I have always thought that what matters most in life is freedom

“I have always thought that what matters most in life is freedom and health, not money.” – Chris Tarrant

In these words, Chris Tarrant speaks not as a man of wealth or fame, but as one who has glimpsed the true balance of life’s treasures. His voice is that of a sage who has seen the illusions of the world and chosen clarity over glitter. He reminds us that freedom and health—the twin pillars of a meaningful life—are far greater than gold, for they nourish the soul and sustain the body, while money merely decorates the surface of existence. His message is simple, yet it echoes with the timeless wisdom of every age: the richest man is not the one who has the most, but the one who needs the least.

From the earliest days of humankind, the wise have spoken of this truth. In the ancient lands of Greece, Diogenes the Cynic lived in a barrel with nothing but the sunlight and his own laughter, while kings trembled beneath the weight of their crowns. When Alexander the Great approached him and asked, “What can I do for you?” Diogenes replied, “Stand out of my sunlight.” In that moment, the conqueror realized that the beggar before him was freer than any ruler. For freedom is not granted by kings nor bought with coins—it is the mastery of one’s own mind and desires.

Freedom, as Tarrant teaches, is not merely the ability to move without chains. It is the sacred right to live by one’s conscience, to think without fear, to breathe without constraint. A man enslaved by his greed, though wrapped in silk, is poorer than the shepherd who walks barefoot under the open sky. For what use is wealth if one cannot wake each morning and feel the sun upon one’s skin, or sleep at night without the weight of worry? True freedom begins not in the world outside, but in the heart that refuses to be owned.

And health, too, is a crown unseen, worn by those who remember the miracle of their own body. The ancients called it vita sana in corpore sano—a sound mind in a sound body. Without health, all the riches of the earth turn to dust. What joy is there in gold if one has no strength to hold it? What value has a mansion when the heart within it falters? The wise know that health is the first wealth, the very foundation upon which all other blessings rest. To guard it is to honor the divine breath that animates all living things.

In the story of Job, the man of the East who lost all he had, we find this truth once again. Stripped of his riches, his family, his comfort, he still uttered, “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” And though he suffered, he did not curse life itself, for he understood that beyond possessions lies the deeper gift—the gift of being alive, of enduring, of choosing gratitude even in sorrow. His story teaches that money may flee, but the strength of the spirit and the grace of health can sustain even the broken.

In our modern world, we often chase the shadow of wealth, forgetting the light of freedom and health that guides us home. We trade hours of life for coins that cannot buy peace. We measure success not by joy, but by numbers. Yet Chris Tarrant’s words are a clarion call to awaken: to remember that no bank can restore the years lost to stress, and no fortune can purchase a single heartbeat once it stops. Freedom and health are gifts that must be tended daily—with gratitude, moderation, and courage.

So let the lesson be written upon the hearts of all who hear: seek freedom over possession, and health over indulgence. Walk more beneath the sky. Speak truth even when it costs you comfort. Care for your body as you would a sacred temple. Do not envy the rich, for their gold may weigh them down, but cherish the moments that no coin can buy—the laughter of loved ones, the taste of clean air, the stillness of dawn. For in these simple things lies the kingdom that cannot be bought or lost.

Thus, the wisdom of Chris Tarrant endures: “What matters most in life is freedom and health, not money.” Let these words be a compass for every traveler of the human path. When you find yourself torn between the call of ambition and the whisper of peace, choose the whisper. For when you possess freedom of spirit and health of body, you hold in your hands the truest form of wealth—the wealth of being fully, wondrously alive.