“If we command our wealth, we shall be rich and free; if our wealth commands us, we are poor indeed.”

a note, if wealth is commanding us, it is not ours. Another analogy like unto it "If we command our servants the government, we shall be rich and free; if our servants seize power and commands us, we are poor indeed

Put another way, debt is slavery.

The quote is about much more than debt, it is about the slavery to our material goods, we serving them rather than they serving us.

The more you have the more you are controlled by others - detach yourself not just from the clutter of mindless thoughts but also the shackles (shekels) that hold you down.

The simple clarity is more ambiguous than it seems. Is it wealth or "stuff" as George Carlin often said. Perhaps the sarcastic Golden Rule applies. He who has the gold makes the rules. A camel going through the eye of a needle comes to mind as well.

Yes, I love George Carlins skit on the American Dream "AND YOU'RE NOT A MEMBER OF THE CLUB". Also watch his skit on religion - it's so funny.

Go on youtube and search Carlin's "education". He says something very important there..."Forget the politicians, they're irrelevant" and he's right.

Do you work to live, or do you live to work? Do you eat to live, or do you live to eat? Human beings have the ability to pervert almost any benign thing into something malevolent.

I like everyone's comments.