“There is no wealth but life.”

Agree, but he falls short in not mentioning the creations of life on earth or, in other words, the production from labor. Nonetheless it is a true statement.

Anon is right. The products of ones life must be considered, but all are worthless without life. No one lies on their deathbed and wishes he'd spent more time at work.

Human capital is the ultimate capital. Anon the production from labor or from life in the form of goods, services, art and music, or saved up excess in the form of gold or money, are secondary to the life or lives that produced them.

How about the life of a slave? Or one of the millions who have no liberty, insufficient sustenance, sadistic parents, disabling deformities or injuries to name just a few?

Life is wealth and the foundation of all else that is defined as wealth. Dick, what is done with that wealth is another story.

I'll go along with Mike, Norwalk.

Wealth is the product of self-denial of current pleasure for future security. Without life there is no need for security.

Dick from Fort Worth, I agree. In eyes of the slave, and the other unfortunates you mention, his life may not mean wealth. But the slave is a commodity, and someone profiting from him, or her. And so are we, when we pay less for the products of sweatshops and child labor.

Life is the ultimate 'substance' of intrinsic value. Whoever controls it, owns it.