--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Focusing your life solely on making a…" description: "\"“Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. And it will leave you unfulfilled” Barack Obam..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/063/martin-h-manser-100228_ambition_focusing-your-life-solely-on-making-a-bu_536821.jpg" --- # Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a poverty… ![“Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. And it will leave you unfulfilled” Barack Obama, US President” quote by Martin H. Manser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/063/martin-h-manser-100228_ambition_focusing-your-life-solely-on-making-a-bu_536821.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/063/martin-h-manser-100228_ambition_focusing-your-life-solely-on-making-a-bu_536821.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/063/martin-h-manser-100228_ambition_focusing-your-life-solely-on-making-a-bu_536821.jpg) > ““Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. And it will leave you unfulfilled” Barack Obama, US President”” [Martin H. Manser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-h-manser/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Focusing solely on money shows limited ambition, leads to unfulfillment, urging broader purpose. **In simple terms:** Money‑only focus shows shallow ambition and emptiness. Key Takeaway Seek purpose beyond profit. Themes ambition fulfillment values career meaning Mood reflective inspirational Type analysis advice When to use this quote - career planning - financial decisions - life purpose Key Concepts materialism personal growth goal setting Questions to Reflect On - What gives your life meaning? - How can you balance income and purpose? A Different Perspective Money alone may not bring happiness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ambition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambition/) [Ambition Asks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambition-asks-491257/) [Focusing Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focusing-life-491256/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) [Poverty Ambition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty-ambition-257407/) [Unfulfilled Barack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unfulfilled-barack-4496949/) ## Related quotes > [Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. Because it's only when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/focusing-your-life-solely-on-making-a-buck-shows-a-certain-poverty-of/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. And it will leave you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/focusing-your-life-solely-on-making-a-buck-shows-a-poverty-of-2/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The energy you'll expend focusing on someone else's life is better spent working on your own. Just be your own idol.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-amoruso/the-energy-you-ll-expend-focusing-on-someone-else-s-life-is-better/) [Sophia Amoruso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-amoruso/) > [In order to move on you need to stop focusing on their life, and you need to start focusing on your own life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/in-order-to-move-on-you-need-to-stop-focusing-on-their-life-and-you/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [“What is the one thing that gets you up every morning? The one thing that keeps you going every day, every month, every year?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-murphy/what-is-the-one-thing-that-gets-you-up-every-morning-the-one-thing/) [James A. Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-murphy/) > [Long before they slump into poverty, great powers succumb to a poverty of ambition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/long-before-they-slump-into-poverty-great-powers-succumb-to-a-poverty/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [The elevation of appearance over substance, of celebrity over character, of short term gains over lasting achievement displays a poverty of ambition. It distracts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-elevation-of-appearance-over-substance-of-celebrity-over/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [As a young black immigrant at an inner-city school, I saw how poverty of ambition left many from disadvantaged backgrounds on the scrap-heap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemi-badenoch/as-a-young-black-immigrant-at-an-inner-city-school-i-saw-how-poverty/) [Kemi Badenoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemi-badenoch/) > [It betrays a poverty of ambition if all you think about is what goods you can buy instead of what good you can do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/it-betrays-a-poverty-of-ambition-if-all-you-think-about-is-what-goods/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [“the big house and the nice suits and the other things that our money culture says you should buy ... betrays a poverty of ambition.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-big-house-and-the-nice-suits-and-the-other-things-that-our-money/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [We need to steer clear of this poverty of ambition, where people want to drive fancy cars and wear nice clothes and live in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-need-to-steer-clear-of-this-poverty-of-ambition-where-people-want/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [ I charge \[my sons\] never to let the motives of private interest or ambition to influence them to betray, nor the terrors of poverty… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/i-charge-my-sons-never-to-let-the-motives-of-private-interest-or/) [George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/) > [I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [One needs more than ambition and talent to make a success of anything, really. There must be love and a vocation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessye-norman/one-needs-more-than-ambition-and-talent-to-make-a-success-of-anything/) [Jessye Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessye-norman/) > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) ## More by Martin H. Manser > [“Even a world leader only has 24 hours in a day!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-h-manser/even-a-world-leader-only-has-24-hours-in-a-day/) [Martin H. Manser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-h-manser/) [Explore all 2 Martin H. Manser quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-h-manser/) ## More Ambition quotes > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [One needs more than ambition and talent to make a success of anything, really. There must be love and a vocation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessye-norman/one-needs-more-than-ambition-and-talent-to-make-a-success-of-anything/) [Jessye Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessye-norman/) > [I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [A man's worth is no greater than the worth of his ambitions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-s-worth-is-no-greater-than-the-worth-of-his-ambitions/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm hungry and ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julen-lopetegui/i-m-hungry-and-ambitious/) [Julen Lopetegui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julen-lopetegui/) > [“I was ambitious and desperate to direct my first film, so I capitulated and blew it. Never again. Never fucking again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-ferguson/i-was-ambitious-and-desperate-to-direct-my-first-film-so-i/) [Craig Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-ferguson/) > [I was always attracted most to joining City, and I am pleased to be at such a good club with such a big ambition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edin-dzeko/i-was-always-attracted-most-to-joining-city-and-i-am-pleased-to-be-at/) [Edin Dzeko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edin-dzeko/) > [Work towards your goal and dont watch the post size,its either they hate,or like you.there is no room for both sides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-buabeng/work-towards-your-goal-and-dont-watch-the-post-size-its-either-they/) [Isaac Buabeng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-buabeng/) > [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I almost never have a plan for myself... I'm not ambitious in that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/i-almost-never-have-a-plan-for-myself-i-m-not-ambitious-in-that-way/) [Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/) > [I play for high stakes and given an audience - there is no act too daring or too noble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/i-play-for-high-stakes-and-given-an-audience-there-is-no-act-too/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [There's nothing worse than a leader who lacks ambition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-nothing-worse-than-a-leader-who-lacks-ambition/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If i can't even protect my captain's dream, then whatever ambition i have is nothing but talk..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoro/if-i-can-t-even-protect-my-captain-s-dream-then-whatever-ambition-i/) [Zoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoro/) > [It may seem unattainable but if you put actions, your heart and your mind into it, you will prevail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/london-mond/it-may-seem-unattainable-but-if-you-put-actions-your-heart-and-your/) [London Mond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/london-mond/) > [Obligation is what's leading us to toward successful, and what keeps us moving towards the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wazim-shaw/obligation-is-what-s-leading-us-to-toward-successful-and-what-keeps/) [Wazim Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wazim-shaw/) [Browse all 4,601 Ambition quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambition/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a poverty of ambition. 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