When I wake up in the morning, I feel like a billionaire without

Ernie Banks, the beloved “Mr. Cub,” whose smile and spirit lit up the game of baseball, once declared: “When I wake up in the morning, I feel like a billionaire without paying taxes.” These words, wrapped in humor and lightheartedness, are in truth a testament to a soul overflowing with gratitude. For Banks was not speaking of money, nor of wealth measured in gold or numbers, but of the immeasurable treasure of joy, health, and the gift of another day. His was a heart that counted blessings, not coins, and found in each sunrise a fortune beyond the reach of kings.

The morning, to Banks, was not just the beginning of a day—it was the beginning of life itself renewed. To awaken with breath, with strength, with purpose, was to inherit riches more valuable than any empire. In comparing himself to a billionaire, he was not boasting, but reminding us that true wealth is not held in vaults but in the spirit of gratitude. And in his jest about “not paying taxes,” he revealed a wisdom older than the ancients: that the best riches of life are given freely, beyond the grasp of governments, untouched by debt or duty.

Banks’ life itself gave origin to this wisdom. Born the son of a sharecropper in Dallas, Texas, he knew hardship, poverty, and struggle. Yet he rose to become one of the most beloved figures in Major League Baseball. Despite playing for the Chicago Cubs, a team long denied championships, he was never bitter, never defeated in spirit. His famous phrase, “Let’s play two,” expressed his eagerness to greet every game, every chance to play, as a blessing. Thus, his morning gratitude was not naïve—it was forged in adversity. He knew suffering, but he chose joy.

This echoes the truths of the ancients. The Stoic philosopher Epictetus, born a slave, taught that freedom lies not in wealth but in the mastery of the spirit. The psalmists of old sang that the rising sun was a sign of God’s mercy, renewed every morning. The farmer in the field, the sailor upon the sea, the soldier on the march—all knew that to awaken and draw breath was the first and greatest gift. Banks stands in this tradition, declaring with a laugh that each dawn made him as rich as the wealthiest men on earth.

History gives us countless examples of this same spirit. Consider Nelson Mandela, who after twenty-seven years in prison emerged not with bitterness but with gratitude. Each morning outside the prison walls, he said, was a gift too precious to waste. Like Banks, he measured wealth not by money but by freedom, breath, and the chance to live with purpose. Such men teach us that even in hardship, one may rise as a billionaire of the soul.

The lesson for us is profound: do not wait for riches to make you feel rich. Do not let the weight of burdens, duties, or losses rob you of the treasure of simply being alive. Each morning is a fresh inheritance, a chance to live with joy, to strive, to love, to create. When you open your eyes to the light, you hold a wealth that cannot be taxed, stolen, or diminished. The true pauper is not the one with little money, but the one who wakes without gratitude.

Therefore, live as Ernie Banks lived. Wake each morning with the spirit of a billionaire without paying taxes—overflowing with thankfulness, radiant with joy, ready to seize the day with energy and hope. Smile at the rising sun, and count your life as a fortune. Share that wealth with others in kindness, laughter, and love, for these are currencies that multiply when given away.

And so, let it be remembered: true wealth is not stored in banks, but in the heart that greets each morning as treasure. He who wakes with gratitude is the richest of men, and he pays no tax on his joy.