I don't make deals for the money. I've got enough, much more than I'll ever need. I do it to do it.

The game matters more than winning

There's something almost troubling about this idea once you sit with it. Most of us assume wealthy people keep chasing money because they're addicted to wealth itself—that more zeros in the account somehow feel better. But this quote hints at something weirder: that past a certain threshold, the money becomes almost beside the point. The real drug is the game.

This shows up everywhere if you look for it. The entrepreneur who sells their company for millions and then immediately starts another one. The retired executive who takes on board positions they don't need. The older people who continue grinding not because they're afraid of poverty, but because stopping feels like dying. The drive to build, compete, and execute becomes its own reward, completely separate from any financial outcome.

The uncomfortable part? This mindset can make someone either admirable or ruthless depending on what they're building. When the money is no longer the limiting factor or moral boundary, what stops you? For some, it's pure ambition creating something meaningful. For others, it's an endless appetite that consumes everything around it. The quote doesn't tell you which one you're getting.