--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I could have made money this way, and…" description: "\"I could have made money this way, and perhaps amused myself writing code. But I knew that at the end of my career, I would look back on years of buildi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/381/richard-stallman-4048_amused_i-could-have-made-money-this-way-and-per_2552852.png" --- # I could have made money this way, and perhaps amused… ![“I could have made money this way, and perhaps amused myself writing code. But I knew that at the end of my career, I would look back on years of building walls to divide people, and feel I had spent my life making the world a worse place.” quote by Richard Stallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/381/richard-stallman-4048_amused_i-could-have-made-money-this-way-and-per_2552852.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/381/richard-stallman-4048_amused_i-could-have-made-money-this-way-and-per_2552852.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/381/richard-stallman-4048_amused_i-could-have-made-money-this-way-and-per_2552852.png) > “I could have made money this way, and perhaps amused myself writing code. But I knew that at the end of my career, I would look back on years of building walls to divide people, and feel I had spent my life making the world a worse place.” [Richard Stallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stallman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Choosing ethical principles over profit, the speaker rejects building divisive technology, valuing a world that unites rather than separates people. **In simple terms:** Prioritize ethics over profit. Key Takeaway Build inclusive technology. Themes ethics technology community social responsibility software development Mood thoughtful determined Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - software engineering - career planning - policy advocacy - team leadership Key Concepts open source digital rights human-centered design Questions to Reflect On - What sacrifices are needed for ethical tech? - How can we measure social impact of software? A Different Perspective Profit motives can conflict with ethical goals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Amused](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amused/) [Building](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building/) [Building walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building-walls/) [Careers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/careers/) [Code](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/code/) [End Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-career/) [End of the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-of-the-world/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Feel Spent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-spent-1537545/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Making World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-world-464339/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Programming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programming/) [Spent Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spent-life/) [Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wall/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World Worse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-worse-398067/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [I used to feel that I spent too much of my time in my pajamas doing nothing, and I'd think 'in the time that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wurtzel/i-used-to-feel-that-i-spent-too-much-of-my-time-in-my-pajamas-doing/) [Elizabeth Wurtzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wurtzel/) > [Your interests change. I used to feel that if I spent evenings reading, or watching a film, or just doing nothing up here at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-lowe/your-interests-change-i-used-to-feel-that-if-i-spent-evenings-reading/) [Rob Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-lowe/) > [I think different societies, cultures, individuals, teams of people, make the world a better place. 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You give them the materials, but it's the readers who build that world in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/readers-after-all-are-making-the-world-with-you-you-give-them-the/) [Ursula K. 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