Powerful words about wealth

This just in from the Roger Hamilton newsletter:

The following was written by Mikhail Khodorkovsky, founder of Yukos and until recently the richest man in Russia. He is currently an inmate of the Matrosskaya Tishina prison in Moscow since his arrest on October 25th 2003 – 17 months ago.

“Yes, over the past year, the $15 billion fortune of which Forbes wrote has almost reached zero, and it will soon become absolute zero. But parting with my wealth will not be unbearably painful for me. I have realized that wealth, and especially vast wealth, does not in itself make a person free. I had to make enormous efforts to protect this wealth. I had to limit myself in everything that might harm this possession. I controlled my possessions; they controlled me.”

“So I would like to warn young people today, those who will soon come to power: Do not envy those who have great wealth. All that is important is you, yourself – your feelings, ideas, talents, will, intellect and faith. This is, indeed, the only possible and correct choice – the choice of freedom.”

“To breathe the spring air, to play with children, to read good books – all this is so much more important, more right and more pleasant than multiplying wealth and settling scores. Now, freed from the burden of the past, I am determined to work for the benefit of those generation that will soon take charge of our country. Generations that will come with new values and new hopes.”

“Wealth isn’t how much money you have.

It’s what you’re left with when you lose all your money.”