The Wealth of Having Nothing and Yet Having All
True happiness is not found in riches or praise, but in freedom, integrity, and a soul at peace.
The Character of a Happy Life
Sir Henry Wotton
How happy is he born or taught,
That serveth not another’s will;
Whose armour is his honest thought,
And simple truth his highest skill;
Whose passions not his masters are;
Whose soul is still prepar’d for death
Untied unto the world with care
Of princes’ grace or vulgar breath;
Who envies none whom chance doth raise,
Or vice; who never understood
The deepest wounds are given by praise,
By rule of state, but not of good;
Who hath his life from rumours freed;
Whose conscience is his strong retreat;
Whose state can neither flatterers feed,
Nor ruins make accusers great;
Who God doth late and early pray,
More of his grace than goods to send,
And entertains the harmless day
With a well-chosen book or friend.
This man is free from servile bands
Of hope to rise or fear to fall;
Lord of himself, though not of lands;
And having nothing, yet hath all.
Reflection:
Sir Henry Wotton’s timeless lines remind us that the richest life may be the simplest one. The truly happy person bows to no one’s will but lives guided by honesty, humility, and an unshakable conscience. Freed from envy, immune to flattery, and uninterested in worldly praise, such a person measures success not in possessions but in peace of mind. Here, happiness is not the result of acquiring more, but of needing less. It is found in quiet mornings of prayer, in the comfort of a good book, and in the company of a trusted friend. This is a life where one is “lord of himself,” unshaken by fortune’s rise or fall. Wotton leaves us with a paradox that holds great truth: having nothing, yet possessing all.
Three Questions to Dive Deeper:
- What “servile bands” still hold you, and how might you release them?
- How would your life change if you valued inner peace over external success?
- In what ways can simplicity become your greatest form of wealth?