--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've been rich and I've been poor. Rich…" description: "\"I've been rich and I've been poor. Rich is better.\" — Sophie Tucker" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43f/sophie-tucker-30883_money_i-ve-been-rich-and-i-ve-been-poor-rich-i_978195.jpg" --- # I've been rich and I've been poor. Rich is better. ![“I've been rich and I've been poor. Rich is better.” quote by Sophie Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43f/sophie-tucker-30883_money_i-ve-been-rich-and-i-ve-been-poor-rich-i_978195.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43f/sophie-tucker-30883_money_i-ve-been-rich-and-i-ve-been-poor-rich-i_978195.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43f/sophie-tucker-30883_money_i-ve-been-rich-and-i-ve-been-poor-rich-i_978195.jpg) > “I've been rich and I've been poor. Rich is better.” [Sophie Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-tucker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Wealth is portrayed as superior to poverty, reflecting personal preference for material comfort. **In simple terms:** Rich is better. Key Takeaway Value financial security. Themes wealth materialism preference Mood reflective critical Type philosophical cautionary When to use this quote - budgeting - career planning - investment decisions - social comparison Key Concepts economics social status personal experience Questions to Reflect On - What defines “better” for you? - How do you balance wealth with other life values? A Different Perspective Ignores non‑material aspects of wellbeing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor/) [Poor rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor-rich/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) [Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rich/) [Rich Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rich-better-298216/) [Ve Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ve-rich-739604/) ## Related quotes > [“I've been rich and I've been poor, and rich is better.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/i-ve-been-rich-and-i-ve-been-poor-and-rich-is-better/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [“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 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/) > [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/) > [“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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/belinda-alexandra/) > [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/) > [“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/) > [Before you can transform your wallet from poor to rich, you've got to transform your spirit from poor to rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/before-you-can-transform-your-wallet-from-poor-to-rich-you-ve-got-to/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [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/) > [“I take from the poor and give to the rich. They just happen to be the same individuals. Poor and stupid before they learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sacredfire/i-take-from-the-poor-and-give-to-the-rich-they-just-happen-to-be-the/) [Robin Sacredfire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sacredfire/) > [I'm not poor, but I'm not rich, either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/i-m-not-poor-but-i-m-not-rich-either/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [Rich is not better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-carter/rich-is-not-better/) [Nell Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-carter/) > [“I have been rich, and I have been poor. Believe me baby, rich is better!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-fitzgerald/i-have-been-rich-and-i-have-been-poor-believe-me-baby-rich-is-better/) [Ella Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-fitzgerald/) ## More by Sophie Tucker > [Success in show business depends on your ability to make and keep friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-tucker/success-in-show-business-depends-on-your-ability-to-make-and-keep/) [Sophie Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-tucker/) > [I would start off with a lively rag, then would come a ballad, followed by a comedy song and a novelty number, and finally,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-tucker/i-would-start-off-with-a-lively-rag-then-would-come-a-ballad-followed/) [Sophie Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-tucker/) > [Once you start carrying your own suitcase, paying your own bills, running your own show, you've done something to yourself that makes you one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-tucker/once-you-start-carrying-your-own-suitcase-paying-your-own-bills/) [Sophie Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-tucker/) > [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/) > [ Even though I loved the song \[My Yiddish Momme\] and it was a sensational hit every time I sang it, I was always careful… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-tucker/even-though-i-loved-the-song-my-yiddish-momme-and-it-was-a/) [Sophie Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-tucker/) > [It is a commentary on Berlin in 1931 that ... it was 'My Yiddishe Momme' that the Berlin Broadcasting Company asked for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-tucker/it-is-a-commentary-on-berlin-in-1931-that-it-was-my-yiddishe-momme/) [Sophie Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-tucker/) > [Playing two months or more in one city meant new songs all the time. If people paid their dimes to see and hear Sophie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-tucker/playing-two-months-or-more-in-one-city-meant-new-songs-all-the-time/) [Sophie Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-tucker/) > [I've never sung a single song in my whole life on purpose to shock anyone. My 'hot numbers' are all, if you will notice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-tucker/i-ve-never-sung-a-single-song-in-my-whole-life-on-purpose-to-shock/) [Sophie Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-tucker/) > [From birth to age 18, a girl needs good parents, from 18 to 35 she needs good looks, from 35 to 55 she needs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-tucker/from-birth-to-age-18-a-girl-needs-good-parents-from-18-to-35-she/) [Sophie Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-tucker/) > [The secret of longevity... Is to keep breathing!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-tucker/the-secret-of-longevity-is-to-keep-breathing/) [Sophie Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-tucker/) > [From birth to age 18 a girl needs good parents. From 18 to 35 she needs good looks. From 35 to 55 she needs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-tucker/from-birth-to-age-18-a-girl-needs-good-parents-from-18-to-35-she-2/) [Sophie Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-tucker/) > [From birth to 18 a girl needs good parents; from 18 to 35, she needs good looks. From 35 to 55, good personality. From…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-tucker/from-birth-to-18-a-girl-needs-good-parents-from-18-to-35-she-needs/) [Sophie Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-tucker/) > [Gradually, at the concerts, I began to hear calls for 'the fat girl'… Then I would jump up for the piano stool, forgetting about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-tucker/gradually-at-the-concerts-i-began-to-hear-calls-for-the-fat-girl-then/) [Sophie Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-tucker/) > [“From birth to age eighteen a girl needs good parents. From eighteen to thirty-five she needs good looks. From thirty-five to fifty-five she needs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-tucker/from-birth-to-age-eighteen-a-girl-needs-good-parents-from-eighteen-to/) [Sophie Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-tucker/) > [The key to longevity: keep breathing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-tucker/the-key-to-longevity-keep-breathing/) [Sophie Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-tucker/) [Explore all 17 Sophie Tucker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-tucker/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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. 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