, because he’s making an investment in you. You’re an asset to him. You’re beautiful, well bred and well connected, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-day/and-he-ll-indulge-you-because-he-s-making-an-investment-in-you-you-re/) [Sylvia Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-day/) > [Eventually, I decided that if I was going to really write a novel, I couldn't do it in New York City while holding down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/eventually-i-decided-that-if-i-was-going-to-really-write-a-novel-i/) [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) > [“Most ministers don’t become independently wealthy working for faith-based organizations. Money can be one of our biggest stumbling blocks. God”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-todd-wilson/most-ministers-don-t-become-independently-wealthy-working-for-faith/) Michael Todd Wilson > [“One of the rudest questions you might hear from an American is "What do you do for a living?" The only proper response is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitry-orlov/one-of-the-rudest-questions-you-might-hear-from-an-american-is-what/) [Dmitry Orlov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitry-orlov/) > [You can only be independently creative for so long until your brain burns out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-helbig/you-can-only-be-independently-creative-for-so-long-until-your-brain/) [Grace Helbig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-helbig/) > [For five years I worked independently waiting for the right opportunity to present itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/latto/for-five-years-i-worked-independently-waiting-for-the-right/) [Latto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/latto/) > [Every man must have the right fearlessly to think independently and express his opinion about what he knows, what he has personally thought about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mstislav-rostropovich/every-man-must-have-the-right-fearlessly-to-think-independently-and/) [Mstislav Rostropovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mstislav-rostropovich/) > [It was both necessary and desirable for us to be so strong at sea that no Sea Power could attack us without risk, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-von-bulow/it-was-both-necessary-and-desirable-for-us-to-be-so-strong-at-sea/) [Bernhard von Bulow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-von-bulow/) ## More by Lonnie Johnson > [More and more, other countries are able to manufacture things cheaper, beating us in the marketplace in a lot of ways. So we need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lonnie-johnson/more-and-more-other-countries-are-able-to-manufacture-things-cheaper/) [Lonnie Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lonnie-johnson/) > [Lady Luck is indifferent. She smiles sometimes, and she frowns sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lonnie-johnson/lady-luck-is-indifferent-she-smiles-sometimes-and-she-frowns-sometimes/) [Lonnie Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lonnie-johnson/) > [The invention that most people know me for is the Super Soaker water gun. I knew the gun worked well, and I knew it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lonnie-johnson/the-invention-that-most-people-know-me-for-is-the-super-soaker-water/) [Lonnie Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lonnie-johnson/) > [It was because of the success of the Super Soaker, I was able to at least get an audience with people to present some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lonnie-johnson/it-was-because-of-the-success-of-the-super-soaker-i-was-able-to-at/) [Lonnie Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lonnie-johnson/) > [Large companies can afford to file patents on every idea they have. Small companies, we have to weigh our options, do the research. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lonnie-johnson/large-companies-can-afford-to-file-patents-on-every-idea-they-have/) [Lonnie Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lonnie-johnson/) > [I have a collection of SuperSoakers. I have managed to keep most of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lonnie-johnson/i-have-a-collection-of-supersoakers-i-have-managed-to-keep-most-of/) [Lonnie Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lonnie-johnson/) > [I can remember times when we'd be having parties, and people would be dancing and everything and I would be sitting there in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lonnie-johnson/i-can-remember-times-when-we-d-be-having-parties-and-people-would-be/) [Lonnie Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lonnie-johnson/) > [Being an independent inventor is tough. You develop a product, patent it, then you're looking for someone who will see the benefit from this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lonnie-johnson/being-an-independent-inventor-is-tough-you-develop-a-product-patent/) [Lonnie Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lonnie-johnson/) > [I didn't want to grow old and find that I didn't do what I could have done, that I didn't put my best foot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lonnie-johnson/i-didn-t-want-to-grow-old-and-find-that-i-didn-t-do-what-i-could-have/) [Lonnie Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lonnie-johnson/) > [I consider myself a general practitioner. I do electronic things. I do toys and water things, mechanical stuff. I'm very, very flexible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lonnie-johnson/i-consider-myself-a-general-practitioner-i-do-electronic-things-i-do/) [Lonnie Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lonnie-johnson/) > [Peer review is fine, as long as you're making incremental improvements to a technology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lonnie-johnson/peer-review-is-fine-as-long-as-you-re-making-incremental-improvements/) [Lonnie Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lonnie-johnson/) > [I decided I could develop a toy and get some revenue from that and then use that revenue to really become an inventor and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lonnie-johnson/i-decided-i-could-develop-a-toy-and-get-some-revenue-from-that-and/) [Lonnie Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lonnie-johnson/) > [I wound up getting offered a job at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory where I invented a power supply mechanism for the Galileo space…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lonnie-johnson/i-wound-up-getting-offered-a-job-at-the-nasa-jet-propulsion/) [Lonnie Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lonnie-johnson/) > [I've invented a new type of engine that converts heat directly into electricity with no moving mechanical parts. It's called the Johnson Thermo-Electrochemical Converter,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lonnie-johnson/i-ve-invented-a-new-type-of-engine-that-converts-heat-directly-into/) [Lonnie Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lonnie-johnson/) > [Especially when you have a lot of technology you're developing as a small company, trying to protect that technology is a real problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lonnie-johnson/especially-when-you-have-a-lot-of-technology-you-re-developing-as-a/) [Lonnie Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lonnie-johnson/) [Explore all 40 Lonnie Johnson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lonnie-johnson/) ## More Independently quotes > [It was both necessary and desirable for us to be so strong at sea that no Sea Power could attack us without risk, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-von-bulow/it-was-both-necessary-and-desirable-for-us-to-be-so-strong-at-sea/) [Bernhard von Bulow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-von-bulow/) > [Every man must have the right fearlessly to think independently and express his opinion about what he knows, what he has personally thought about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mstislav-rostropovich/every-man-must-have-the-right-fearlessly-to-think-independently-and/) [Mstislav Rostropovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mstislav-rostropovich/) > [For five years I worked independently waiting for the right opportunity to present itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/latto/for-five-years-i-worked-independently-waiting-for-the-right/) [Latto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/latto/) > [You can only be independently creative for so long until your brain burns out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-helbig/you-can-only-be-independently-creative-for-so-long-until-your-brain/) [Grace Helbig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-helbig/) > [I tried to do things independently with each child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andie-macdowell/i-tried-to-do-things-independently-with-each-child/) [Andie MacDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andie-macdowell/) > [I am truly independently owned and operated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-michaels/i-am-truly-independently-owned-and-operated/) [Bret Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-michaels/) > [If I get ideas independently of the act of writing, they never really fit. So for me, there's no hanging out, waiting for inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/if-i-get-ideas-independently-of-the-act-of-writing-they-never-really/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [We have to find new ways to work without permission, new ways to turn corners and go through doors that are closed off to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-duvernay/we-have-to-find-new-ways-to-work-without-permission-new-ways-to-turn/) [Ava DuVernay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-duvernay/) > [The very large brain that humans have, plus the things that go along with it - language, art, science - seemed to have evolved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-very-large-brain-that-humans-have-plus-the-things-that-go-along/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [At 14 I had no choice but to live with my brother, on our own, without adults, with all the responsibilities, decisions and day-to-day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-miller/at-14-i-had-no-choice-but-to-live-with-my-brother-on-our-own-without/) [Gina Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-miller/) > [Since 'Qismat' did well independently, it was embraced by Bollywood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ammy-virk/since-qismat-did-well-independently-it-was-embraced-by-bollywood/) [Ammy Virk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ammy-virk/) > [The truth is usually left for us to hunt and gather independently, if we are so inclined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-cepeda/the-truth-is-usually-left-for-us-to-hunt-and-gather-independently-if/) [Raquel Cepeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-cepeda/) > [In the 18th century, people began to adopt the radical new idea that love should be the most fundamental reason for marriage and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jardine-libaire/in-the-18th-century-people-began-to-adopt-the-radical-new-idea-that/) [Jardine Libaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jardine-libaire/) > [You know as a scientist that both were developed completely independently of each other in the laboratories. And only afterward were the political situations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-p-thompson/you-know-as-a-scientist-that-both-were-developed-completely/) [E. P. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-p-thompson/) > [“It does appear that some parts of our evolutionary process seem inevitable. It is striking that throughout evolutionary history, the eye evolved independently fifty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-du-sautoy/it-does-appear-that-some-parts-of-our-evolutionary-process-seem/) [Marcus du Sautoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-du-sautoy/) Browse all 94 Independently quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There was a time in my life when I was independently wealthy.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lonnie Johnson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lonnie-johnson/there-was-a-time-in-my-life-when-i-was-independently-wealthy/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Independently" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lonnie-johnson/there-was-a-time-in-my-life-when-i-was-independently-wealthy/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ef/lonnie-johnson-16185_independently_there-was-a-time-in-my-life-when-i-was-i_2631655.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ef/lonnie-johnson-16185_independently_there-was-a-time-in-my-life-when-i-was-i_2631655.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ef/lonnie-johnson-16185_independently_there-was-a-time-in-my-life-when-i-was-i_2631655.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There was a time in my life when I was independently wealthy.” — Lonnie Johnson", "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": "Lonnie Johnson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lonnie-johnson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There was a time in my...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lonnie-johnson/there-was-a-time-in-my-life-when-i-was-independently-wealthy/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lonnie-johnson/there-was-a-time-in-my-life-when-i-was-independently-wealthy/#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 } } ] } ```