10 Things Money Can´t Buy

Money has been with us for more than ten thousand years. It has become a vital element in our lives, to the point where without money, you can literally die. Money was originally invented as a unit of account, a measurement tool, used to estimate the value of goods and possessions. Before the invention of money,
people used to trade quantifiable goods they had an excess of, for other measurable things they could not harvest, make or grow. Trading was the only way people had to get access to vital resources, critical for their survival and protection, such as food, animals, tools, and fabrics, which they could not get otherwise.
As societies expanded, and trading transactions became less homogenous and more complex, the trading system colapsed. This situation forced the need for a standard unit of measure, which could help homogenize the value/cost of the heterogeneous goods being traded between individuals or communities.

Ironically, thousands of years ago, people struggled to assign standard trading values to quantifiable stuff. Today people seem to struggle to distinguish between the value of things, and invaluable things.

Our educational system, combined with our current socio-economical doctrines, has lead most people in this planet to see money as an object of cult, creating what some authors call the new “Money Culture”.
The beginning of a new year is a perfect time for reflection; an excellent occasion to rearrange our priorities, and to set up new goals. A unique opportunity to make an introspective analysis of our real values, principles and beliefs.
The list below is a compilation of wise quotes and statements on the top 10 things money can´t buy. I wish 2015 brings you and your loved ones a lot of:

# 1. Health

Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.” – Dalai Lama

# 2. Love

If you want to distinguish between those who love you unreservedly, and those who love your money, try losing all your money. – Jordi Alemany

# 3. Happiness

Money has never made man happy, nor will it, there is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more of it one has, the more one wants. – Benjamin Franklin

# 4. Integrity

To give real service you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity. – Douglas Adams

# 5. Respect

Money is your means of survival. The verdict you pronounce upon the source of your livelihood is the verdict you pronounce upon your life. If the source is corrupt, you have damned your own existence. Did you get your money by fraud? By pandering to men's vices or men's stupidity? By catering to fools, in the hope of getting more than your ability deserves? By lowering your standards? By doing work you despise for purchasers you scorn? If so, then your money will not give you a moment's or a penny's worth of joy. Then all the things you buy will become, not a tribute to you, but a reproach; not an achievement, but a reminder of shame. Then you'll scream that money is evil. Evil, because it would not pinch-hit for your self-respect? Evil, because it would not let you enjoy your depravity? Is this the root of your hatred of money?" - Ayn Rand

# 6. Peace of Mind

Money cannot buy peace of mind. It cannot heal ruptured relationships, or build meaning into a life that has none. - Richard M. DeVos

# 7. Ethics

It’s good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it’s good, too, to check up once in a while and make sure that you haven’t lost the things that money can’t buy. – George Lorimer

# 8. Education

Humans aren't as good as we should be in our capacity to empathize with feelings and thoughts of others, be they humans or other animals on Earth. So maybe part of our formal education should be training in empathy. Imagine how different the world would be if, in fact, that were 'reading, writing, arithmetic, empathy.' - Neil deGrasse Tyson

# 9. Intelligence

Bottom line is, I didn't return to Apple to make a fortune. I've been very lucky in my life and already have one. When I was 25, my net worth was $100 million or so. I decided then that I wasn't going to let it ruin my life. There's no way you could ever spend it all, and I don't view wealth as something that validates my intelligence. – Steve Jobs

# 10. Spiritual enlightenment

Money can buy a house, but not a home. It can buy a bed, but not sleep. It can buy a clock, but not time. It can buy a book, but not knowledge. It can buy blood, but not health, so you see; money is not everything in life. - Unknown

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