“The rich stay rich by pretending to be poor, and the poor stay poor by pretending to be rich.”
I have seen this quote in so many places that I don’t know who to attribute it to.
The original Bible quote goes something like this:
“One person pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.” – Proverbs 13:7
My landlord owns over 100 properties in Canada and in the U.S, yet every time he comes over, he’s wearing old clothes and driving his old beat-up car. He’s not afraid to get his hands dirty and get on his knees to fix a toilet.
I have a friend who has a net worth of over 100 million dollars. I met him when I was a dance teacher, and we developed a friendship. This friend, to my knowledge, has never done anything to show his wealth. By looking at him or talking with him, you would never guess that he’s loaded with money.
Rich people like to accumulate wealth without drawing unnecessary attention or wasting their money on unnecessary luxuries.
On the other hand, I knew this other person, who was always driving a luxury car, always wearing designer clothes, and always buying the latest electronic gadgets. By looking at him, you would think he was very rich. The truth is that he was living off his girlfriend’s money, and when they separated, he was struggling with credit card debt.
The moral of the story is to live below your means, and if you have money, keep it hidden from others, possibly including friends, family, associates, and co-workers. It allows you to live the lifestyle you desire without having the outward appearance of being wealthy.