You are rich in what you can afford to let alone.

What it means

Real wealth is the freedom not to need things. Every want you can let go of is one less thing that owns you. Measure your riches by what you can walk past.

The source

"You are rich in what you can afford to let alone." Henry David Thoreau said it in Walden (1854), Where I Lived, and What I Lived For. Written in English: Walden, 1854.

"a man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone."

Original English (Walden, 1854), Walden (1854), Where I Lived, and What I Lived For. Text read at gutenberg.org.

Who said it

Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862). Lived two years in a cabin he built at Walden Pond and wrote Walden about it. His essay Civil Disobedience argued for refusing to cooperate with injustice.

Questions

What does "You are rich in what you can afford to let alone." mean?

Real wealth is the freedom not to need things. Every want you can let go of is one less thing that owns you. Measure your riches by what you can walk past.

Who said "You are rich in what you can afford to let alone."?

Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862). Source: Walden (1854), Where I Lived, and What I Lived For.

What is the original wording?

a man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone (Original English (Walden, 1854)). Written in English: Walden, 1854.

Is "You are rich in what you can afford to let alone." on a shirt?

Yes. We print it to order on our tees in 7 illustrated looks, from $44, with free US shipping.

"You are rich in what you can afford to let alone." (Henry David Thoreau, Walden (1854), Where I Lived, and What I Lived For, trans. Original English (Walden, 1854)). https://spartansurfers.com/quotes/you-are-rich-in-what-you-can-afford