I did not intend to get rich — I wanted to get independent — and just overshot. — Calvin Coolidge

I did not intend to get rich — I wanted to get independent — and just overshot.

Author: Calvin Coolidge

Insight: There's something refreshing about how Coolidge separates wealth from independence. Most of us tangle these together, assuming they're the same thing. But he's pointing at something real: independence—the freedom to make your own choices, to say no, to not answer to anyone—is actually the goal. Money is just one tool that can get you there, and sometimes you're so focused on building that tool that you accidentally build way more than you needed. This hits differently today. We're constantly told to "build wealth," "stack cash," "hustle harder," as if accumulation is the point. But plenty of wealthy people feel trapped—too many obligations, too much to protect, too many people with expectations. Meanwhile, someone with modest means but no debt, flexible work, and strong boundaries might genuinely be freer. Coolidge seems to have stumbled into understanding what many ambitious people never figure out: that past a certain point, more money doesn't buy more independence, it often just buys more complications. The useful part isn't the "accidentally got rich" part—that's his specific luck. It's the clarity about what you're actually chasing. Before you grind harder or optimize further, it's worth asking: What freedom am I actually after? What's the minimum version of that? You might find you've already overshot without realizing it.