Abstract
One of the signature tunes in the famous musical Cabaret is “Money,” which “makes the world go around.” In their burlesque and mocking duet, the singers create the illusion that with money, everything is possible. And they are not alone in this magical thinking. All of us have irrational, magical ideas about what money can do for us, and for others. How many times have you had that “If I won the lottery…” conversation? Clearly, with money, we increase our options. With money, we have a greater freedom of choice. Doors that would previously have been closed might suddenly open up.
Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.
—Epictetus
A wise person should have money in their head, but not in their heart.
—Jonathan Swift
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsAuthor information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Kets de Vries, M.F.R. (2019). The Money Delusion. In: Down the Rabbit Hole of Leadership. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92462-5_13
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92462-5_13
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-92461-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-92462-5
eBook Packages: Business and ManagementBusiness and Management (R0)