--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's not how much money we make that…" description: "\"It's not how much money we make that ultimately makes us happy between nine and five. It's whether or not our work fulfills us. Being a teacher is mean..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f03/malcolm-gladwell-348_being-a-teacher_it-s-not-how-much-money-we-make-that-ult_570875.png" --- # It's not how much money we make that ultimately makes us… ![“It's not how much money we make that ultimately makes us happy between nine and five. It's whether or not our work fulfills us. Being a teacher is meaningful.” quote by Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f03/malcolm-gladwell-348_being-a-teacher_it-s-not-how-much-money-we-make-that-ult_570875.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f03/malcolm-gladwell-348_being-a-teacher_it-s-not-how-much-money-we-make-that-ult_570875.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f03/malcolm-gladwell-348_being-a-teacher_it-s-not-how-much-money-we-make-that-ult_570875.png) > “It's not how much money we make that ultimately makes us happy between nine and five. It's whether or not our work fulfills us. Being a teacher is meaningful.” [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Job satisfaction, not salary, drives happiness; teaching offers purpose beyond financial reward. **In simple terms:** Purposeful work beats money for happiness. Key Takeaway Seek meaningful work. Themes career happiness purpose Mood inspirational thoughtful Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - career counseling - teacher recruitment - personal development seminars Key Concepts intrinsic motivation vocational fulfillment Questions to Reflect On - What gives your work meaning? - How can you find purpose in any job? A Different Perspective Money still influences life choices. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being a teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-a-teacher/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Happy Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy-work/) [Meaningful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaningful/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teacher/) ## Related quotes > [“If I offered you a choice between being an architect for $75,000 a year and working in a tollbooth every day for the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/if-i-offered-you-a-choice-between-being-an-architect-for-75-000-a/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [If I can make a teacher's salary doing comedy, I think that's better than being a teacher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-chappelle/if-i-can-make-a-teacher-s-salary-doing-comedy-i-think-that-s-better/) [Dave Chappelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-chappelle/) > [The children are now working as if I did not exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/the-children-are-now-working-as-if-i-did-not-exist/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [ And she \[Eleanor Roosevelt\]loves being a star. And she loves being a teacher and a leader and a mentor and a big friend. Also,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blanche-wiesen-cook/and-she-eleanor-roosevelt-loves-being-a-star-and-she-loves-being-a/) [Blanche Wiesen Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blanche-wiesen-cook/) > [Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is-2/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [Being a teacher at a restaurant in the town where you lived was a little like being a TV star...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-wolitzer/being-a-teacher-at-a-restaurant-in-the-town-where-you-lived-was-a/) [Meg Wolitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-wolitzer/) > [In education it isn't how much you have committed to memory or even how much you know. It's being able to differentiate between what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/in-education-it-isn-t-how-much-you-have-committed-to-memory-or-even/) [William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/) > [Warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/warmth-is-the-vital-element-for-the-growing-plant-and-for-the-soul-of/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Being a teacher is like being in jail; once it's on your record, you can never get rid of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/being-a-teacher-is-like-being-in-jail-once-it-s-on-your-record-you/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I hope that I serve by being a teacher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-bush/i-hope-that-i-serve-by-being-a-teacher/) [Jenna Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-bush/) > [The best part about being a teacher is that it matters. The hardest part about being a teacher is that it matters every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-whitaker/the-best-part-about-being-a-teacher-is-that-it-matters-the-hardest/) Todd Whitaker > [Being a teacher is not what I do, it's who I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-biden/being-a-teacher-is-not-what-i-do-it-s-who-i-am/) [Jill Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-biden/) > [Being an artist and being a teacher are two conflicting things. When I paint, my work manifests the unexpected... In teaching it's just the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-alechinsky/being-an-artist-and-being-a-teacher-are-two-conflicting-things-when-i/) [Pierre Alechinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-alechinsky/) > [We've got to make sure that teachers are respected, that they are rewarded, that young people like yourself who have talent and want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-ve-got-to-make-sure-that-teachers-are-respected-that-they-are/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [It was difficult being a teacher and out of the closet in the '50s. By the time I retired, the English department was proud…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/it-was-difficult-being-a-teacher-and-out-of-the-closet-in-the-50s-by/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) ## More by Malcolm Gladwell > [When I go to my health club, and it's in the basement, you have to take the elevator down. And this drives me crazy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/when-i-go-to-my-health-club-and-it-s-in-the-basement-you-have-to-take/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-tipping-point-is-that-magic-moment-when-an-idea-trend-or-social/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“The scholars who research happiness suggest that more money stops making people happier at a family income of around seventy-five thousand dollars a year.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-scholars-who-research-happiness-suggest-that-more-money-stops/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [We need to be clear when we venerate entrepreneurs what we are venerating.They are not moral leaders. If they were moral leaders, they wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/we-need-to-be-clear-when-we-venerate-entrepreneurs-what-we-are/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“Some people look like they sound better than they actually sound, because they look confident and have good posture," once musician, a veteran of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/some-people-look-like-they-sound-better-than-they-actually-sound/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [A handicap is like trying to race and you have a ten pound weight stuck to your waist. That is a handicap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/a-handicap-is-like-trying-to-race-and-you-have-a-ten-pound-weight/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“neighborhood was filled with engineers from Hewlett-Packard, then as now one of”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/neighborhood-was-filled-with-engineers-from-hewlett-packard-then-as/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“People are ruined by challenged economic lives. But they are ruined by wealth as well because they lose their ambition and they lose their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/people-are-ruined-by-challenged-economic-lives-but-they-are-ruined-by/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [The single most important thing a city can do is provide a community where interesting, smart people want to live with their families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-single-most-important-thing-a-city-can-do-is-provide-a-community/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [ \[Norden\] said, with the Mark 15 Norden bombsight, he could drop a bomb into a pickle barrel at 20,000 feet. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/norden-said-with-the-mark-15-norden-bombsight-he-could-drop-a-bomb/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [The willingness to be self-critical in England is much greater than the willingness to be self-critical in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-willingness-to-be-self-critical-in-england-is-much-greater-than/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [The conventional explanation for Jewish success, of course, is that Jews come from a literate, intellectual culture. They are famously "the people of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-conventional-explanation-for-jewish-success-of-course-is-that/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“An archway to one side leads to a church, the Madonna del Carmine—Our Lady of Mount Carmine. Narrow”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/an-archway-to-one-side-leads-to-a-church-the-madonna-del-carmine-our/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [People are experience-rich and theory-poor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/people-are-experience-rich-and-theory-poor/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“Most psychologists believe that nature—genetics—accounts for about half of the reason why we tend to act the way we do. His point is simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/most-psychologists-believe-that-nature-genetics-accounts-for-about/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) [Explore all 647 Malcolm Gladwell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) ## More Being a teacher quotes > [It was difficult being a teacher and out of the closet in the '50s. By the time I retired, the English department was proud…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/it-was-difficult-being-a-teacher-and-out-of-the-closet-in-the-50s-by/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [We've got to make sure that teachers are respected, that they are rewarded, that young people like yourself who have talent and want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-ve-got-to-make-sure-that-teachers-are-respected-that-they-are/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Being an artist and being a teacher are two conflicting things. When I paint, my work manifests the unexpected... In teaching it's just the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-alechinsky/being-an-artist-and-being-a-teacher-are-two-conflicting-things-when-i/) [Pierre Alechinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-alechinsky/) > [Being a teacher is not what I do, it's who I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-biden/being-a-teacher-is-not-what-i-do-it-s-who-i-am/) [Jill Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-biden/) > [The best part about being a teacher is that it matters. The hardest part about being a teacher is that it matters every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-whitaker/the-best-part-about-being-a-teacher-is-that-it-matters-the-hardest/) Todd Whitaker > [I hope that I serve by being a teacher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-bush/i-hope-that-i-serve-by-being-a-teacher/) [Jenna Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-bush/) > [Being a teacher is like being in jail; once it's on your record, you can never get rid of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/being-a-teacher-is-like-being-in-jail-once-it-s-on-your-record-you/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/warmth-is-the-vital-element-for-the-growing-plant-and-for-the-soul-of/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [In education it isn't how much you have committed to memory or even how much you know. It's being able to differentiate between what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/in-education-it-isn-t-how-much-you-have-committed-to-memory-or-even/) [William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/) > [Being a teacher at a restaurant in the town where you lived was a little like being a TV star...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-wolitzer/being-a-teacher-at-a-restaurant-in-the-town-where-you-lived-was-a/) [Meg Wolitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-wolitzer/) > [Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is-2/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [ And she \[Eleanor Roosevelt\]loves being a star. And she loves being a teacher and a leader and a mentor and a big friend. Also,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blanche-wiesen-cook/and-she-eleanor-roosevelt-loves-being-a-star-and-she-loves-being-a/) [Blanche Wiesen Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blanche-wiesen-cook/) > [The children are now working as if I did not exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/the-children-are-now-working-as-if-i-did-not-exist/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [If I can make a teacher's salary doing comedy, I think that's better than being a teacher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-chappelle/if-i-can-make-a-teacher-s-salary-doing-comedy-i-think-that-s-better/) [Dave Chappelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-chappelle/) > [What sculpture is to a block of marble, education is to the human soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/what-sculpture-is-to-a-block-of-marble-education-is-to-the-human-soul/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) [Browse all 34 Being a teacher quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-a-teacher/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's not how much money we make that ultimately makes us happy between nine and five. It's whether or not our work fulfills us. Being a teacher is meaningful.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Malcolm Gladwell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/it-s-not-how-much-money-we-make-that-ultimately-makes-us-happy/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Being a teacher" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/it-s-not-how-much-money-we-make-that-ultimately-makes-us-happy/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f03/malcolm-gladwell-348_being-a-teacher_it-s-not-how-much-money-we-make-that-ult_570875.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f03/malcolm-gladwell-348_being-a-teacher_it-s-not-how-much-money-we-make-that-ult_570875.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f03/malcolm-gladwell-348_being-a-teacher_it-s-not-how-much-money-we-make-that-ult_570875.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's not how much money we make that ultimately makes us happy between nine and five. It's whether or not…” — Malcolm Gladwell", "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": "Malcolm Gladwell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's not how much money we...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/it-s-not-how-much-money-we-make-that-ultimately-makes-us-happy/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/it-s-not-how-much-money-we-make-that-ultimately-makes-us-happy/#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 } } ] } ```