“Some People Are So Poor, All They Have Is Money”
Introduction
In a world where wealth is worshipped and success is often reduced to numbers—salary, net worth, square footage—it’s easy to lose sight of what it really means to be rich. We’re told that money is the end goal. That the more we have, the better off we are. But what if that’s not just wrong—what if it’s dangerous?
Bob Marley once said, “Some people are so poor, all they have is money.” It’s a powerful statement because it cuts through the illusion. It challenges the narrative that financial wealth is the highest form of success. It reminds us that a life full of things can still be empty.
This article explores what Marley meant, how it connects with similar ideas from people like Coco Chanel and Erich Fromm, and why real wealth has very little to do with what’s in your wallet and everything to do with what’s in your spirit.
Bob Marley once said, “Some people are so poor, all they have is money.” It sounds like a paradox, but it’s not. It’s a blunt truth that calls out a lie we’ve been sold: that money equals wealth, and wealth equals happiness.
Coco Chanel put it another way: “There are people who have money, and there are people who are rich.” Her version separates money from richness. Marley flips it, showing how money without anything deeper can make you poor. It's the same truth from two angles. Together, they expose the myth of money as the measure of a meaningful life.
Redefining Poverty
Poverty isn’t just the absence of money. It’s the absence of access—access to safety, opportunity, and connection. But there’s another kind of poverty you won’t find in any economic report: spiritual poverty.
You can be rich on paper and bankrupt in spirit. You can dine at the world’s best restaurants and still starve for love, purpose, and peace. You can have it all—and feel nothing.
Marley’s “so poor” doesn’t point to someone with too little, but someone whose life is defined by only one thing: money. A life like that can become a prison dressed up as success.
This mindset didn’t appear overnight. Western society has long glorified the self-made millionaire as the ideal. From the industrial age to the Instagram era, success has been defined by the accumulation of money, followers, and status. The result? A culture that confuses what we have with who we are.
What It Means to Be Rich
Real richness isn’t about how much you earn—it’s about how deeply you live. It’s having purpose, peace, and people who care about you. It’s loving who you are and how you spend your days. It’s being grounded in something more meaningful than your bank balance.
I know this from experience.
I grew up financially poor, but I was rich in spirit. My childhood in Jamaica was full of joy that money couldn't buy. Nothing brought people together like a game of football. We’d kick a ball around for hours, and in those moments, we forgot everything else. The cheers when it hit the net, the laughter, the teasing—it made us feel alive.
When it rained, we didn’t stop. We grabbed matchsticks from the house and raced them in the rushing water, pretending they were horses. When those ran out, we used tree branches. We’d play until the rain stopped or we were too tired to keep going.
We didn’t need wealth to feel rich. Our spirits were full. We had community. We had friendship. We had memories that still warm the heart. In Marley’s sense, we were the richest kids in the world. And I wouldn’t trade that kind of wealth for anything.
The Famous and the Spiritually Bankrupt
You don’t have to look far to see Marley’s quote in action. Many famous people live it.
They have everything—cars, jets, designer clothes—but are poor in spirit. Some spiral into addiction. Some are surrounded by people yet feel completely alone. Some chase constant validation because they’ve lost any sense of who they are without applause.
They’re not rich—they’re just wealthy. And wealth without wellness is a hollow shell.
We’ve seen this in public figures again and again. On the surface, they have it all—fame, money, admiration. Yet, behind the scenes, many battle depression, loneliness, and identity crises. Their stories remind us that emotional wealth is not a byproduct of financial gain.
Fame and fortune don’t automatically bring fulfillment. They often expose how little someone has when everything material is stripped away.
Have vs. Be
Philosopher Erich Fromm talked about two modes of living: having and being.
In the having mode, your worth comes from what you own—money, property, status. In the being mode, your value comes from who you are—how you love, how you create, how you show up.
Our culture is addicted to having. That’s why so many confuse net worth with self-worth. But in the having mode, there’s never enough. You’re always chasing. Always comparing. Always needing more.
The being mode offers something different: peace. Connection. Fulfillment. It asks not what you own, but who you are becoming.
Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl once wrote, “Those who have a ‘why’ to live can bear with almost any ‘how.’” In other words, meaning—not money—is what gets us through life. Richness, then, is a deep sense of why, not a long list of what.
What Are We Really Building?
That’s the question we all need to sit with:
What are we building—and who are we becoming in the process?
Because at the end of the day, no one remembers how much you made. They remember how you made them feel. They remember your kindness, your presence, your impact.
Reclaiming Richness
Marley’s quote isn’t about money. It’s about meaning.
Chanel’s version is polished; Marley’s is raw. But they both ask us to stop mistaking wealth for a rich life.
To be truly rich is to live with a full heart and a clear mind. To be surrounded by people who matter. To feel joy, to give love, to stand for something.
If all you have is money, you might be missing everything that really counts.
So don’t just chase wealth. Chase fullness. Chase aliveness. Chase a life you won’t regret.
Take a moment and define your version of wealth.
Ask yourself:
What fills me up that money can’t buy?
Who do I become when I stop chasing and start being?
What legacy do I want to leave behind?
Because the richest life isn’t the one that looks good on paper. It’s the one that feels right in your soul.
Conclusion
We live in a time where people are chasing more—more money, more status, more stuff—thinking it will finally make them feel whole. But as Marley’s words remind us, it’s possible to have it all and still have nothing that matters.
True wealth isn’t about accumulation. It’s about connection. It’s about meaning. It’s about waking up in a life that feels honest and alive.
You don’t have to be rich to live richly. And if all you have is money, you’re missing out on the kind of wealth that can’t be bought—only lived.
So, ask yourself, not just what you have—but what you’re building. Not just what you’re earning—but who you’re becoming. That’s the measure of a rich life.