--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've been rich and I've been poor, and…" description: "\"“I've been rich and I've been poor, and rich is better.”\" — Mae West" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14b/mae-west-1200_money_i-ve-been-rich-and-i-ve-been-poor-and-ri_2526370.jpg" --- # I've been rich and I've been poor, and rich is better. ![“I've been rich and I've been poor, and rich is better.” quote by Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14b/mae-west-1200_money_i-ve-been-rich-and-i-ve-been-poor-and-ri_2526370.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14b/mae-west-1200_money_i-ve-been-rich-and-i-ve-been-poor-and-ri_2526370.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14b/mae-west-1200_money_i-ve-been-rich-and-i-ve-been-poor-and-ri_2526370.jpg) > ““I've been rich and I've been poor, and rich is better.”” [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She contrasts her experiences of wealth and poverty, declaring wealth as superior, highlighting material preference. **In simple terms:** Richness is better than poverty. Key Takeaway Reflect on values beyond material wealth. Themes wealth poverty values materialism Mood playful confident Type cinematic quotable When to use this quote - career choices - budgeting - philanthropy Key Concepts economic disparity social status personal fulfillment Questions to Reflect On - What does wealth mean to you beyond money? - How can you balance material and non‑material goals? A Different Perspective Material focus may ignore deeper fulfillment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Poor And Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor-and-rich/) [Poor rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor-rich/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) ## Related quotes > [“I've been been rich I've been poor Rich is better I've been young I've been old Young is better”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cher/i-ve-been-been-rich-i-ve-been-poor-rich-is-better-i-ve-been-young-i/) [Cher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cher/) > [I've been rich and I've been poor. Rich is better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-tucker/i-ve-been-rich-and-i-ve-been-poor-rich-is-better/) [Sophie Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-tucker/) > [I've been poor and I've been rich, and rich is better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bessie-smith/i-ve-been-poor-and-i-ve-been-rich-and-rich-is-better/) [Bessie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bessie-smith/) > [“Populace above, populace below! What are "poor" and "rich"...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/populace-above-populace-below-what-are-poor-and-rich/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“I knew what it was like to be poor, and that once you had become rich, anything was better than being poor again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/belinda-alexandra/i-knew-what-it-was-like-to-be-poor-and-that-once-you-had-become-rich/) Belinda Alexandra > [I have been poor and I have been rich. Rich is better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-tucker/i-have-been-poor-and-i-have-been-rich-rich-is-better/) [Sophie Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-tucker/) > [“One can slide between poor and rich, the difference as slight as between paper and parchment, one voice and a choir, arms hanging by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannine-atkins/one-can-slide-between-poor-and-rich-the-difference-as-slight-as/) Jeannine Atkins > [Law grinds the poor, and rich men rule the law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/law-grinds-the-poor-and-rich-men-rule-the-law/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [Laws grind the poor, and rich men rule the law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/laws-grind-the-poor-and-rich-men-rule-the-law/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [“Well, what was it to be a thief? He met the question at last, face to face, wiping the clammy drops of sweat from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-harding-davis/well-what-was-it-to-be-a-thief-he-met-the-question-at-last-face-to/) [Rebecca Harding Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-harding-davis/) > [Poverty was a relationship, I thought, involving poor and rich people alike.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/poverty-was-a-relationship-i-thought-involving-poor-and-rich-people/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Any city, however small, is in fact divided into two, one the city of the poor, the other of the rich; these are at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/any-city-however-small-is-in-fact-divided-into-two-one-the-city-of/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [Being is good, but getting rich is better… If the gods had only the riches of men's adoration, they would be as poor as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/being-is-good-but-getting-rich-is-better-if-the-gods-had-only-the/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [I've been rich and I've been poor. It's better to be rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/i-ve-been-rich-and-i-ve-been-poor-it-s-better-to-be-rich/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [I've been broke more than I've been rich. I like being in the middle way better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reagan-gomez-preston/i-ve-been-broke-more-than-i-ve-been-rich-i-like-being-in-the-middle/) [Reagan Gomez-Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reagan-gomez-preston/) ## More by Mae West > [Reason was nowhere, time was an immovable object nailed high on the wall, except where the world kept shop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/reason-was-nowhere-time-was-an-immovable-object-nailed-high-on-the/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [I've been in 'Who's Who' and I know what's what, but it'll be the first time I ever made the dictionary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/i-ve-been-in-who-s-who-and-i-know-what-s-what-but-it-ll-be-the-first/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [Look your best - who said love is blind?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/look-your-best-who-said-love-is-blind/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [Don't let a man put anything over on you except an umbrella.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/don-t-let-a-man-put-anything-over-on-you-except-an-umbrella/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [In my long and colorful career, one thing stands out: I have been misunderstood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/in-my-long-and-colorful-career-one-thing-stands-out-i-have-been/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [The finest woman that ever walked the streets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/the-finest-woman-that-ever-walked-the-streets/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [The best way to hold a man is in your arms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/the-best-way-to-hold-a-man-is-in-your-arms/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [Live close, visit often.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/live-close-visit-often/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [A real farmer. He spent his childhood in the wheat, and his marriage in the hay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/a-real-farmer-he-spent-his-childhood-in-the-wheat-and-his-marriage-in/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [Marriage? I ain't got time for a husband or child. All my life I've looked after myself as if I was my own child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/marriage-i-ain-t-got-time-for-a-husband-or-child-all-my-life-i-ve/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [“If I can't a man with a million dollars, I'll a million men with one dollar.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/if-i-can-t-a-man-with-a-million-dollars-i-ll-a-million-men-with-one/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [Sometimes I don't drink so the next day I can remember having fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/sometimes-i-don-t-drink-so-the-next-day-i-can-remember-having-fun/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [Positive thoughts generate positive feelings and attract positive life experiences. You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/positive-thoughts-generate-positive-feelings-and-attract-positive/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [I believe in the single standard -- for men and women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/i-believe-in-the-single-standard-for-men-and-women/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [“Goodness had nothing to do with it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/goodness-had-nothing-to-do-with-it/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) [Explore all 271 Mae West quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) ## More Money quotes > [You've got to tell your money what to do or it will leave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-ramsey/you-ve-got-to-tell-your-money-what-to-do-or-it-will-leave/) [Dave Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-ramsey/) > [Don't let's lose sight of what creates wealth. It is open markets, it is capitalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/don-t-let-s-lose-sight-of-what-creates-wealth-it-is-open-markets-it/) [Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/) > [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/) > [Money is the kind of instrument which is very speedily produced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatoly-chubais/money-is-the-kind-of-instrument-which-is-very-speedily-produced/) [Anatoly Chubais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatoly-chubais/) > [I would borrow money all day long, if the cost of borrowing is less than the expected return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/i-would-borrow-money-all-day-long-if-the-cost-of-borrowing-is-less/) [Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/) > [If you restore a car, and you're making money, then you're doing it wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/if-you-restore-a-car-and-you-re-making-money-then-you-re-doing-it/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Maybe you can,t buy a big house.. A new car.. A huge diamond ring.. But if you have just one true friend who loves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy/maybe-you-can-t-buy-a-big-house-a-new-car-a-huge-diamond-ring-but-if/) Cathy > [“Don't allow money to become the yardstick by which you measure the worth of the world around you!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-james-pritchard/don-t-allow-money-to-become-the-yardstick-by-which-you-measure-the/) [Andrew James Pritchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-james-pritchard/) > [Academically, I was never that interested. I skipped classes. My biggest dream was to have a coffee shop, but I had no idea how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-espinosa/academically-i-was-never-that-interested-i-skipped-classes-my-biggest/) [Daniel Espinosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-espinosa/) > [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [I doubt that we Americans can come to terms with our money neuroses without understanding the more florid pathology of the very rich for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-slater/i-doubt-that-we-americans-can-come-to-terms-with-our-money-neuroses/) [Philip Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-slater/) > [“The writer must earn money in order to be able to live and to write, but he must by no means live and write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goins/the-writer-must-earn-money-in-order-to-be-able-to-live-and-to-write/) [Jeff Goins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goins/) > [Jobs and money are never the primary cause of stress. Thinking, negative thinking causes stress. The real cause of all problems lie in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/jobs-and-money-are-never-the-primary-cause-of-stress-thinking/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [Most paper money initially existed as a substitute for gold. That's what gave it value. But right now what gives a currency value is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/most-paper-money-initially-existed-as-a-substitute-for-gold-that-s/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) > [The man who works for the gold in the job rather than for the money in the pay envelope, is the fellow who gets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-french-johnson/the-man-who-works-for-the-gold-in-the-job-rather-than-for-the-money/) Joseph French Johnson [Browse all 45,172 Money quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I've been rich and I've been poor, and rich is better.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mae West" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/i-ve-been-rich-and-i-ve-been-poor-and-rich-is-better/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Money" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/i-ve-been-rich-and-i-ve-been-poor-and-rich-is-better/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14b/mae-west-1200_money_i-ve-been-rich-and-i-ve-been-poor-and-ri_2526370.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14b/mae-west-1200_money_i-ve-been-rich-and-i-ve-been-poor-and-ri_2526370.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14b/mae-west-1200_money_i-ve-been-rich-and-i-ve-been-poor-and-ri_2526370.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I've been rich and I've been poor, and rich is better.” — Mae West", "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": "Mae West", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I've been rich and I've been...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/i-ve-been-rich-and-i-ve-been-poor-and-rich-is-better/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/i-ve-been-rich-and-i-ve-been-poor-and-rich-is-better/#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 } } ] } ```